Mr. Ecton served for three decades at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), effecting educational opportunities for tens of thousands of African Americans at the organization’s thirty-nine private Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As UNCF’s senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, he was responsible for unprecedented growth and support from the private sector, raising more than $1.6 billion during his tenure. He later served as vice president for university advancement at Howard University, and is credited with revitalizing and strengthening the institution’s financial underpinnings and securing its leadership position in higher education for the 21st century. After eight years at Howard, he assumed the role of vice president of federal affairs and capital campaign at Tuskegee University. Most recently, he held the position of executive vice president of development at the NAACP.

He holds an undergraduate degree from Indiana University, a graduate degree from Xavier University, and he completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University Business School.