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Addison Barry Rand, a member since 2001, assumed chairmanship of the Board of Trustees on July 1, 2006. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Aspect Communications. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Equitant Inc., globalizing the Ireland-based company, and negotiating a successful merger with IBM in 2005. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Avis Group, where he transformed the $4.5 billion, Fortune 350 company into the world’s leading service and information provider of comprehensive automotive transportation and vehicle management solutions, while serving as Chairman and CEO. He enjoyed an outstanding 30-year career with Xerox Corporation, completing his tenure as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Operations. He was responsible for $18 billion in revenue and is largely credited with Xerox’s transformation into a sales and marketing powerhouse, winning two prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards and recognition as the “Best Sales Force in America” and the top training organization in America. Currently he serves as a corporate director on the boards of Agilent Technologies and Campbell’s Soup. He earned a BA degree from American University, an MBA degree from Stanford University, and a Master of Management Science degree from Stanford University as a Sloan Fellow. The recipient of several honorary degrees, he was inducted into the National Sales Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of a NAACP Image Award.
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Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, Esq., a member since 1997 and Vice Chairwoman of the Board since April 2005, is the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Block Capital, Inc., an investment services firm in Fort Worth, Texas, established in 2005. Previously, she was the sole proprietor of the Law Office of Renee Higginbotham-Brooks for nineteen years specializing in Public Finance. She earned a B.A. degree in political science, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from Howard University, and a J.D. degree from Georgetown University School of Law. In 1991, she became the first female and first African American appointed to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in its 56-year history where she served as its chairwoman until 1994. Later she served on the Texas Department of Commerce Policy Board and on the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Some of her numerous honors include: 2003 HU Distinguished Alumni Award; 2002 Excellence Award, National Dental Association; NAACP 1997 Thurgood Marshall Award; National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, 1997 Distinguished Alumni Award; Dallas Morning News Quest for Success Award; and the City of Fort Worth 1994 Outstanding Woman of the Year Award (Superwoman Category). |
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H. Patrick Swygert, Esq., is the 15th President of Howard University and the fifth African-American to serve as its Chief Executive Officer. He received a B.A. degree in History from Howard University, and a J.D. degree, cum laude, from the Howard University School of Law. He was President of the State University of New York at Albany, Executive Vice President of Temple University, and Special Counsel to the President of Temple University. He is a member of the board of directors of: Fannie Mae, Washington, DC; United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, Conn.; and Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Hartford Conn. He is also a member of the search committee for the founding director of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Now serving a second term he was appointed Chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Program Advisory Board by Roderick R. Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education. In 2002, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as a member of the Brown v. Board of Education Commemoration Commission. He served as Chairman of the Community Business Partnership of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and is a member of the District of Columbia bar, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Bar, and State of New York Bar. The recipient of three honorary degrees, he was awarded the Medallion of the University at Albany, State University of New York; The Congressional Black Caucus Chair’s Award for efforts on behalf of education; and the Legend Award of the National Urban League, among numerous others. |
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Starmanda Bullock, Ph.D., a member since 2003, is an artist, scholar, administrator, and consultant. She is a Professor of Art at Howard University, and has also served as Chairman of the Department of Art, and Director of the Gallery of Art. She earned a B.F.A. degree from Howard. She did graduate studies at Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, and returned to Howard for a M.F.A. degree and a Ph.D. degree in History. She received a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her extensive study tours included: Belgium; Denmark; France; Germany; Iceland; Italy; Luxembourg; the Netherlands; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; the Middle East, West Africa; South Africa; and the Caribbean. She received the Max Beckman Grant, and a grant under the Faculty Research Program in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education, as well as several other awards in printmaking, painting, and graphic design. She is listed in numerous biographical editions of national and international directories. Two of her prestigious honors for design are the Benny Award from the Printing Industries of America, Inc. for the H. Patrick Swygert Inauguration, and Award of Excellence in Print from the Printing and Graphic Communications Association for the Howard University Magazine featuring the African Burial Ground Project. |
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Elizabeth G. Early, a member since 1989, is currently a Health Care Consultant in Sarasota, Florida. Her previous positions include: Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Maternity Services and Family Planning, New York City Department of Health; Director of the Bureau of Day Care; and Executive Director of the Northside Center for Child Development, New York City. She is recognized as a visionary in addressing social and healthcare issues, and has served on the faculties of Fordham University and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. She earned a B.A. degree in Philosophy from Howard University and a M.S.W. degree from New York University. She has served on the boards of several community-based, not-for-profit organizations, including the Advisory Board of the Governor’s Commission on Child Care; New York State Advisory Board to the Commissioner; New York City Department of Human Resources and the Citizens Committee for Children. |
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Aprille J. Ericsson, Ph.D., a member since 2004, is an Instrument Manager and Aerospace Engineer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and is currently working on a Lunar instrument and Astrophysics X-ray mission proposal. She has 20+ years of experience in structural dynamics, controls, and instrument management of spacecraft missions. She received a B.S. degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Howard University, where she served several terms as the President of the Graduate Student Council. She is the first African-American female to receive a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Howard. She lives in Washington, DC. and was featured on the NBC Nightly News Series Women to Watch, is listed in history books honoring African Americans in Aerospace and Science and is featured in an Air & Space museum exhibit. Some awards she has received are a 2007 CBC Black Women's Agenda award, a 2002 Howard University College of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Sciences (CEACS) Alumni Excellence Award, and the 1997 Women in Science and Engineering Award for "Best Female Engineer in the Federal Government." The Howard University Upward Bound Math and Science Initiative Program is named in her honor. She is a charter member of the Howard CEACS Alumni Network, and her board posts include: the Center for Quality in Urban Education, and the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science. |
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Harold P. Freeman, M.D., a member since 1993, is President and Medical Director of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in New York City. He is also Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Cancer Institute of NIH, and Professor of Clinical Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. A Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he served as President and CEO of North General Hospital in New York City, and was Director of Surgery at Harlem Hospital Center for 25 years. He earned an A.B. degree from the Catholic University of America, and a M.D. degree from the Howard University College of Medicine. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1997, and served as National President of the American Cancer Society. He is the Chief Architect of the American Cancer Society Initiative on Cancer in the Poor, for which the “Harold P. Freeman Award” was established in 1990. He is past Chairman of the President’s Cancer Panel, having been appointed for four terms, first by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, and by President Clinton in 1994, 1997, and 2000. He pioneered the concept of “Patient Navigators,” a program to provide low-income patients with personal guides through the health care system. In June 2005, the U.S. Congress, with the passage of the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act, provided $25 million in funding to implement his program nationally. He was recognized by Black HistoryMakers in 2006 with the Daniel Hale Williams Award. |
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Earl G. Graves, a member since 1989, is Chairman and Publisher of Earl G. Graves, Ltd., and founder and publisher of Black Enterprise magazine, in New York City. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Pepsi-Cola of Washington, D.C., L.P., at the time the largest minority-controlled Pepsi-Cola franchise in the United States. He serves on the boards of directors of: Aetna Life and Casualty Company; AMR Corporation (American Airlines); and DaimlerChrysler AG Corporation. He is Chairman of the Pepsi-Co African American Advisory Board. Additionally, he is a volunteer on the boards of TransAfrica, Inc., and the American Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. Long active in Scouting, Mr. Graves currently serves as a Vice President of the National Executive Board and is also a member of the Marketing Committee for the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America. He received a B.A. degree from Morgan State University, and has received honorary degrees from more than 60 colleges and universities across the U.S. and abroad, including his alma mater. In 1995, Morgan State renamed its business school, The Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. In 1999, he was awarded the 84th NAACP Spingarn Medal , the highest achievement award for African Americans. In January 2006, he was immortalized in wax as ExxonMobil commissioned a likeness of him to be exhibited in the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. In August, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for his contribution to the field of journalism and the publishing industry. |
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Dianne Atkinson Hudson, a member since 2005, is currently Special Advisor to Oprah Winfrey. Her responsibilities have included guiding the building and development of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, opening in January 2007. The boarding school was developed at the request of Nelson Mandela, in partnership with the South African Department of Education. She has a distinguished record of 30 years in the media. Since 1986, Hudson has been affiliated with Harpo Studios in Chicago, Illinois, and has served as Vice President of Harpo Productions, and President of The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah’s Angel Network. She conceptualized and implemented this viewer-driven public charity, which has raised more than $12 million to date. For nine seasons, between 1994 and 2003, she was Executive Producer of the number one rated, award-winning Oprah Winfrey Show, preceded by nine seasons as producer. She has received nine Emmy Awards, and is also credited with establishing Oprah’s Book Club. She earned a B.A. degree in Broadcast Journalism from Ohio University, and began her career in 1976 as a broadcast news writer for the Associated Press. |
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Candice E. Jacko, an Alumni Trustee since 2002, is serving her second term on the Board. During her stay in New Orleans, LA, she worked as a consultant to the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and Baton Rouge assisting displaced evacuees with housing and employment after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She was formerly with Cox Media Company as an Account Executive selling advertising for cable networks. She relocated from New Orleans to New Jersey, and is currently working in account management at Public New York, an advertising agency. She received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Howard in 1970 and pursued a career in advertising sales with Essence Communications Inc., Johnson Publishing Company, and Vanguarde Media, Inc. A past-president of the HU Alumni Association, she has been actively engaged in University and alumni relations since 1980. She co-chaired the University’s Founders Walk Brick Paver Program Committee. As the President, New York City HU Alumni Club, she raised funds, encouraged development, and founded the Club’s scholarship program, which awarded scholarships to New York City students attending Howard University. |
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Marie C. Johns,
a member since 2000, is Managing Member of L & L Consulting, LLC, and the retired President of Verizon-Washington, DC. She was a Mayoral Candidate for the District of Columbia 2006 Democratic Primary. She received her B.S. and M.P.A. degrees from Indiana University, and is an active volunteer particularly in the areas of education and economic development. She is also a member of the boards of directors for several not-for-profit organizations, including the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. The recipient of over 100 business and civic awards, she is the Founding Chair of the Washington, DC Technology Council, and Chairman of the Board of the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science. Some of her past posts include: Chair of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Board of Directors; Chair of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce; and Chair of Leadership Washington. She is a member of the Senior Board of Stewards of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. |
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Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq., a member since 1993, is Senior Managing Director of Lazard Freres & Co., LLC, New York, and Senior Counsel in the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, in Washington, DC. He earned a B.A. degree from DePauw University and a J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law. He was Chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team, and is both a former President of the National Urban League and former Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund. His directorships include: Lazard Ltd; American Express Company; Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.; J.C. Penney, Inc.; Xerox Corporation; LBJ Foundation; and the International Advisory Board of Barrick Gold Corporation. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar, District of Columbia Bar, Georgia State Bar, U.S. Supreme Court Bar, American Bar Association, National Bar Association, American Law Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Trilateral Commission, among others. |
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The Honorable Jack F. Kemp,
a member since 1993, is the Chairman and Founder of Kemp Partners, Washington, DC. Kemp Partners is a strategic consulting firm providing clients with strategic counsel, relationship development, and marketing advice to accomplish business and policy objectives. Most recently, he served as co-director of Empower America, a public policy advocacy organization that he co-founded in 1993. He served as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, represented New York for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was named Chairman of the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform by House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. In 1996, he received the Republican Party nomination for Vice President of the United States. Before his election to Congress in 1970, he played 13 years as a professional football quarterback, and was captain of the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills, winning the American Football League Championship in 1964 and 1965, when he was named most valuable player. He was voted to the NCAA’s 100 most influential athletes list during their 2006 centennial celebration. He co-founded the AFL Players Association, and was elected five times as president. He serves on several boards of directors, including Oracle and Habitat for Humanity. He is on the Advisory Board for the UCLA School of Public Policy, and on the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board. His B.A. degree is from Occidental College. |
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Charisse R. Lillie, Esq., a member since 2004, is Vice President, Human Resources, Comcast Corporation, and Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Comcast Cable-Comcast Corporation, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a partner in the law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, in Philadelphia for 13 years, and was Chair of the Litigation Department for three years. She also served as: Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division; Professor, Villanova Law School; Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; General Counsel to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia; and City Solicitor of the City of Philadelphia. A past President of the Federal Bar Association, she served on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia for seven years, the last two as Chairwoman. She has received numerous prestigious civic and professional awards, including The Philadelphia Magazine 2004 and 2005 Super Lawyer, and the 2004 Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania. She earned a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University, cum laude; a J.D. degree from Temple University Law School with honors; and a LL.M. degree from Yale Law School. |
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Robert L. Lumpkins, a member since 1999, is Vice Chairman of Cargill, Inc. (Retired), and Chairman of the Mosaic Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, and a M.B.A. degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He began his career with Cargill in 1968, and served as CFO from 1989-2005. First elected to the Cargill Board of Directors in August 1991, he was elected Vice Chairman in 1995. He is a Director of Ecolab, Inc. , WhereNet , and Black River Asset Management Co. His service on a number of non-profit boards has included the Stanford Business School Advisory Council, the Notre Dame Science Advisory Council, and TechnoServe, Inc. He was recently recognized by TechnoServe for his leadership and vision in making the organization a "stronger provider of business skills and solutions to entrepreneurs in rural Latin America and Africa." |
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Renetta E. McCann, a member since 2006, is the Chief Executive Officer of Starcom MediaVest Group where she manages an integrated network of more than 10 media and marketing agencies with client billings in excess of $25 billion and a global workforce of 5,500. She helped launch Starcom North America and became CEO in 2000. Four years later, she was appointed chief executive officer of Starcom MediaVest Group, The Americas, which serves the U.S., Canada and Latin America. She serves on the Publicis Groupe Media Board of Directors, where she helps lead and grow the media networks of SMG’s parent company, Publicis Groupe S.A. Mrs. McCann is the recipient of many honors including being named “the 27th most powerful woman in the world” by Forbes magazine (2006), and one of The Wall Street Journal’s “Top 50 Women to Watch” in corporate America (2005). She served as the 2006 jury president for media at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. She has received Cannes Lions and Effie Awards, Business Week’s Media Strategies Award; Ebony’s Outstanding Women in Communications Award; and the Chicago Magazine Association’s Vanguard Award, among others. Mrs. McCann is also active in several industry and community organizations, including Columbia College, Chicago Public Radio, Catalyst, Louis Carr Foundation, Children's Place, The Chicago Network and Ad Women of New York. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech from Northwestern University. |
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Charles J. McDonald, M.D., a member since 1993, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Brown University Medical School, and Physician-in-Chief of Dermatology at the Rhode Island Hospital. He is internationally recognized for his research on cutaneous lymphomas, other skin cancers, and psoriasis. He is a former President of both the American Cancer Society and the American Dermatological Association, and a trustee of the Lifespan Health Care Corporation. He is Past President of the New England Dermatological Society, and has served on the boards of the American Academy of Dermatology, the Residency Review Committee for Dermatology, and a number of other professional associations. Long active in civil affairs, he was a trustee of the Providence Public Library for 25 years, and Citizens Bank for 22 years. He earned his B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from North Carolina A & T State University, a M.S. degree from the University of Michigan, and a M.D. degree with highest distinction from the Howard University School of Medicine. He is the recipient of numerous professional and civic awards. |
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The Honorable Gabrielle K. McDonald,
a member since 1987, is a Judge in the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, The Hague, Netherlands. She also serves as Special Counsel on Human Rights to the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Freeport-McMoRan Cooper and Gold, Inc. An alumna of Howard University’s School of Law, graduating first in her class, Judge McDonald is one of the original judges elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1993 to serve in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. She presided over the first trial and was elected President of the Tribunal in 1997. A member of the New York Bar and Texas Bar, her numerous honors include: the 2004 Horatio Alger Award; the National Bar Association’s first Equal Justice and the Ronald Brown International Law Awards; the American Society of International Law Goler Teal Butcher Award for Human Rights; and the 2001 Human Rights Award from the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. She has also been inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, and has received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center, University of Notre Dame, Stetson College of Law, Amherst College, The Jewish Theological Seminary and University of Hartford. Judge McDonald serves on the Executive Board of the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, and on the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association. She is a member of the International Jury of the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. and sits on the Advisory Board of McMoRan Exploration Co. |
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Floretta Dukes McKenzie, Ed.D.,
a member since 1993, served as Chairwoman from May 2004 until June 2006, and was also Vice Chairwoman for ten years. She is Senior Advisor for The American Institutes for Research in Washington, DC, and the Founder and Chairwoman of The McKenzie Group, Inc., an educational consulting firm with special emphasis on urban education. She has a B.S. degree from D.C. Teachers College, an M.A. degree from Howard University, and an Ed D. degree from The George Washington University. She has served as: Superintendent and Chief State School Officer for the Washington, D.C. Public Schools; Deputy Commissioner in the U.S. Office of Education; Deputy Superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland; and Assistant Deputy Superintendent for the Maryland State Department of Education. Also, she was a U.S. Delegate to UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization). Some of her other board memberships include: Marriott International, Inc.; Potomac Electric Power Company; American Association of School Administrators Leadership for Learning Foundation; Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc.; Harvard Graduate School of Education Urban Superintendents Program; the Johns Hopkins Leadership Development Program; National Geographic Society; the White House Historical Association; and Ameritas/Acacia Holding Company
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Stacey J. Mobley, Esq., a member since 2005, is Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel of DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware, a $27 billion global science company. A member of the company’s Office of the Chief Executive, he is responsible for legal and governmental affairs, and strategic direction and operation of all DuPont businesses. In 2001, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed him to chair the Delaware Strategic Economic Council. He was the 2003 corporate campaign chairman for the NAACP, and was named one of America’s top black lawyers by Black Enterprise Magazine. He is active in charitable and philanthropic organizations in the Delaware Valley and Washington, D.C. A member of the Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, and U.S. Supreme Court bars, he earned both his Pharmacy and Law degrees from Howard University. Among many honors, he has received the HU Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, and the LexisNexis Corporate Legal Times Distinguished Legal Service Award. In June 2006, he was named among the nation’s 100 most influential lawyers by The National Law Journal. |
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Cornell Leverette Moore, Esq., a General Trustee since 2000 and former Alumni Trustee 1992 to 1998 , is a Partner in the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received an A.B. degree from Virginia Union University and J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law. A passionate supporter of affordable housing, he is the Chair of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and a board member for over 25 years of the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation. He is a former Chairman of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association, and the State of Minnesota Personnel Board. He has served on the Bank of America – Twin Cities Advisory, and he was a partner in the ownership of the 1987 and 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins. He is the Grand Sire Archon of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, and currently also serves as a board member of Virginia Union University, Johnson C. Smith University, and the Dunwoody College of Technology. In 2007 , he will receive the Distinguished Citizen Award from the St. Paul-Minneapolis Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. at their National Conclave. |
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Jessye Norman,
a member since 2002, is “one of those once-in-a-generation singers who is not simply following in the footsteps of others, but is staking out her own niche in the history of singing.” She entered Howard University on full-tuition scholarship at age sixteen, and graduated cum laude in 1967. She continued her studies at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Michigan, earning a M.A. degree in 1968. Her accolades include four Grammy Awards, The Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, and The Kennedy Center Honors. The amphitheater and plaza in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia is named for her, and she was made an Honorary Ambassador to the United Nations by UN Secretary General Xavier Perez de Cuellar in 1990. She also serves on the boards of several charitable and educational organizations including Citymeals-on-Wheels, The New York Public Library, New York Botanical Garden, the Lupus Foundation, and Paine College Board of Trustees. |
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Richard D. Parsons, Esq., a member since 1988, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc, New York City. Institutional Investor magazine named him the top CEO in the entertainment industry in 2005. He is the former Chairman and CEO of Dime Bancorp, Inc. He has held various positions in state and federal government, including First Assistant Counsel to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, and General Counsel and Associate Director of the White House Domestic Counsel under President Gerald R. Ford. In 1998, he received a congressional appointment to serve on the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce. In May 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as Co-Chairman of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. His undergraduate education was at the University of Hawaii and his legal training at Union University Albany School of Law, where he was valedictorian. He is the Chairman of the Apollo Theater Foundation, and also serves on the boards of Citigroup, the Estee Lauder Companies, the Museum of Modern Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. In May 2006, he received the prestigious Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award from the Jewish Appeal Federation of New York. |
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Martin D. Payson, Esq.,
a member since 1989, is an investor and an active philanthropist in New York City, and former Vice Chairman and member of the Board of Time Warner Inc. His past experiences include Office of the President and General Counsel of Warner Communications, Inc., and he played an integral role in the Time Warner merger. He is Chairman of Maimonides Medical Center and Chairman of the Nassau County Health Care Corporation. He serves as Honorary Director for The Jewish Theological Seminary and is an active member of the Board for The Jewish Museum. He is also former Chairman of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and former Co-Chairman of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He is on the board of New York University Law Center Foundation and Trustee Emeritus at Tulane University. He received an A.B. degree from Cornell University, and a LL.B. degree, cum laude, from NYU School of Law. |
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Gerald D. Prothro,
a member since 1991, is Managing Director, IKT Investments, Ltd., Goldens Bridge, New York. He is former Senior Vice President for Technology at BroadStream Communication Corporation. He has served as a consultant to the telecommunications industry, specializing in technology integration, network computing, and financial management. He is a director for Nationwide Financial Service and Nationwide Life Insurance. He is also an advisor to Epik Communications, Inc., and serves on the Advisory Board of Saturn Venture Capital Partners. He retired from IBM where he held numerous senior management and executive positions, including IBM Corporate Officer in 1992 and Chief Information Officer in 1994. He was the architect of the IBM Worldwide Internet Protocol (IP) Network. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics from Howard University, and an Executive M.B.A. from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. |
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M. Kasim Reed, Esq., a member since 2002, is a Partner with the international law firm, Holland & Knight LLP in Atlanta, Georgia, and a member of the Georgia General Assembly. After serving two terms as the State Representative for House District 52, he became one of the youngest members of the Georgia State Senate when he was elected in November 2002. He serves as a member of the Senate Judiciary, Higher Education, Transportation, Ethics, and the State and Local Government Committees. Reed served as the Campaign Manager for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s successful effort to become the first female Mayor of the City of Atlanta. Following Mayor Franklin’s election in November of 2001, she selected him to serve as Co-Chairman of the Shirley Franklin Transition Team. He also functioned as Chairman of the search committee responsible for selecting the Mayor’s senior cabinet-level staff, including the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, City Attorney, Chief of Police and Commissioner of Public Works. His civic and professional leadership have been recognized by local and national publications such as The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Reed earned both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Howard University. Elected as the youngest General Trustee of Howard’s Board of Trustees, he was also the first student to serve as both an Undergraduate and Graduate Student Trustee. In 2006, he was named a member of the Sunrise Bank of Atlanta's Board of Directors. |
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James E. Silcott, AIA, a member since 2003, is the Chairman of the Los Angeles California Area Planning Commission. The first African-American project architect for Los Angeles County and the University of California, he retired in 1985 to manage his real estate holdings. Some of his architectural projects for Los Angeles County include: the Martin Luther King Hospital, John Wesley Hospital, Hubert Humphrey Clinic, Inglewood Courts Building, Compton Courts Building, the first medical school, both clinical and basic sciences, at the University of California at Irvine, the Jules Stein Eye Clinic at UCLA, and the UCLA Boathouse at Marina Del Rey. He is also a board member for the Kennard Design Group, the largest black-owned architectural firm west of the Mississippi. In 2003, he received the Kresge Coca-Cola Award for philanthropy to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 2006, he was the Howard H. Mackey Lecturer celebrating the 95th anniversary of architecture education at Howard University. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard in 1957, and served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. |
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Ruth J. Simmons, Ph.D., a member since 2007, was sworn in as the 18th president of Brown University in 2001. Under her leadership, Brown is making new investments to secure its standing as one of the world's finest research universities. A French professor before entering university administration, President Simmons also holds an appointment as a professor of comparative literature and of Africana Studies. She graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans and earned her Ph.D. in romance languages and literature at Harvard. She has served in various administrative roles at the University of Southern California, Princeton University, and Spelman College before being appointed as president of Smith College in 1995. She is the recipient of many honors such as the 2001 President's Award from the United Negro College Fund, the 2002 Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, and the 2004 Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, and honorary degrees from numerous universities and colleges. She serves on the Board of Texas Instruments and The Goldman Sachs Group. |
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Wayman F. Smith III, Esq., a member since 1989 and Chairman from 1991-1995, is Senior Partner at The Smith Partnership, P.C., St. Louis, Missouri. He was Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Anheuser Busch Companies, and a member of the board of directors of Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; a Partner in the law firm of Wilson, Smith, & McCullin; a Judge in the St. Louis Municipal Court; and Director of Conciliation for the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. For 16 years, he was a member of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and the Board of Police Commissioners. He earned a B.A. degree from Monmouth University, and a J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law. His numerous civic board memberships include: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; National Urban League; National Association of Sickle Cell Disease, Inc.; St. Louis Symphony; and St. Louis Metropolitan YMCA. The current Chairman of the Board of Regents of Harris Stowe State College, he is also listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Black America. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Missouri, Mound City, and National Bar Associations. |
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John A. Thain, a member since 2001, is Chief Executive Officer of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. He has served as President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., after becoming a partner in 1988 and managing director in 1996. He was co-head of the firm’s European operations based in London. He received a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a M.B.A. degree from Harvard University. His memberships include: MIT Corporation; INSEAD – U.S. National Advisory Board; James Madison Council of the Library of Congress; Federal Reserve Bank of New York, International Capital Markets Advisory Committee; French-American Foundation; Board of Trustees of the National Urban League; Governor of New York-Presbyterian Foundations, Inc.; and Trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. |
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Alvin V. Thomas Jr., M.D., a member since 2004, is Chief of the Division of Pulmonary Diseases/Critical Care Medicine at the Howard University Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine. He also served as Interim Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine. He previously served as Vice Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School in Los Angeles. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, and Critical Care Medicine, and he received an A.B. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a M.D. degree from Howard University College of Medicine. His numerous memberships include: American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), and the National Coalition for the Elimination of Tuberculosis. A co-investigator in the Howard University/ Johns Hopkins University Center for Reducing Asthma Disparities sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, he is published in numerous medical journals. He is President-Designate of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and will assume the presidency in October 2007. |
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Gregory A. White, a member since 1997, is Partner and Managing Director, Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., Boston, Massachusetts. He was also a Partner at Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC. He previously served as: Executive Director at the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board; Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, Valuequest/TA; Vice President/Principal at UNC Ventures; and Second Vice President at Smith, Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc. He earned a Bachelor of Nuclear Engineering, cum laude, from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a M.B.A. from Harvard University. He is on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the Romanian American Enterprise Fund Board. |
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The Honorable L. Douglas Wilder,
a member since 1993, is Mayor of the City of Richmond, Virginia. In 1990, he achieved a milestone when he was elected Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia – the first African American in the history of the United States. He also served as Lieutenant Governor, and five terms in the Virginia State Senate, where he was the first African American since Reconstruction. He established the law firm of Wilder, Gregory & Associates, one of the few minority-owned businesses in Virginia at the time, and soon became known as a top criminal attorney. He served in the U.S. Army and was awarded a Bronze Star for heroism during the Korean War. He earned a B.S. degree from Virginia Union University, and a J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law. |
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John D. Zeglis, a member since 2006, is the retired Chairman and CEO of AT&T Wireless Services. He joined AT&T in 1984 as corporate vice president – law, and was later named executive vice president and general counsel, before becoming President in 1997. He began his career in law as an associate with Sidley & Austin in 1973. He was valedictorian at the University of Illinois in the College of Commerce and Business Administration, and graduated magna cum laude from the Harvard University School of Law, where he was a senior editor of the Law Review. He has been a guest lecturer on numerous campuses, including the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, Michigan University, Yale, Harvard School of Business, and Duke, to name a few. He is on the board of trustees of: Culver Educational Foundation; Marshall County Community Foundation; St. Joseph Medical Center; Valparaiso University School of Law Council; and Purdue University Libraries Dean’s Advisory Council. He is a director of the Helmerich and Payne Corporation, AMX Corporation, State Farm Insurance, and Telstra (telecommunications) of Australia. |