Meet The Team

  • Founder & CEO

    Michael Bailey is a PROUD graduate of Lincoln University, where he studied Physics with aspirations of becoming an engineer. He enrolled in a special dual-degree program designed for students pursuing careers in engineering. But during his junior year, life shifted course. His mother, a math teacher in the Philadelphia public school system, began sending him articles and letters about the critical shortage of Black male teachers in math and science. She urged him to consider minoring in education—not only to secure a stable future but to make a lasting impact.

    That encouragement planted a new seed. After graduating, Michael began his career as a middle school science teacher, later transitioning to high school education. Passionate about student success, he became a vocal advocate for higher education—often encouraging his students to consider college and especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which had given so much to him.

     

    After eight years in the classroom, Michael caught the entrepreneurship bug. He pivoted into sales, representing educational learning resources for schools and districts, combining his passion for education with his growing business acumen. In 2002, he and a schoolmate launched a venture selling Black college apparel—a move that allowed him to proudly wear and share his HBCU pride with others.

     

    That love for HBCUs never left him. In fact, it only grew stronger. In 2018, after experiencing a personal loss, Michael was gifted a machine—an unexpected blessing that sparked the beginning of what would become 1854 & Beyond. He bought another machine shortly after and started making decorative pillows for HBCU alumni he knew. What began as a small, heartfelt gesture quickly evolved. Over the next two years, his ideas expanded into a larger vision: a line of home goods that would allow alumni, students, and supporters to show off their HBCU pride in their most personal spaces.

     

    In the fall of 2021, Michael reached out to his longtime college friend and former business partner, Terance Johnson, along with their friend Reginald Dillard. He invited them to a meeting to share his vision. They believed in it—and the rest is history.

  • Partner & Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

    Reginald "Reggie" Dillard was born and raised in New Castle County, Delaware, and educated in the public school system during the turbulent and transformative years of bussing and desegregation. These formative experiences shaped his deep appreciation for access, equity, and representation—values that continue to guide his work today.

     

    After high school, Reggie enrolled at his local HBCU, Delaware State College. In 1992, he became a proud graduate—part of the first class after the institution achieved university status and officially became Delaware State University.

     

    Entrepreneurship has always been in Reggie's DNA. As a child, he ran a paper route, started a grass-cutting and car-washing business, and by the time he reached college, he was earning income as a campus barber. These early experiences taught him the value of ownership, service, and self-reliance. As a professional, Reggie continued his entrepreneurial journey as an independent agent, participated in multi-level marketing ventures, and even launched his own business.

     

    For Reggie, 1854 & Beyond is not just a company—it’s a reflection of a lifetime spent building, experimenting, and serving. It’s the convergence of his entrepreneurial drive and his passion for celebrating and preserving HBCU culture. It’s a platform for purpose—where business meets community.

  • Partner & Chief Operating Officer (COO)

    Terance Johnson was born in the South with roots deeply planted in “The Dirt Road” of Taylortown, North Carolina. Raised primarily by his hardworking mother, Terance spent his formative years in North Carolina, but his path would take a turn at age 15, when he moved to Delaware to live with his father—an accomplished man who instilled in him a mantra that still fuels his drive today:


    “No one is better than you, son. They may have more than you, but no one is better than you.”

     

    Terance graduated from William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware, and later earned his bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania—the first degree-granting HBCU, founded in 1854. His years at Lincoln were transformational. They were filled with meaningful experiences, lifelong friendships, and self-discovery. It was at Lincoln that Terance’s deep love for HBCUs was cemented—a love that he continues to share, promote, and pass on to the next generation.

     

    Professionally, Terance is a success coach, trainer, and mentor with over 30 years of experience in coaching individuals and teams across a wide range of sectors, including retail management, the prison system, human services, and youth development. His work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and various nonprofits has centered on equipping people with the tools and confidence to thrive. Today, he serves as a Success Coach for Union County Community Action in Monroe, NC.

     

    Beyond his professional work, Terance is deeply embedded in his community. He is a member of the Delta Xi Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., serves as Board Vice President of THRIVE Union Community Collaborative, and sits on the advisory board for the South Piedmont Community College Program of Medical Office Administration.

     

    When asked what he does for a living, Terance answers with unwavering clarity:
    “I introduce people to themselves and equip them with the tools needed to walk out their purpose.”

    And that’s exactly what he brings to 1854 & Beyond—a commitment to purpose, people, and pride.