White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Presents 2023 National HBCU Week Conference

Archived Information

White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Presents 2023 National HBCU Week Conference

Contact:   Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Initiative) today welcomed institution executive leaders, faculty, students, and supporters to the 2023 National HBCU Week Conference being held in person at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.

The annual National HBCU Week Conference is the nation’s premier convening of key influencers in the HBCU space. It is implemented under the leadership of the Initiative, in close consultation with the Executive Office of the President and U.S. Department of Education. The event provides a unique occasion for 3,300 representatives from HBCUs, federal agencies, private-sector companies and philanthropic organizations to participate and provide useful information and successful models to improve instruction, degree completion, and federal engagement —all of which strengthen the role of HBCUs.

This year’s theme is “Raising the Bar: Forging Excellence through Innovation & Leadership.” In his executive order reestablishing the White House Initiative on HBCUs, President Biden charged the Initiative to, “develop new and expand pre-existing national networks of individuals, organizations, and communities to share and implement administrative and programmatic best practices related to advancing educational equity, excellence, and opportunity at HBCUs.” This event will identify and target tangible opportunities that will connect federal and private resources to the HBCU community.

Conference speakers will include:

Event 1
Who :
  • U. S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona 
  • Mayor Stephen Benjamin, senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Engagement, The White House
  • Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden, The White House
  • Members of the U.S. Congress
  • U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack
  • U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo
  • U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
  • Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan
  • U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg
  • Head of Contracting Authority (Acting) Benjamin Bryant, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Director Amy Jenkins, Mission Office for Health Science Futures, ARPA-H, NIH
  • Chief Scientist Victoria Coleman, Ph.D., U.S. Department of the Air Force (USAF)
  • NASA Astronaut Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr. (Colonel, USAF, Retired)

There will be special performances by nationally recognized Black Greek-letter organizations, which are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Virginia State University Gospel Choir and more.

The full agenda for the 2023 National HBCU Week Conference can be found here. Open press portions are noted below and will take place in the Regency Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.

What :

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Presents 2023 National HBCU Week Conference

When :

Monday, September 25

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., Raising the Bar: Forging Excellence through Innovation and Leadership
  • 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Secretary Miguel Cardona will deliver remarks at the Forging Excellence Luncheon.

Tuesday, September 26

  • 9 a.m. – 10 a.m., Excellence Through Innovation: The Administration & HBCUs.
  • 12 p.m. – 1:45 p.m., Secretary Miguel Cardona will deliver remarks at the Forging Excellence through Innovation and Leadership Luncheon.

Wednesday, September 27

  • 12 p.m. – 2 p.m., HBCUs and Business: Raising the Bar Closing Luncheon.
Where :

Hyatt Regency Crystal City
Arlington, Virginia.

To RSVP for a specific event, please email pressrsvp@ed.gov .

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