Carroll Green is proud of his role as a charter member of UDC’s Board of Trustees, as an alumnus, and a former student member of the DC Board of Higher Education – where he played an instrumental role in the establishment of the University of the District of Columbia and selecting its first president. 

A former student leader, Green is a 1973 graduate of Federal City College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. At the age of 84, Green is still a major cheerleader for the University and revels in the journey of its establishment.     

“There was an energy in the District with many promises made,” Green said. “There were growing pains, but few people had the opportunity to be involved in creating an institution of higher learning. I am proud of where the University is and the selection of a new president. UDC is moving in the right direction.”   

Born and raised in West Virginia in a coal miner town, Green attended Federal City College using his GI bill after serving as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Marines for nine years including a tour of duty in Lebanon in 1958 and later serving in Vietnam from 1965-66.    

The first in his immediate family to graduate from college, he continued his education at Western Michigan University, earning a master’s degree in public administration in 1992.  

A self-described activist, Green is especially proud of being a part of defining the direction, role and purpose of the newly consolidated University, comprised of DC Teachers College, Federal City College and Washington Technical Institute, creating the University of the District of Columbia in 1977. Lisle C. Carter served as the University’s first president.  

“There was so much going on at multiple sites,” Green said about plans to combine the institutions. “There were missteps, but I am proud of where the University is today. So many people who were involved in the process are no longer with us.” 

Green worked alongside Ronald H. Brown, who served as the first chair of the UDC Board of Trustees. Brown was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Commerce in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. He also worked with Cleveland L. Dennard, founding president of the Washington Technical Institute. It was the District’s first public technical institute of higher education until 1977.      

Green is accustomed to breaking down barriers. He credits his professors with helping him gain access to federal government jobs at a time when there weren’t many African Americans employed in federal jobs. Green was the first black contract negotiator at the Office of Naval Research. He was also a Department of Defense program manager responsible for the hazardous disposal contracting for the DoD.  

Green retired in 1998 and has never stopped fighting for causes that are important to him.  

Since his retirement, he has served as president of Manor Park Citizens Association, designed to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood. He was the first black president of DC Federation of Citizens Associations and a founding member and vice president of the East Rock Village – Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a volunteer organization that helps seniors remain in their homes as they age. 

He frequently visits UDC’s campus and has made donations to the University. Green plans to establish a named scholarship to assist students who need extra financial support in UDC’s School of Business.   

“As I look back, it would not have been possible for me to achieve what I have in life,” Green said. “It’s all because of the solid grounding in higher education that I received.”  

He is a member of Omega Psi Phi and has published his memoir, “Almost Heaven: It Wasn’t Even Close,” based on his life and adoption, growing up in West Virginia.  

Green resides in the District and is the father of one son, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.