Greg Hedgepeth was born and raised in Halifax County, NC and was a first-generation college student that attended East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. There he received his undergraduate degree in Economics with a minor in Business Administration. He later received his Masters in Management and Leadership from Webster University. Greg is also in the early stages of his doctoral pursuit in Learning and Organizational Change. Greg currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the NC State University Graduate School and is the President and CEO of Substantial Media, LLC an award winning minority multimedia platform that seeks to amplify the voices and stories of black and brown communities, while raising awareness on important issues that impact these communities on a local, state and national level. Greg has been in the field of higher education marketing and communication for over 16 years, serving in leadership roles at the divisional and university level. Greg is a certified digital marketing professional, a husband, father of two beautiful little girls, a professor within the Mass Communications and Digital Technology Department at Shaw University, and a social entrepreneur. Greg has presented and facilitated at conferences, summits, and workshops all around the country and has been awarded for his service work within the minority community and the field of education.