A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Mr. Gantt is an architect, political leader, and life-long civil rights activist. The first African-American student admitted to Clemson University, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and went on to earn a Master of City Planning from MIT. He is the co-founder of Gantt-Huberman Architects, whose projects include TransAmerica Square, ImaginOn, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, and the Johnson C. Smith University Science Center.

Mr. Gantt joined the Charlotte City Council in 1974 and was elected Charlotte’s first African-American mayor in 1983. He remains active in politics, and has served on the North Carolina Democratic Party Executive Council, the Democratic National Committee, and as Chair of the National Capital Planning Commission.

Known for his commitment to equity and community, he continues to lead philanthropic and community initiatives. In 2009, Charlotte’s Afro-American Cultural Center was renamed the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in his honor. Gantt and his wife Lucinda have four children.