While our 2020 Ron Brown Leaders Summit looked a bit different this year, we still enjoyed the same level of inspiration and engagement thanks to our Leaders Network Partners, students and alumni.
We welcomed nearly 300 attendees across all class years to this virtual version of the Leaders Summit. Through interactive Zoom sessions, the Summit was a robust two days kicked off by the Women in STEM panel discussion sponsored by Deloitte and Lockheed Martin and moderated by Chinwe Obudulu, MS, RD, LD of Dominican University. The panel featured industry leaders Mrs. Dwana Franklin-Davis, CEO of Reboot Representation, Dr. Carmelle Norice-Tra of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Ms. Salmana Diallo, Manager at Navigate Corporation, Ms. Melanie Grierson of Lockheed Martin and Ms. Jade Williams of Deloitte. This panel was followed by energetic networking, industry panels and keynote addresses which focused on leadership development and understanding corporate culture. Our always-popular Case Competition hosted by Capital One closed out the Summit on Saturday. Over 50 partners and mentors engaged with students and alumni through this new virtual experience by communicating over message boards in the days before the event and leading conversations and exercises throughout the Summit. Special thanks to all of our speakers: Ms. Kristin Shipley (YouTube / Google), Mr. Kevin Chambers (Latham & Watkins LLP), Ms. Njeri Grevious (Goldman Sachs), Mr. Rameez Dossa (Dodge & Cox), Ms. Emily Frasier (Bain & Company), Ms. Taylor Kobryn (Google), Ms. Crystal Chukwurah (Deloitte) and Mr. Crawford Green (Otis Elevator).
During the Case Competition, Captain Sharif Long had this to say:
“Earlier this summer, I was fortunate to attend the 2020 Ron Brown Leaders Summit for the first time and participate in a team competition with Capital One. As Black scholars and leaders, the design competition challenged my team to get to the root of the problem of inequity in financial wellness through methods of focused, design thinking. People with low levels of financial literacy suffer from the lack of knowledge at every stage of their life–from childhood to their senior years of life. Additionally, the lack of inclusion in banking and technology continue to perpetuate the challenges vulnerable communities face, especially Black Americans. My team and I developed
an idea called “Capital One: Financial Literacy,” aiming to give users an individually tailored opportunity to learn about money management, budgeting, investment, etc. through games, literature and modules. Through much reflection of our experience with Capital One and Ron Brown, my teammates recognize that we are not solely the leaders of tomorrow, but also of today and we must take tangible steps to use our personalities, abilities and efforts to address societal issues, especially those that directly affect our communities.” Sharif Long, The University of Texas at Austin | Class of 2022, B.A. Plan II Honors | College of Liberal Arts, B.S.A. Biology | College of Natural Science, Co-Philanthropy Chair | The Tejas Club.
The Ron Brown Scholar Program, Scholars and Captains are grateful to our partners who helped us retain our beloved Summit during these trying times. Many thanks to Capital One, Bain & Co., Deloitte, Dodge & Cox, Goldman Sachs, Google, Latham & Watkins, Lockheed Martin, RTI, Siemens, Wake Forest University School of Business and Weber Shandwick.
