Marcus Burgess

Marcus H. Burgess, is a native of Cades, South Carolina. He is a 1996 graduate of Claflin University where he earned a B.S. in Elementary Education and a 2000 graduate of The Citadel, earning a M.S. in Education Administration and Supervision. He is currently a doctoral student at Vanderbilt University in the Peabody School of Education.

Prior to his return, Marcus served several institutions in a leadership capacity. Most recently at York Technical College in Rockhill, SC as the Executive Director for Campaigns and Strategic Initiatives, Florida Memorial University, Miami Gardens, FL, as the Vice President for University Advancement and Voorhees College as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. At both Florida Memorial and Voorhees College, Marcus led the Office of Alumni Affairs/Annual Fund, Corporate, Foundation and Community Affairs, Public Relations, Advancement Services, and Governmental Relations.  He is the former Director of Alumni Affairs/Annual Fund at Claflin University, where he achieved an alumni giving percentage of over 45% pushing them towards a goal of 50%, and a former K-12 public school administrator.

This past year has been very exciting for him. He helped to close a $3.2 million dollar gift for Florida Memorial University— the largest in the school’s history, and was appointed to the Council for Advancement and Support for Education (CASE) District III Board of Directors.

He is the son of Mack and Janie Burgess, and is married to Leandra Hayes-Burgess. Together they have three children Marcus (Deuce), Mariana, and Tyler.