Director of FSU Civil Rights Institute to step down

Florida State University to launch national search for successor

Ted Ellis, the inaugural director of Florida State University’s Civil Rights Institute, will step down June 30 after helping expand the institute’s programming, partnerships and community engagement.

Housed in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, the Civil Rights Institute (CRI) commemorates, celebrates and studies the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The institute brings together students, faculty and staff from across academic disciplines, including sociology, public health, urban and regional planning, criminology, social work, medicine, nursing and education.

The CRI was conceived in 2018 by FSU alumni and siblings Doby and Fred Flowers, with support from a volunteer board of faculty, staff and community leaders. In 2023, the CRI expanded its operations with the backing of President Richard McCullough and Provost James Clark and hired Ellis, a nationally recognized artist and scientist, as its first full-time director.

“I am very grateful to Ted Ellis for so ably leading CRI,” said Jim Clark, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “He has made a lasting and positive impact. FSU is deeply committed to searching for and hiring a new director to build on Ted’s legacy.”

During his more than two-and-a-half years as director, Ellis advanced the institute’s mission by engaging students, faculty, staff and the community through programming, research and partnerships that foster civil rights education and dialogue.

“Director Ellis has made a lasting impact on the Civil Rights Institute and on Florida State University,” said Tim Chapin, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. “His passion, vision and commitment to expand the work of the CRI have helped the institute grow in meaningful ways, both on campus and in the broader Tallahassee community. I’m deeply grateful for all he has contributed during his time as director, and I wish him the very best in his future work to celebrate and promote civil rights for all.”

Under Ellis’s leadership, the CRI expanded its programming and community engagement efforts, including the launch of the C.K. Steele Speaker Series, named for Tallahassee civil rights leader Rev. Charles Kenzie Steele. The speaker series honors Steele’s legacy through lectures, workshops and discussions that explore civil rights issues, historical perspectives and contemporary challenges.

“While this chapter of my service concludes, my commitment to preserving, promoting, and advancing African American history remains unwavering,” Ellis said. “I will continue my work with the 400 Years of African American History Commission under the U.S. Department of the Interior and proudly support the ongoing growth and impact of the Florida State University Civil Rights Institute. The work of educating, inspiring, and empowering future generations through history, culture, and justice must continue — and I remain dedicated to that mission.”

A nationally acclaimed visual artist, Ellis holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Dillard University and a master’s in museum studies from Southern University in New Orleans. His work includes portraits of civil rights icons such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and has been displayed in the halls of Congress.

Florida State University will launch a national search for the next director for the Civil Rights Institute. More information will be announced in the coming weeks.