This week, Howard alumna Stefanie Brown (BA '04) launched "Brown Girls Lead," a leadership development organization focused on cultivating positive social change on college campuses and in communities across the country. Brown Girls Lead's mission is to develop a pipeline of leaders and activists dedicated to addressing social justice causes and issues in communities of color.

One of Brown Girls Lead's signature programs is the Brown Girls Lead Academy (BGLA), a seven month program designed for dynamic and driven young women interested in leadership development and creating positive social change through active community involvement. BGLA was created to help break the glass ceiling of leadership for young, black women in communities around the country and focuses on three programmatic components: Personal Empowerment, Professional Enrichment and Public Engagement.

“The Office of Student activities is excited to support and host the inaugural class of Brown Girls Lead Academy,” said Norkia Baker, associate director of Student Leadership, Development and Service. “BGLA will play an important role in educating an emerging pool of women student leaders. It will expand the participants’ influence and increase their visibility by providing a forum where young women can unite, network, and leverage best practices in leadership with their peers.”

To qualify for the BGLA, interested participants must meet the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled Freshman, Sophomore or Junior at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
• A minimum cumulative 2.5 grade point average
• Ten participation hours a month
• A fully completed BGLA online application
• Two references from individuals knowledgeable about applicant's experiences, leadership potential, or campus/community involvement

At age 30, Brown currently serves as the National Field Director and Director of the Youth & College Division for the NAACP in Baltimore, Maryland. In this role, she develops and administers the national field organizing strategy for the NAACP’s 2,200 adult branches and youth units in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The Bedford Heights, Ohio native has dedicated her life to empowering people of color to organize and advocate for justice and equality in their communities.

Graduating from Howard University in 2004, Brown majored in Business Management while actively participating in various campus and community organizations. As a junior, she was Howard’s youngest female president of the Howard University Student Association. Brown is the founder of the Harvey & Delores Brown Scholarship Fund and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Brown has been recognized as one of Essence.com’s “Top 10 Emerging Political Leaders of 2010”; Howard University School of Business “Young Business Leaders Award 2010”; and Ebony Magazine’s 2007 “Top 30 Young Leaders under the Age of 30”. In October, Stefanie will be one of three honorees to receive the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award, a one-time recognition held in conjunction with the dedication of the MLK Memorial on the National Mall.

For more information on Brown Girls Lead visit www.browngirlslead.org