Gregory T. Wilkins, Associate Director Centennial Student Union & Student Activities

Greg's professional journey spans various institutions across the United States, including North Carolina, Ohio, California, Florida, Minnesota, Washington state, and Washington, D.C. Including his local and national recognition, he has garnered awards in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Thailand. His commitment to social justice is evident in his endeavors both at home and abroad, addressing issues such as landmine proliferation, HIV/AIDS education, needle exchange programs, and support for non-governmental organizations. Esteemed for his dedication to education and empowerment, Greg has received accolades globally. 

Greg spent his 2022-23 sabbatical as the artist-and-scholar-in-residence at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to teaching and doing research, he spent time in France, Spain, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Slovenia, and Italy. He also worked with the Federal City Performing Arts Association in Washington, D.C. in collaboration with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington for PORTRAITS for its world premier at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in June 2024 and was one of four comissions chosen for the international GALA Festival at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis in July 2024.

During his 2015-16 sabbatical he visited 16 universities and taught 18 seminars in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. He actively participated in projects within indigenous communities and contributed to environmental initiatives in Borneo's rainforests. 

Greg has traveled and volunteered on over 30% of Earth. Some examples are: He spent a month in Chile and Argentina teaching as well as working in the Andes and Patagonia with forest and land management projects. He has traveled throughout Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam viewing UNESCO World Heritage sites and teaching English in Buddhist monastaries as well as orphanges. He has volunteered in Guatemala for Spring Break, has built turtle habitats for sea turtles in Nicaragua, and completed tropical reforestation in Costa Rica as well as Australia. His interests have led him to Russia with MSU, Mankato students and faculty for a cross cultural education exchange in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Siberia. In addition, he has traveled and led undergraduates from American University in Washington, D.C. to volunteer in Thailand regarding human trafficking, social justice, and indigeous rights. Yes, he loves world travel!

Greg has volunteered with the Minnesota State Arts Board and represented greater Minnesota at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on the curatorial board for the Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program. He also served six years on the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council and served as president for two. He has also been engaged with Poetry Out Loud since 2020 as a Minnesota accuracy judge in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Before coming to Minnesota, Greg worked at the Smithsonian Institution at the Museum of American Art, the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., lobbied the U.S. Congress on sexual orientation and gender/identity equality with the Human Rights Campaign helping pass the Ryan Care Act, raised over a million dollars for undergraduate scholarships, and completed two Olympics (1988, Seoul, Korea–Equestrian Intern, and 1996, Olympic Village Supervisor for Athlete Services). He has also assisted the Governor of North Carolina as an Ombudsman for stays of execution for death row inmates, completed work as a counselor for the Army Navy Academy in California, and has performed with and assisted global entertainers and performers of international acclaim.

As he is noted as saying, "Create a life of change impacting the lives of  the one or the many."