BLACK GREEK SUCCESS

Eddie Francis, the creator of the Pledge to Serve Initiative and the Black Greek Success Program, entered Black Greek life by way of Alpha Phi Alpha at Loyola University New Orleans in 1989. Currently a member of the Sigma Lambda alumni chapter and a National Pan-Hellenic Council representative, Eddie has served his fraternity as a chapter president on both the college and alumni levels. He has also served as a campus advisor. Eddie's passion for articulating the value of Black Greek life has led to his contributing to College Summit's #BeAGrad Twitter chat about Greek life, Al Jazeera America's social media chat about fraternity hazing, HBCU Lifestyle, and "The HBCU Nation Radio Show."

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Eddie has a diverse professional background which includes mass media and marketing, higher education and career development. He enjoyed a 19-year career in radio where he won a 2011 Press Club of New Orleans award for his interview with a Rwandan genocide survivor. That same year, Eddie helped coordinate the public relations campaign that helped defeat the infamous State of Louisiana proposal to merge Southern University at New Orleans with a neighboring institution. His tenure in career development began as the Louisiana area manager for Monster’s Making It Count Programs where he addressed more than a quarter of a million students and parents in 28 states about educational and career success. A former talent acquisition professional, Eddie worked with nearly 300 hiring managers in multiple industries.

 

Eddie can be heard providing insights about various topics on radio air waves and online. He is a regular contributor to “The HBCU Nation Radio Show" (WRVS-FM and SiriusXM 142). He also hosts the "For Our Edification" podcast. Eddie publishes the blogs "Identity and Value", "Lectures to Livelihood" and "P.R. and Marketing in Higher Ed"; and he has written for The Huffington Post, Greek Ladders, LinkedIn, The H.O.P.E. Scholarship, Careers in Government, HBCU Connect, Great Black Speakers and Write to Bear Alms. Because of his efforts to leverage social media to prepare college students for their careers, the HBCU Career Center included Eddie on their 2015 list of "25 Twitter Pages Diverse Students Should Follow."

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Eddie resides in New Orleans and is a board member of the Purposeful Philanthropy Foundation which was founded by his wife Dr. Halima Leak Francis, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. He received his Master of Professional Studies from Tennessee State University, and he is the director of communications and marketing at Dillard University.