We are delighted to announce that Dr. Elmira Mangum has joined our team as Advisor in Higher Education. A seasoned leader, change agent, and planner who has served at the executive level of nationally recognized organizations of higher learning for more than 35 years, Dr. Mangum is a powerful asset to Sanmita.

Dr. Mangum obtained her bachelor’s magna cum laude from North Carolina Central University and went on to graduate with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with two master’s degrees; one in public policy and public administration and another in urban and regional planning. She began her rich career as an administrative leader at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Geological and Natural History Survey as an operations specialist. Subsequently, she earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy at the University of Buffalo. Postgraduate training includes the Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina Millennium Leadership Institute, the Harvard Graduate School of Education Management Development Program, and Cornell’s Administrative Management Institute.

Dr. Mangum served as an associate provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for nine years and in 2010 became the vice president for budget and planning at Cornell University. She also held a faculty appointment in the Johnson School at Cornell, and also held similar positions at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government, UB Graduate School of Education, where she taught higher education administration, and leadership theory and practice. She taught financial management in the UNC Bridges leadership program and served on the Bridges Board. Among many service activities, Dr. Mangum is a member of the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Board of Directors, the National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education (NCCI) Board of Directors, the Tri-State Diversity Council, the United Way Board of Directors, and was a state representative and university chair of the American Association of University Women in North Carolina.

Dr. Mangum has made history twice. She began her tenure as the 11th president of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), and was the first permanent female president in the institution’s 128-year legacy. Then while she was enrolled at NCCU, she served in Washington, DC as the first African American U.S. Congressional Intern from the State of North Carolina.

Dr. Mangum is now serving as the CEO of EM Plus 3, LLC, and is focused on the organizational redesign, leadership training, efficiency analysis, revenue enhancement, and financial planning in higher education. Through federal and state governments in the legislative process, private fundraising, and leveraging information technology, Dr. Mangum has managed teams through many complex processes. This includes complete financial overhauls, recovery from financial downturns, creation/redesign of information and administrative systems. She designed all funds financial models and created budget planning and management information and reporting systems. Having recently completed a sabbatical year with Washington University in St. Louis as a distinguished scholar in residence and several months with University of Pennsylvania Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Dr. Mangum remains committed to the principle of education as a human right and works to provide more efficient delivery systems using enterprise strategic planning.  She is also a professional coach and mentor to aspiring leaders.