Washington named to board for historically black college and universities

Elaine Washington, director of Benefits, Finance, and Investments for Eastman has been named to the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Success Advisory Board by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

“The College looks forward to working with Elaine in this new role where she will lead opportunities to advocate, influence, and inform the transfer process between community college students and HBCU universities in the state,” said Northeast State President Bethany Bullock.

Washington serves Northeast State as the chair of the Foundation Investments Committee, and she is the chair of the Inclusive Excellence Advisory Committee.

The HBCU advisory board provides recommendations and guidance to THEC in the following areas:

• Improvement of the identity, visibility, and distinctive capabilities and overall competitiveness of HBCUs;
• Engagement of the philanthropic, business, government, military, homeland security, and education communities in a dialogue regarding new HBCU programs and initiatives;
• Improvement of the ability of HBCUs to remain fiscally secure institutions that can assist the state in reaching its educational goals;
• Elevation of the public awareness of HBCUs; and
• Encouragement of public-private investments in HBCUs.

Board members also serve as ambassadors for HBCU Success, providing an ongoing exchange of information and ideas with Tennesseans, policymakers, and the public.

The board is comprised of nine voting members who are appointed by the Commission to serve for a three-year term.

Washington’s primary responsibility at Eastman is investment management of the U.S. pension and 401(k) plans covering assets of $5.0 billion. She also provides guidance and oversight for the non-U.S. pension plans with assets of $800 million. She has held her current position since 2013.

Over her career, she has held various treasury positions, primarily focused on pension investment management at Resolute Forest Products in Montreal. Originally from Chicago, she has also held treasury positions at Sara Lee Corp. and FMC Corp.

Washington obtained her B.A. with a major in Business Administration and concentrations in Finance and Accounting from Loyola University. She also holds an M.B.A. with a major in Finance and concentration in International Business from Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business. She also has a Certified Treasury Professional designation.

Washington is also the past Chairperson for Eastman’s Connect Employee Resource Group, supporting the core value of inclusion and diversity. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and is active in various church-related community and ministry initiatives.