Bill Taggart joins the executive team at Morehouse College

By Maria Saporta

William “Bill” Taggart, the former president and CEO of Atlanta Life Financial Group, is joining the executive leadership team at Morehouse College.

In his new role, Taggart will serve as executive-in-residence and chief operating officer with primary responsibility for the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Taggart joins Morehouse with more than 30 years of business and public sector experience – working for Fortune 500 companies, boutique firms and with federal government agencies.

At Atlanta Life, Taggart served as president and CEO for nearly four years – joining the historic financial institution in July 2011. During his tenure, Atlanta Life sold its corporate headquarters building to Georgia State University, and the financial services company moved the 191 Peachtree tower.

Prior to joining Atlanta Life Financial Group, he served as chief operating officer for the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), where he successfully increased federal aid from $96 billion to $150 billion annually – affecting 15 million college students. Taggart also led the agency through a transformation that resulted in a cost savings of $68 billion over 10 years.

At Morehouse, Taggart will leverage his expertise in relationship-building and transformations to strengthen the College’s development activities, as well as its commitment to operational excellence.

“I am delighted that Bill is joining the College’s executive team,” said Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr., who is the 11th president of Morehouse. “This is a final step in a convergence of talent that positions Morehouse to leap toward creating the type of world-of-our-dreams institution that consistently provides a preeminent educational experience for our students.”

As an Atlanta native, Taggart earned his BBA from Howard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Taggart also is active in various businesses and civic organizations, including the Atlanta Business League, 100 Black Men of America, the Carter Center, Woodruff Arts Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Westside Future Fund, and the Rotary Club of Atlanta.

Taggart also is a life member of the National Black MBA Association and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.