Keeping Close: Linsey Mills ’92 Nourishes his Davidson Network
July 16, 2025
- Author
- Caroline Roy '20
As a Davidson College student, Linsey Mills ’92 found his home on campus with the Black Student Coalition (BSC), where he became part of a community that welcomed change, invited connection and encouraged him to get involved.
The BSC also gave Mills early examples of Davidson alums in action.
“Black alums would come back to the BSC and share their experiences with us,” he said. “They encouraged us to do more than just study. They showed us it is the relationships that make the most lasting impact on your life after Davidson.”
Building relationships like these allowed Mills to pursue entrepreneurial projects as a student. He and his now wife, Michelle Serrano Mills ’90, teamed up to create Our-Story 101, a summer program teaching African and African-American history to middle school students. The couple soon launched a second venture together, PositiviTees, designing T-shirts for student organizations on campus.
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When he graduated and began working in finance in Charlotte, staying involved at Davidson was a natural next step for Mills. He and Serrano volunteered as often as they could, offering career advice, finance workshops and mentorship for students, even making the occasional Costco run for the BSC.
“It was important for us to come back to campus and show students the end result of the Davidson experience,” he said. “There are so many opportunities students don’t even realize exist after they graduate, and so many begin with the alumni network.”
Passionate about fostering connection and building involvement among Black students and alums, Mills has been an active member of the Davidson Black Alumni Network (DBAN) since graduating. He served as vice president of the Alumni Association Board from 1997 to 2001 and later spent five years on the Board of Visitors.
“As a student, I was on the frontlines of advocating for students, faculty and staff of color,” he said. “My time on the Board of Visitors allowed me to see the inner workings and the strategy behind the direction of the college. It was good to witness how leadership works through the challenges facing today’s students.”
Mills’ commitment to alma mater runs deep, and he has found himself influencing a broad range of areas on campus. Most recently, he answered the call to jump into the arts scene at Davidson.
After a conversation with Sherry Nelson, director of Davidson Arts and Creative Engagement (DACE), at a Black theatre festival in Winston-Salem, Mills agreed to take on a new role at the college by serving on the DACE Advisory Board. Although not an artist himself, Mills has long appreciated the arts at Davidson and hopes to generate new creative opportunities accessible to all students.
“At Davidson, any opportunity you take can change the trajectory of your life,” he said. “This network is so strong that when a student or an alum needs something, there are people all across the world ready to help. It’s important to invest in that kind of community, to keep creating circles of philanthropy and engagement.”
Today, Mills and Serrano are co-founders of the business consulting firm Callinz Group in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where they guide entrepreneurs and small business owners to success and promote financial literacy. Mills has written several best-selling books on finance, including collaborations with his sister, Andrea Mills Stephenson ’02, on a children’s book, Teach Your Child About Money Through Play and a financial literacy book, The Currency of Conversations.
