How does one go from Student Government Association President to President of Grambling State University? Ask Dr. Martin Lemelle. As a third-generation alum and now the 11th president of GSU, Lemelle’s new role feels like the pinnacle of an HBCU experience. Not to mention it’s one for the history books. Lemelle is the first openly gay man to serve as an HBCU president and also the youngest at age 39. With an extensive background in finance and operations, Lemelle developed his business expertise at prestigious organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, IBM, and General Electric and he served as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at the Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA). Lemelle is the ultimate possibility model and embodiment of GSU motto: “Grambling State University is the place where everybody is somebody.” — J.S.M.