Dr. Charlie Nelms is a nationally-recognized leader in higher education, a compelling storyteller and a dedicated activist. His career includes serving as chancellor at Indiana University East, the University of Michigan-Flint and North Carolina Central University. During his tenure as chancellor of NCCU, U.S. News & World Report ranked it as one of the best public HBCUs in the nation for three consecutive years.

Dr. Nelms has received numerous national accolades for his higher education leadership, including prestigious fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the American Council on Education. In addition, he has been widely recognized for tackling issues beyond academia. In 2012, President Obama honored him with the MLK Drum Major for Service Award for helping to address the most pressing needs in our nation.

A highly-sought guest speaker, panelist and commentator at various events, radio programs and podcasts, Dr. Nelms was a Huffington Post blogger for five years, where he wrote wide-ranging pieces, from the political to the personal. He is also the author of Having My Say: Reflections of a Black Baby Boomer and Start Where You Find Yourself. His memoir, From Cotton Fields to University Leadership: All Eyes on Charlie, was featured during Indiana University’s bicentennial celebration in 2020. All book royalties are donated to UNCF and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for HBCU scholarships.

Dr. Nelms obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and his masters and doctorate degrees from Indiana University. He and his spouse, Jeanetta Sherrod, are philanthropists who have established scholarship endowments at the various schools he has been associated with, where, each year, 30-40 students are awarded Nelms Scholarships.  In addition to serving as a President In-Residence with UNCF, he is also a senior consultant with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges in Washington, DC.