Wealth of Experience Gained from Four HBCUs
Vice President Braque Talley, vice president for student affairs at Alabama A&M University, has announced the selection of a new Director of Financial Aid and has extended grateful appreciation to Sybrenna Harris, who served as interim director.
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Marcus Byrd returns to AAMU, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience in higher education administration. His career includes former positions of increasing responsibilities obtained at HBCUs Coppin State, Alabama State, Tuskegee, and AAMU. Prior to arriving at AAMU this month, Byrd served as the Director of Financial Aid at Coppin State University. While at Coppin, he was tapped to serve as Interim Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, served on the Maryland Higher Education Commission Advisory Board and participated in the noted Executive Leadership Training Program at Hampton University under past president Dr. William Harvey.
Byrd’s philosophy entails “anticipating customers’ needs before they realize they have a need.” To realize this concept, he follows six principal ideas: attention to the customer, effective teamwork, fact-based management, process re-engineering, effective communication, and succession planning.
The proud AAMU alumnus graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and the Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Management Information Systems.
Byrd is married to Arielle James Byrd, retail sales manager for Vita Coco for Baltimore and Washington, D.C. They have four sons: Mason, 17; Ezra, 4; Eli, 2; and newborn Ellis.
Byrd officially rejoined the AAMU family on February 8, 2023.
