Cornelius C. Graves, Esq.

Cornelius C. Graves is Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Norfolk State University Research & Innovation Foundation, where he directs the organization’s growth strategy and operations. Under his leadership, the Foundation has expanded its real estate holdings and established sustainable revenue streams supporting the University’s research enterprise.

A Roxbury, Massachusetts native, Graves brings nearly two decades of higher education experience at the executive and director levels, combining legal training with government relations expertise. He previously served Winston-Salem State University as Director of External Relations, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees, and Liaison to the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors. In that capacity he lobbied on the University’s behalf at the municipal, state, and federal levels — before the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina state government, and both chambers of the U.S. Congress — securing more than $131 million for critical infrastructure projects and advancing initiatives that positioned the university as a leader in social, economic, environmental, and educational equity.

In 2020, Black Business Ink Magazine named him one of the “40 Most Influential African Americans Under 40 in the Triad.” Graves holds bachelor’s degrees in Administration of Justice and Philosophy from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the Southern University Law Center. He is licensed to practice in Louisiana and the District of Columbia and is admitted before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

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