Joseph D. Greene
Moving from rural Georgia in 1959 with $35 saved from picking cotton and a high school diploma tucked away in his pocket, Joseph D. Greene embarked on a long journey in pursuit of success. His first stop landed him a job with an insurance company as a door-to-door salesman. After a long string of promotions, he became executive vice president/chief marketing officer and a member of the company's board of directors. He continued his education while enjoying an astounding fast-track career, earning a bachelor's degree from Augusta State University and a master's degree from the University of Georgia.
Mr. Greene's commitment to public service would lead to a series of firsts. He became the first African-American elected to public office in McDuffie County, Georgia, when he was elected to the county's board of education. He would become the first African-American to sit on dozens of governing boards. He has served as a former Regent and Chair of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, overseeing the state's thirty-four colleges and universities.
An accomplished author, he has written several publications on finance and economics, as well as a book about his long journey to success, From Cotton Fields to Boardrooms. Mr. Greene has extensive corporate directorship experience, serving as a member of the boards of the Pilgrim Health and Life Insurance Company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Georgia Carolina Banchares, Inc., and First Bank of Georgia.
In addition to his teaching duties as the Cree-Walker Professor of Business Administration at Augusta State University, Mr. Greene served as director of the Augusta State University Center for Economic Education and conducted financial-planning workshops. Mr. Greene was recently named Augusta State's Customer Service Champion in response to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s launch of the state’s “Customer Service Improvement Initiative” and is working with campus customer service representatives to address student retention as an initial project.