Advisory Board

Terri Dean
Advisory Board Chair
Retired, Sr. Vice President - Global Communications
Verizon Business

Terri Dean retired in late 2008 as the senior vice president of global communications for Verizon Business, a global provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to enterprise businesses and to Federal, State and Local governments.  In her capacity, she was responsible for employee communications, global media relations, industry analyst relations, and community investment for Verizon Business.  Over the course of her thirty-one year career at Verizon, Ms. Dean held positions of increasing responsibility, acquiring expertise in a variety of disciplines, including finance, marketing, sales, operations, corporate philanthropy, and corporate communications.  

Ms. Dean has been featured in print publications including the National Black MBA magazine and in a special edition of Profiles in Diversity Journal as a “Woman Worth Watching.”  She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization representing the most senior African American corporate executives in Fortune 500 companies.  Ms. Dean is an active member of the Board of Visitors of the Divinity School at Duke University.  In addition, she serves as chairman of the Norfolk State University School of Business Advisory Council, as vice president of strategy and execution for the Board of Directors of The Ivy Legacy Foundation, as vice chairman of the Trustee Ministry at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Germantown, and as chairman of the Advisory Board of the Ron Brown Scholar Program.   

Ms. Dean was recognized by the Harlem Branch of the YMCA with its “Black Achiever in Industry Award” for her career accomplishments.  Ms. Dean is a recipient of the Chatham College Cornerstone Award for Excellence in Business, the Delano Lewis Heritage Award presented to her by the Consortium of Information and Telecommunications Executives, and the Citizenship Award presented to her by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., of which she is a member.  For a five year period, she represented Verizon as its Executive Sponsor for the Atlanta University Center and ensured the hiring of over sixty undergraduate and graduate students from Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College.

Ms. Dean received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband, Rick.  They are the proud parents of two daughters, one a public relations professional in Washington, D.C., and the other a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Terri Dean retired in late 2008 as the senior vice president of global communications for Verizon Business, a global provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to enterprise businesses and to Federal, State and Local governments.  In her capacity, she was responsible for employee communications, global media relations, industry analyst relations, and community investment for Verizon Business.  Over the course of her thirty-one year career at Verizon, Ms. Dean held positions of increasing responsibility, acquiring expertise in a variety of disciplines, including finance, marketing, sales, operations, corporate philanthropy, and corporate communications.  

Ms. Dean has been featured in print publications including the National Black MBA magazine and in a special edition of Profiles in Diversity Journal as a “Woman Worth Watching.”  She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization representing the most senior African American corporate executives in Fortune 500 companies.  Ms. Dean is an active member of the Board of Visitors of the Divinity School at Duke University.  In addition, she serves as chairman of the Norfolk State University School of Business Advisory Council, as vice president of strategy and execution for the Board of Directors of The Ivy Legacy Foundation, as vice chairman of the Trustee Ministry at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Germantown, and as chairman of the Advisory Board of the Ron Brown Scholar Program.   

Ms. Dean was recognized by the Harlem Branch of the YMCA with its “Black Achiever in Industry Award” for her career accomplishments.  Ms. Dean is a recipient of the Chatham College Cornerstone Award for Excellence in Business, the Delano Lewis Heritage Award presented to her by the Consortium of Information and Telecommunications Executives, and the Citizenship Award presented to her by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., of which she is a member.  For a five year period, she represented Verizon as its Executive Sponsor for the Atlanta University Center and ensured the hiring of over sixty undergraduate and graduate students from Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College.

Ms. Dean received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband, Rick.  They are the proud parents of two daughters, one a public relations professional in Washington, D.C., and the other a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.