Raymond Gant is a 1984 graduate of Ferris State University’s College of Business. He majored in Business Administration, and upon graduation was hired by the University as a management intern.

His career journey at Ferris led him to establish the Office of Minority Student Support Services and later serve as special assistant to the president. Gant later became principal at Mildred C. Wells Academy in Benton Harbor, and then became vice president of Marketing and Communications with The Leona Group and was promoted to regional vice president.

Throughout his career, Gant has received more than 100 awards and recognitions, including the Distinguished Staff Award and Social Justice Award at Ferris State University.

In the community, he is known for supporting the development of youth and being a voice on issues associated with homelessness in the city of Kalamazoo. While at Ferris he served as an advisor to a host of fraternal organizations, in addition to conducting hundreds of diversity training sessions to staff and students.

Gant is also the founder of the former South East Michigan Black Alumni Association, which has evolved now into the Ferris Black Alumni Association. He is the author of Leading Shadows, a historical and pictorial analysis of minority student involvement at Ferris.