Written by Andrew Skerritt
Florida A&M University Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice President Donald E. Palm, Ph.D., addressed those gathered on Jan. 12 for the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation.
Palm, who has been serving in his role since August 2023, said he welcomes the opportunity to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and highlight the value of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) education.
“I believe in the power and transformative nature of education, particularly, an education from an HBCU,” Palm said. “As a first-generation student pursuing a chemistry degree at an HBCU, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, never did I imagine that I would be serving in the capacity as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at the No. 1 public HBCU in the country.”
As EVP/COO, Palm is charged with the guiding strategy for vice presidents and other senior administrators to improve outcomes on key performance indicators and achieve operational excellence throughout the University.
A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native, Palm completed a doctorate in pharmacology at Penn State University. He conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Palm served as vice president/provost at Virginia State University before returning to FAMU, where until 2016, he was associate provost for Undergraduate Studies and a tenured professor in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health.
Immediately following the convocation ceremony, also in the Lawson Center, the University will recognize and celebrate the FAMU Football team for winning the 2023 HBCU National Championship and its first Celebration Bowl title. The Marching “100” Band and the FAMU Cheerleaders will participate in the festivities.