Ralph B. Everett is President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, widely acknowledged as the nation’s leading think tank for policy analysis and research on issues of concern to African Americans and other people of color.  Mr. Everett was appointed President and CEO of the Joint Center on January 1, 2007.  His visionary plan of action is centered on launching new initiatives designed to strengthen the effectiveness and visibility of the Joint Center’s work.  They include Institutes on Media and Technology and Civic Engagement and Governance, as well as the Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change.

Cynthia G. Marshall is Chair of the Joint Center’s Board of Governors. She has served as President of AT&T North Carolina since 2007 and is the first African-American to serve as Chair of the North Carolina Chamber. Ms. Marshall is a passionate advocate for quality education for all children and has been named a “Friend of Education” by the NC State Board of Education in recognition of her untiring efforts on behalf of the state’s students and schools. She is also deeply committed to the cause of children in need of adoption or in need of support in foster care situations.  A dynamic business leader, she is a nationally-known motivational speaker. She and her husband have three teenagers.