OneFAMU: Boosters' president rebels against university's "top-down" consolidation plan

An ambitious initiative to unify FAMU network of alumni and donors under a single, coordinated banner has erupted into open conflict, exposing deep fissures between the university’s administration and the volunteer leaders who fund its ambitions.

The initiative, called “OneFAMU,” was presented as a collaborative framework for the university’s four Direct Support Organizations (DSOs)—the FAMU Foundation, the National Alumni Association, the FAMU Research Foundation entity, and the Rattler Boosters, the athletic fundraising arm. Its stated goal is fostering cooperation to “propel FAMU’s posture and image.”

But in a blistering internal letter obtained by Rattler Nation, the president of the Rattler Boosters, Zachary B. Ansley, accuses the university of running a “top down directive” and exclusionary process that contradicts the initiative’s very name. The dispute has triggered a special emergency meeting of the Boosters’ board, scheduled for Tuesday night, and threatens to derail a key component of the university’s strategic planning.

“The term, One-FAMU, suggests that DSO leaders… work together cooperatively,” Ansley writes in the letter addressed to “Rattler Boosters” members.  “However, this One-FAMU initiative… have all been presented as directives, instructions, and mandates.”

Once vocal critic becomes in-house paid consultant
The consultant at the center of the storm is Chekesha Kidd, who at one time was a chief vocal opponent of FAMU President Marva Johnson, but now serves as a consultant to the university’s Board of Trustees and as a director on the FAMU Foundation board. According to Ansley, the process began with an introductory call on March 4, followed by a focus group and a steering committee meeting. He says the tone was set from the start, citing a statement from Kidd that left no room for debate: “This is going to happen.”

The conflict reached a boiling point on May 19, when Kidd sent an email update on OneFAMU to “DSO Leaders and Foundation Leaders.” Notably, Ansley claims the email never reached him, the president of one of the four major DSOs, in either his personal or official inbox—an oversight he interprets as symbolic of a larger pattern of exclusion.

Boosters' President opposes OneFAMU
“I am emphatically opposed to the consultant’s implementation timetable for this initiative and the lack of inclusion of DSO leaders at the inception of this initiative,” Ansley states. “No consultant knows more about the FAMU National Alumni Association, FAMU Foundation, FAMU Rattler Boosters or Research DSOs than the leaders of those organizations.”

Ansley’s letter dissects Kidd’s May 19 email line by line, highlighting what he calls “perplexing” contradictions. He juxtaposes Kidd’s assurance that “OneFAMU is about coordination, not consolidation or control” with her announcement that “The work is moving forward in deliberate phases, with recommendations brought to the Board of Trustees in stages across 2026, beginning in the June meeting.”

The letter also challenges Kidd’s assertion that “Your leaders are already at the table, and have been so from day one.” Ansley’s experience suggests otherwise, raising questions about which leaders were truly consulted and when.

A national trend
The situation illuminates the perennial tension at universities nationwide between administrations seeking streamlined governance and fiercely independent affiliated organizations, often built on decades of volunteer passion and expertise. For historically Black colleges and universities like FAMU, these alumni and donor networks are not just fundraising arms; they are custodians of legacy and community.  In recent years, Lincoln University of Missouri , Clark Atlanta University and Bethune Cookman University have each decertified their national alumni associations. 

The Rattler Boosters’ special meeting on Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm via zoom, will serve as the first public forum for this burgeoning rebellion. The outcome could determine whether “OneFAMU” becomes a model of unity or a case study in how not to manage crucial stakeholder relationships.

"We develop concepts of programs together, foster initiatives together, set implementation timelines together, vet companies together and we do this by cooperating with one another," Ansley wrote, outlining his vision of true collaboration.  The university's current approach, he makes clear is painfully short of that ideal.