Linda Wharton Boyd, COO of The Wharton Group, to Be Installed As President of Pitt's African American Alumni Council

PITTSBURGH—Linda Wharton Boyd, chief operating officer of The Wharton Group and a University of Pittsburgh alumna, will be installed as president of Pitt's African American Alumni Council (AAAC) at 6 p.m. March 22 in the William Pitt Union Ballroom, 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland.

Boyd earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and speech communication in 1972, the Master of Arts degree in speech communication in 1975, and the Ph.D. degree in communications in 1979, all at Pitt. Her son, Milton Harrison Boyd, a political science and communication major, is scheduled to graduate from Pitt this spring.

In 1990, Linda Boyd founded The Wharton Group, a communications and management-consulting firm in Washington, D.C. With more than 20 years of experience and expertise in organizational management and communications, she has served academic, government, private, faith-based, and nonprofit communities.

Boyd has held several executive-level communication positions in Washington, including chief communications officer for the superintendent of the D.C. public schools, director of communications and press secretary for both the executive office of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and the D.C. deputy mayor for children, youth, and families, and director of the D.C. Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications. In addition, she was a graduate assistant professor at Howard and Bowie State universities.

As a renowned national and international communications consultant, Boyd has played a major role in such events as the Million Man March, the Million Family March, and the Redeem the Dream 37th Anniversary March on Washington, which attracted more than 500,000 people from across the country. She has traveled extensively throughout the continent of Africa, serving the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication in Liberia and, at the invitation of the president of Sudan, as a peace ambassador to bridge relations between Christians and Muslims.

An active member of Pitt's AAAC and Alumni Association, Boyd will work to enhance the visibility and viability of AAAC through strategic planning and organizational development, African American alumni support, student partnerships, stronger relationships with the University, and community service.

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3/15/05/tmw