Stephen W. Fusi Named NCCU’s New Chief Brand Officer

DURHAM, N.C. –  North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has appointed Stephen W. Fusi as Chief Brand Officer after a competitive, national search. He began his new role at NCCU on May 9, 2022.

As Chief Brand Officer, Fusi will provide transformational leadership to create an aspirational brand identity for the university. He will build and orient a strong marketing organization to engage and attract increasing numbers of students seeking knowledge and skills for successful careers.

In collaboration with stakeholders across the university, Fusi will define NCCU’s aspirational brand as a visual image, a clear message, and a promise of a consistent learning experience. He will work with a team that will nurture and cultivate the realization of these three brand elements at critical touchpoints where stakeholders interact with current and prospective students and future employers. Fusi will be tasked with showcasing how the NCCU ecosystem of faculty, staff, alumni, corporate partners, and donors work together to create a meaningful and inviting learning experience for NCCU students.

He will be responsible for bringing the story of these interactions and touchpoints to life through digital and traditional media, while also shaping marketing strategies and new stories as student career interests and future employer needs evolve. Fusi is the first person to assume the role that will be part of the Executive Leadership Team and will report to Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye.

Fusi is the former managing director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. In this role, he built programs to help Fuqua students and alumni develop their entrepreneurial ambitions – whether that is founding or joining a new venture, buying and operating an existing company, or becoming a venture investor.

Prior to joining Fuqua, Fusi served as Chief Marketing Officer for The Safe + Fair Food Company, and was Vice President, Customer Experience and Marketing Technology, at Fidelity Charitable, the largest public charity in the United States. In this latter role, he was responsible for donor marketing efforts that increased consumer awareness and supported record growth in contributions and donor engagement. Fusi earlier held leadership roles in marketing and brand management at Starbucks, C. R. Bard, and Procter & Gamble. He is co-managing member of SHC86 Ventures LLC, an angel investing consortium focused on technology businesses in Africa, and the founder of Posh Provisions Limited, a snack food manufacturing business operating in Cameroon.

Fusi serves on the advisory boards of Qodeo, a platform that democratizes access to venture capital for entrepreneurs, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Fusi previously served on the board of Note in the Pocket Inc., an organization that provides clothing to impoverished and homeless children in Wake County, N.C.

Fusi obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) prepares students to succeed in the global marketplace. Consistently ranked as a top Historically Black College or University, NCCU’s flagship programs in the sciences, education, law, business, nursing, and the arts prepare students for professions ranging from clinical research to information science. Founded in 1910, NCCU remains committed to diversity in and access to higher education. With a mission to investigate health disparities, the university’s two state-of-the-art research institutes give students real-world experience working alongside faculty researchers and pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry professionals. The university’s Strategic Plan 2019-2024, Charting a New Landscape for Student-Center Success, focuses on four areas: student access and success; innovation, research, and entrepreneurship; collaboration and partnerships; and institutional sustainability. Visit www.nccu.edu.