With more than 22 years of experience successfully leading diversity efforts in higher education, Todd Steven McFadden was inspired to develop HEDC Group by noting similar challenges and solutions at institutions from small, private liberal arts schools to the largest research universities. He holds degrees in African American Studies and Educational Leadership in Higher Education.McFadden came to UNCW in the Fall of 2010 as Director of the Upperman African American Cultural Center in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and is an instructor for the Africana Studies minor. McFadden has over 20 years of experience in higher education. He had previously served as Associate Director of the Center for Black Culture and Research at West Virginia University. Prior to this he was Director of the Africana Center at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and before that he was Director of the African American Cultural Center at Towson University in Maryland. McFadden has held positions at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.He received a BA in African American Studies and African American Music History at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. McFadden earned an MA in Educational Leadership at West Virginia University in 2004. He will pursue an EdD in Educational Leadership in the near future.In 2012 he was appointed by the City Council of Wilmington to serve on the Wilmington African American History Commission. He pursues his passion for jazz by serving as a board member of the Cape Fear Jazz Society and performing locally as a jazz guitarist and composer. He has served on the board of trustees for the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, NC. and has served as a member of the Coastal Carolina chapter of 100 Black Men of America and was appointed to the inaugural Visiting Committee for the Chief Diversity Office at WVU.