25th Anniversary

Celebrating 25 Years of Ron Brown Scholar Impact

April 27, 2022
Established in 1996 to honor the late Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown’s legacy of service, the Ron Brown Scholar Program (RBSP) aims to advance higher education and improve the lives of service-minded and intellectually gifted African Americans, to accelerate their progress into impactful leadership roles and opportunities.
Over the last 25 years, the Ron Brown Scholar Program has provided $40,000 scholarships to 584 academically motivated African American students from low-income backgrounds, who have a 99% graduation rate from a range of 200 colleges and universities.
The Program currently supports more than 2,000 students annually through its three initiatives: the Signature Scholarship, the Guided Pathway Support Program (GPS) and the Ron Brown – Ruth and Norman Rales Leaders Network.





The Ron Brown Scholar Program helps poor kids become stars
The program is named for Ron Brown, who became the nation’s first Black secretary of commerce during the Clinton administration in 1993. Three years later, Brown was killed in a plane crash …
25th Anniversary Playlist
Earvin “Magic” Johnson congratulates the RBSP on celebrating 25 years of changing lives and honors our Ron Brown Scholars.
Amanda Alexander reflects on her experiences as a Ron Brown Scholar.
Angela Smedley reflects on her experiences as a Ron Brown Scholar.
Amanda Alexander reflects on her experiences as a Ron Brown Scholar.
Amanda Alexander reflects on her experiences as a Ron Brown Scholar.
Angela Smedley, RBS 2000 interviews Amanda Alexander, RBS 2000.
Sam Alemayehu, RBS 2004, talks about the collective connections of the Ron Brown Scholar Program.
Testimonials





