Marshall J. Taggart, Jr.

Marshall J. Taggart, Jr., a native Atlantan, serves as an Associate Vice President responsible for the newly created Office of Governmental Affairs located in CAU’s Institutional Advancement Division (OGA-IA) at Clark Atlanta University (CAU).

This office is the first of its kind in the Atlanta University Center and is responsible for overseeing a wide variety of programs and activities to educate and involve diverse constituencies to enhance the image, reputation, and recognition of CAU.

In this role, he plays an instrumental role in assisting the University’s president, Dr. George T. French, Jr. in identifying and securing federal, state, local, corporate foundation, in-kind gift, and international funding opportunities. In addition, he assists in managing relationships with elected officials on all-levels of government, as well as manages the University’s federal, state, and local agenda by directing its lobbyists located respectively in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta GA.

He also serves as a community relations liaison for Atlanta Neighborhood planning units L & T, as well as works with the Atlanta University Center and the Just Us Neighborhood Associations. He serves on several boards both nationally and locally, including the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) and the Atlanta Airport Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Prior to his appointment at CAU, he completed a twenty-five (25) year career stint by serving six (6) municipal governments in various public service roles. He served as the first African American chief operating officer and executive airport director for Montgomery Airport Authority’s Montgomery Regional Airport.

He has also held roles as a deputy airport director at the premier executive general aviation airport located in Metro North Atlanta, DeKalb Peachtree Airport and also as deputy aviation director at Florida’s premier capitol airport, Tallahassee International. He has also served in various progressive career roles as Director of Airport Concessions at Chicago Midway International; Airport Director of Planning and Real Estate at Chicago O’Hare International; Airport Concessions Manager responsible for marketing and business development for 200 plus retail & food and beverage locations at the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

He began his career in public service by serving as a legislative aide and senior budget analyst for the Honorable Richard M. Daley’s, 54th Mayor of Chicago, IL, administration.

He is a twice-minted graduate from CAU, earning both his bachelor of arts in accounting (cum laude) in spring 1992 and his master’s in public administration (summa cum laude) in summer 1997. He passed his comprehensive exams (in spring 2019) and completed his doctoral proposal defense (in summer 2022) successfully. He is an ‘all but dissertation’ (ABD) doctoral candidate. In addition, he is an honors student in the Dr. Mack H. Jones Political Science department at CAU. He expects to receive his political science doctoral degree in summer 2023. The title of his dissertation: The Pathway to Municipal Sovereignty; a Case Study on the City of South Fulton, Georgia.

Marshall has held various leadership roles such as the immediate past president of the South Fulton Alphas and serving as the youngest National President of the Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) in 2002. He serves as a past CAU National Alumni Association President and a former member of the CAU Board of Trustees. He holds membership in Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Zeta Boule; as a Prince Hall affiliated third-degree mason; and as an active member in the 100 Black Men of South Metro Atlanta, serving as co-advisor to the Collegiate 100 chapter at CAU.

He has been married for 25 years to the former Sherri L. Foster, a CAU 1992 alumna. They have two (2) adult children: William Joseph, a 2021 CAU dual degree physics and North Carolina A & T State University mechanical engineering honors graduate and Lauryn Kristen, a 2021 honors special education graduate of Stephenson High School. He relaxes by playing golf; listening to jazz, prays and meditates daily, as well as, collects African American historical newspapers and artifacts.

Marshall J. Taggart Jr.
Associate Vice President
Office of Governmental Affairs