1. Brown University
Black Alumni Reunion 2013
Investing in Us:
Past, Present & Future
Inman Page Black Alumni Council | October 18 - 20, 2013

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Letters…………………………………………………..………………..............1
Schedule……………………………………………………………………...……….……..7
Overview of Brown University ………………………………………………………..…..12
Facts and Figures about Brown University………………………………………......….14
Biography of President Christina Paxson………………………………………………..16
Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC)………………………………………………...17
First Known Black Graduates…………………………………………………………......18
IPC Officers and Board of Governors…………………………………………………….19
Reunion Committees……………………………………………………...……...…..........23
Roland Laird ’82 Memorial Summer Program Scholarship Fund……………..…..…..24
In Remembrance….………………………………………………………………………..25
Featured Organizations at Brown………………………...………………..………….....30
Panelists, Speakers and Honorees…………………………………………………...….44
Student Group Performances………………………………………………………...…...63
Special Thanks………………………………………….……………………………….….70
Campus Map………………………………………………………………..…...................73

3. October 18, 2013
Dear Friends,
I am delighted to welcome you all back to
College Hill for the 2013 Black Alumni
Reunion, presented by the Inman Page Black
Alumni Council of Brown University. This
weekend’s festivities provide a wonderful
opportunity for you to reconnect with your classmates and explore the ways in
which Brown continues to shape an exciting and productive learning
environment.
The theme of this celebration, “Investing in Us: Past, Present and Future,”
could not be more timely. Throughout the advancements of the past decade or
so, Brown has focused on expanding the diversity of the faculty, the student
body and the academic curriculum to reflect better the world in which we live.
Your involvement with this community––as students, alumni and parents––
has been crucial to this effort and created a more authentic and rewarding
experience for the University’s students of color.
As we move forward with strategic plans to ensure Brown’s future, we will
continue to invest in the vast potential inherent in collaboration among
individuals of varying backgrounds, perspectives and expertise. I thank you
all for keeping a place for Brown in your lives and for your ongoing support
of our past, present and future black students through the Inman Page Black
Alumni Council.
Enjoy the weekend!
Sincerely,
Christina H. Paxson

4. Dear Fellow Alumni:
I am delighted to be among the first to welcome you back to Brown. I hope
that after a year of planning, this reunion unfolds into a memorable
weekend for all! I want to extend a very special thanks to Tiffani Scott ’98
and Darwyn Parker Harris ’75, the co-chairs of the Black Alumni Reunion
Committee and its members Adrienne Jones ’93, Nicole Clare ’99,
Alissa Mayers ’03, Justin Coles ’11, Diane Johnson ’94, Dina Runcie
’86, Cheryl McCants ’86, Tina Patterson ’85, Dorsey James ’83, P’14,
Troy Wilson ’83 and Harry Holt ’84, P’16 for their consistent hard work
and efforts to produce the best reunion ever! It is also important to note our
Corporate Sponsors and the alumni who played a significant role in
securing them: Joelle Murchison ’95 from Traveler’s Insurance;
Teri Williams Cohee ’79 from One United Bank; Richard Gray ’85 from the Annenberg Institute; and
D. Oscar Groomes ’82, P’15 of Groomes Business Solutions. Thank you all for investing in Us!
The theme for this reunion is Investing in Us: Past, Present and Future. It evolved from the 2013 reunion
survey results and interpretations by the Black Alumni Reunion Committee. Investing in our past is why IPC
adopted the name Inman Page Alumni Council; to honor the first African American who graduated from
Brown, and to ensure that Inman Page’s name remains alive through our mission, initiatives and programs.
All that IPC does through its past and current activities symbolizes the "present," which includes the efforts
of the Black Matriculation Committee, the Student-Alumni Mentoring Program and the local chapter
activities that invest in our undergraduates, matriculating students, high school and middle school students
respectively who represent our "future."
Brown's Black Alumni are an essential part of the Brown community. By actively engaging in the life of the
University, we make significant contributions to overall campus life and to the educational advancement for
the future of African American youth. Recent examples of this trend include the efforts of four African
American alumni Lynette Allison Carr ’79, Roosevelt Robinson ’78, Derek Medina ’88, and Westley
Thompson ’76 who generously initiated an IPC Community Brown Annual Fund Challenge to promote
African American alumni participation in funding to grant another deserving African-American student a
scholarship of $100,000 scholarship over four years . The goal was to encourage the 749 African-American
alumni to contribute to the Brown Annual Fund. The enthusiastic response from our alumni exceeded
expectation when 898 African-American alumni contributed to the fund. This was an outstanding
achievement; we extend sincere thanks and gratitude to all of them. Another example is when IPC
established the Student-Alumni Mentoring Program. Our 2013 alumni survey revealed an overwhelming
response by alumni who were interested in giving back to Brown and willing to serve as alumni mentors.
Over 100 alumni were matched with 100 undergraduates. Again this is an exemplary achievement that is
being followed by the university to encourage alumni mentorship. Kudos to IPC!
Reunions are intended to reunite alumni with their classmates and Brown; a time to network with each
other and students; a time to meet our new President Christina H. Paxson and hear about her
observations and vision for the university; a time to hear from students on their current experiences at
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5. Brown; a time to have fun, share laughs, and take home some pearls of knowledge from the workshops
and/or panels. Who knows what else we can accomplish through this special network? That’s what we
hope you will find as you reach across the table at dinner or sit in a forum and meet someone from another
period in our history, another field of study, another part of the country, etc., and find the same sort of
interesting perspective and inspiration that keeps us coming back for more.
There are other concurrent events on campus such as Alumni Fall Weekend and Parents Weekend. Alumni
Fall Weekend includes the Alumni Recognition Ceremony and luncheon honoring alumni who have served
the Brown community. A few of the honorees are: Sonja Brookins Santelises ’89 who will receive the
John Hope Award for Public Service, Spencer Crew ’71, P’00, P’04 who will receive the Brown Bear
Award, Kenneth McDaniel ’69, P’13 who will receive the Alumni Service Award and yours truly who will
receive the Joseph M. Fernandez ’85 Award. African-American alumni are encouraged to attend this
luncheon.
Many of you are proud alumni parents who will need rollerblades for the weekend events!
While on campus, we encourage you find time to chat with our distinguished Black faculty, and stop by
Africana Studies and Rites & Reason Theatre, the exhibit at the Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice,
the Third World Center and the Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity.
The work of the Board of Governors serves as a voice for our alumni, students, faculty and staff. They plant
seeds for our “future” by engaging students in our activities, and advocating issues that are important to the
health and welfare of the African-American campus community. They are committed people who love IPC
and Brown. They are always behind the scenes attempting to make a difference in the lives of students,
faculty and staff.
I look forward to sharing with you the many accomplishments and challenges that we have met together as
the IPC moves into its “teenage years,” and what we all see on the horizon as we continue building on the
investments of our ancestors, you, and our future alumni.
It is our hope that you will enjoy yourselves, make this a memorable experience and go home feeling
refueled and refreshed.
Thank you for your support of the Inman Page Black Alumni Council and Brown!
Best regards,
Karen E. McLaurin Chesson ’74
IPC President, 2012-2014
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6. Dear Alumni,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this 2013 Black Alumni Reunion
presented by the Inman Page Black Alumni Council at Brown. This is the
third reunion sponsored by IPC, and each time we continue to increase in
numbers. With your continued support we hope this foundling tradition will
continue to grow in numbers and significance for years to come.
In 2009, we came together in Washington, D.C. under the banner of Yes
We Did, and in 2010 on campus under Black at Brown and Beyond –
Careers, Communities, and Challenges. This year’s reunion theme is
Investing in Us: Past, Present and Future. In keeping with our theme, we hope that you can reflect on
the impact that attending this University has had on your life. By returning to Brown this weekend, you are
actively participating in the process of renewing, strengthening, and extending those ties.
Putting our history into perspective, it is important for us to remember that the first Black students
graduated from Brown in 1877, over 100 years after its establishment. (The Slavery & Justice initiative
helped all of the Brown community understand the institution’s foundations in the slave trade and its
evolution from that auspicious start.) We know the road these early graduates (including Inman Page, the
first one and for whom our organization is named) took was not easy, but they persevered, investing in
themselves as well as laying the foundations for future generations of African-Americans. Some 20 years
later, this investment made it possible for John Wesley Gilbert to be the first black recipient of a graduate
degree from Brown (in 1899) and in 10 more years for Ethel Robinson to be the first woman to receive a
degree from Pembroke College (in 1905). Most of what Blacks at Brown experience today are the direct
results of an investment made by our predecessors over the ensuing decades. IPC, the first affinity group
to receive full support of the Brown Alumni Association, in conjunction with the many Black alumni and
current students still nurturing it, continues to “pay it forward” for current and future members. We are so
pleased to report that for the first time in the history of Brown, together we raised over $350,000(!) in the
challenge to establish a Brown endowed scholarship—and we got over 30 percent of our alumni base to
contribute through Brown’s Annual Fund for an additional 4-year Scholarship. The brilliance of this is not
only in the dollar amount but in the percentage of our alumni who contributed in time and dollars, both large
and small. It was not just about the amount of money raised, but the fact that we overwhelmingly
contributed: we invested together, past and present, in our future. This is a major turning point: How do we
now make the most of what we have garnered?
That’s one of the questions we will ask you over this weekend, even as we try to make everyone more
aware of how our mutual support has helped to get us where we are today. We want everyone to know
what a difference these efforts have made, and to encourage those on the sidelines to join in contributing
their time, talents, and money in whatever ways they chose to support and assert our presence at Brown.
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7. Towards these ends, I would like to highlight a few of this weekend’s events:
 On Friday evening, we have our Kickoff Event featuring speaker Roger Vann ’87, COO of the
NAACP, live entertainment from Steve Soares ’75 and his trio, student performances, and a
tribute to Roland Laird ’82, an alum who we feel has made an indelible impact at Brown and
throughout IPC that underscores our theme this year. Though he may be gone, his legacy lives on
in initiatives that he established to benefit our community.
 On Saturday, we are honored to have President Christina H. Paxson, and we will host book
signings and interviews featuring alumni authors Sheila Bridges ’86 and Alison Stewart ’88, who
have recently released intriguing novels, followed by the Brown Alumni Association Recognition
Luncheon, panel discussions, and interactive workshops.
In addition to the themed events, there will be the Brown vs. Princeton football game, afterparties and
reunion souvenirs, culminating in a not–to-miss Sunday worship service that will also feature notable
alumni participants. We tried to plan something for everyone to enjoy.
Finally, I would like to thank all those who have worked so hard to help make this year’s IPC Black Alumni
Reunion a reality. Many have been engaged on this project for over a year to make it the best possible
experience for our alumni and their families. I remind you that we all are part of the Black legacy at Brown,
and so I also ask you to help IPC sustain and expand our role in present and future Brown University
matters, of which we are an important part.
We look forward to seeing you, and we hope you have a great time!
Sincerely,
Darwyn Parker Harris ’75
Black Alumni Reunion 2013 Co-Chair
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8. Dear Brown Alumni,
Welcome back to Brown! I am ecstatic that Black alumni decided to return to
campus for the 2013 Black Alumni Reunion. As IPC President-Elect and
Reunion Co-Chair, I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you over my last
several years as an active IPC volunteer in-person or virtually through social
media. I appreciate the sense of cohesiveness that I feel towards Brown alumni
of all ages, ethnicities, occupations and backgrounds.
One of my goals when I served as IPC Secretary from 2008-2010 was to strengthen the sense of
community among black alumni. We have made much progress toward that goal. Our IPC Facebook group,
where members can connect and discuss issues relevant to Brown, like whether to change the name of the
Third World Center, has gone from 90 members a few years ago to 759 members today! The IPC LinkedIn
group, established in 2009, now has 875 members! And our Flickr group photo album contains hundreds of
college photos from all decades. During my Presidential term in 2014-2016, I will continue to reinforce this
bond across generations of black alumni and push IPC to make even more of an impact on the University.
As President, I intend to continue supporting the Alumni-Student Mentoring Program and the Alumni of
Color Initiative as well as strengthen partnerships with organizations on campus such as the Center for the
Study of Slavery & Justice, Third World Center, Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity and the
Annenberg Institute for School Reform (read more about these organizations on page 30). Recently IPC
partnered with Rites & Reasons Theater and the National Black Theater of Harlem to promote the play
June’s Blood written by Jenna Spencer ’15 and directed by Elmo Terry-Morgan ’74. Approximately 75
black alumni were in attendance on “IPC Night” in New York City. We are planning to make this an annual
event.
Next summer, IPC will roll out the What Can IPC Do for You? online campaign to solicit feedback and
ideas from black alumni and students. We hope to engage new members and give IPC alumni reasons to
get more involved!
I hope that everyone has a fantastic time at the Black Alumni Reunion re-connecting with old friends and
meeting new ones. If we haven’t met in person yet, please come and introduce yourself, I look forward to
meeting you!
Ever true,
Tiffani Scott ’98
Black Alumni Reunion 2013 Co-Chair
IPC President-Elect, 2012-2014
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9. SCHEDULE
Friday, October 18
2:00pm9:00pm
Registration
Pick up your reunion schedule and souvenir items.
Maddock Alumni Center (corner of Brown & George Streets)
9:30am4:30pm
Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice
Ships of Bondage and the Fight for Freedom Exhibit
Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Ships of Bondage and the
Fight for Freedom examines the global networks involved in the African slave trade. This
exhibition tells the story of slave insurrections on three vessels including the Amistad, the
Meermin, and the Sally, exploring the struggle of the enslaved to resist captivity, gain
freedom, and return to their homelands.
Brown Center for Public Humanities, Carriage House Gallery, 357 Benefit Street (Rear
Entrance)
Shuttle transportation will be provided by Sentinel Limousine from downtown Providence to
Pembroke Field beginning at 5:30pm.
6:00pm10:00pm
Black Alumni Reunion Kick-off Reception
Pembroke Field (corner of Brook and Meeting Streets)
Mingle with old and new friends. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, buffet dinner and
cocktails will be served. Student step show performances by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Also featuring the following:
 Roger Vann ’87, COO of the NAACP
 Professor Paget Henry, Chair of the Africana Studies Department
 Angel Byrd, M.D./Ph.D. Candidate
 Steve Soares ’75 and his jazz trio
 Tribute to Roland Laird ’82 and Other Departed Alumni
10:00pm2:00am
Afterparty
Fete Music, 103 Dike Street (Downtown Providence)
Mingle, dance and catch up with fellow alumni.
Shuttle transportation will be provided from Pembroke Field to Fete Music and back to downtown
Providence until 2:00am.
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10. Saturday, October 19
Shuttle transportation will be provided by Sentinel Limousine and University Shuttle from
downtown Providence to Faunce Arch beginning at 8:30am.
8:00am6:00pm
Registration
Pick up your reunion schedule and souvenir items.
Maddock Alumni Center (corner of Brown & George Streets)
9:00am9:30am
Continental Breakfast
Salomon Center for Teaching, Lobby (Main Green)
9:30am11:00am
IPC's Legacy of Leadership Panel Discussion
Salomon Center for Teaching, Room 001 (Main Green)
 Moderator: Harold Bailey, Jr. ’70 LHD’95 hon., P’99, P’03
 Mark Winston Griffith ’85, IPC President 2002-2004
 Dorsey James ’83, P’14, IPC President 2004-2006
 Preston Tisdale ’73, P’10, P’10 MPH’ MD’15, P’12, IPC President 2006-2008
 Richard Gray ’85, IPC President 2008-2010
 Rosetta Hillary ’73, IPC President 2010-2012
 Karen McLaurin Chesson ’74, IPC President 2012-2014
11:00am11:30am
Welcome from Brown University President Christina H. Paxson
Salomon Center for Teaching, Room 001 (Main Green)
 Introduction: Brickson Diamond ’93
11:45am2:15pm
Brown Alumni Association Recognition Ceremony and Luncheon
Pembroke Field (corner of Brook and Meeting Streets)
 Brown Bear Award - Dr. Spencer Crew ’71, P’00, P’04
 Alumni Service Award - Ken McDaniel ’69, P’13
 Joseph M. Fernandez ’85 Award - Karen McLaurin Chesson ’74
 John Hope Award for Public Service - Sonja Brookins Santileses ’89
2:00pm3:30pm
Book Signing at the Bookstore: Meet the Authors
Brown Bookstore, 244 Thayer Street
 Sheila Bridges ’86 - The Bald Mermaid: A Memoir
 Alison Stewart ’88 - First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public
High School
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11. 2:30pm3:30pm
Choir Rehearsal for Sunday's Worship Service
Manning Chapel (corner of Waterman & Prospect Streets)
Alumni and students who are interested in singing in Sunday's Worship Service ensemble
are invited to rehearse at Manning Chapel on Saturday afternoon. Questions and more
information on the songs can be directed to Katani Eaton Sumner ’85 katani@post.harvard.edu.
2:30pm
3:45pm
Panel Discussions
Being Black at Brown Today
Alumnae Hall, Crystal Room (Pembroke Green)
 Moderator: Justin Coles ’11
 Chell Burke ’16
 James Clemmons ’14
 Afia Kwakwa ’14
 Ricardo Mullings ’15
 Dakotah Blue Rice ’16
No Longer the Major Minority in the US: What Does This Mean?
Smith-Buonanno Hall, Room 106 (Pembroke Green)
 Moderator: Spencer Crew ’71, P’00, P’04
 Ed Brockenbrough ’95
 Adom Crew ’04
 Alyce Johnson ’74
 Troy Wilson ’83
 Chantel Whittle ’12
Dialogue on Slavery, Human Bondage, and Justice: A Conversation with the Center
for the Study of Slavery and Justice
Sidney Frank Hall, Marcuvitz Auditorium
 Moderator: Karen Baxter
 Professor B. Anthony Bogues
 Professor Glenn Loury
3:45pm4:15pm
Book Signing & Break
Smith-Buonanno Hall, Lobby (Pembroke Green)
 Sheila Bridges ’86 - The Bald Mermaid: A Memoir
 Alison Stewart ’88 - First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public
High School
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12. 4:15pm
5:45pm
Panel Discussions and Workshop Sessions
Birth of a Transformation: The Impact of ’68, ’75 and ’85 Black Student Activism on
Brown's 'Of Color' Evolution
Sidney Frank Hall, Marcuvitz Auditorium
 Moderator: Bernicestine McLeod Bailey ’68, P’99, P’03
 Mark Winston Griffith ’85
 Bill Poole ’69
 Denise Bledsoe Slaughter ’75 AM’77
Promoting Quality and Equitable Education for Urban Communities: A Conversation
with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Smith-Buonanno Hall, Room 106 (Pembroke Green)
 Moderator: Richard Gray ’85
 Eldridge Gilbert ’05
 Sonja Brookins Santelises ’89
 Warren Simmons
 Ocynthia Williams
Doodling: Who Knew It Was Good For You?
Smith-Buonanno Hall, Room 101 (Pembroke Green)
 Host: Lydia A. Boddie-Rice ’76
Expanding the Benefits of Urban Revival
Churchill House, 155 Angell Street
 Host: Dorothy Clark ’75
Shuttle transportation will be provided continuously from Smith-Buonnano (corner of Brown and
Cushing Streets) to the football stadium, downtown Providence and back to campus.
6:00pm
8:00pm
Making a Connection in 60 Seconds: Networking Your Way to a Lasting Impression
Alumni-Student Speed Networking Mixer
Smith-Buonanno Hall, Lobby
 Facilitator: Joelle Murchison ’95
6:00pm
9:00pm
Brown vs. Princeton Football Game
Brown Football Stadium, 400 Elmgrove Avenue (at the corner of Session Street)
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13. Shuttle transportation will be provided continuously from Smith-Buonnano (corner of Brown and
Cushing Streets) to downtown Providence and back to campus until 1:00am.
7:00pm
9:00pm
Rites and Reason Theatrical Performance and FolkThought
Ophelia's Cotillion: Welcome to the Nightmare Years
Churchill House, 155 Angell Street
 Director: Elmo Terry-Morgan ’74
9:00pm
12:00am
Unity Funk Nite
Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, Kasper Multipurpose Room (Formerly the P.O.,
Faunce House)
Music will be provided by DJ Garfield "Garf Digga" Davidson ‘00. Shuttle transportation will
be provided continuously from campus to downtown Providence until 1:00am.
Sunday, October 20
Shuttle transportation will be provided by Sentinel Limousine from downtown Providence to
Faunce Arch (corner of Waterman and Brown Streets) and back to campus until 2:00pm.
11:00am
12:00pm
Continental Breakfast
J. Walter Wilson Building, Room 411, 4th Floor (corner of Waterman and Brown Streets)
12:00pm
1:30pm
Reflections: A Spiritual Walk – Brown and Beyond
Manning Chapel (corner of Waterman & Prospect Streets)
A celebration in sharing and song as Brown alums involved in ministry will share insights
and perspectives from their personal journey. Rev. Jeffrey Williams ’85 will serve as the
Worship Leader and Psalmist Katani Eaton Sumner ’85 will minister in song.
2:00pm
3:00pm
A Meeting with the Brotherhood
Harambee House
All male alumni and students are invited to discuss male leadership in our community.
Questions can be directed to Co-President James Clemmons ’14 at
james_clemmons@brown.edu.
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14. ABOUT BROWN UNIVERSITY
Located in historic Providence, Rhode Island and founded in 1764, Brown University is the seventh-oldest college in
the United States. Brown is an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution comprising undergraduate and
graduate programs, plus the Alpert Medical School, School of Public Health, School of Engineering, Executive
Master of Healthcare Leadership and the IE Brown
Executive MBA.
With its talented and motivated student body and
accomplished faculty, Brown is a leading research
university that maintains a particular commitment to
exceptional undergraduate instruction.
Brown’s vibrant, diverse community consists of 6,000
undergraduates, 2,000 graduate students, 400
medical school students, more than 5,000 summer,
visiting and online students, and nearly 700 faculty
members. Brown students come from all 50 states
and more than 100 countries.
Undergraduates pursue bachelor’s degrees in more
than 70 concentrations, ranging from Egyptology to cognitive neuroscience. Anything’s possible at Brown—the
university’s commitment to undergraduate freedom means students must take responsibility as architects of their
courses of study.
Graduate students study in more than 70 programs. The broad scope of options vary from interdisciplinary
opportunities in molecular pharmacology and physiology to a master’s program in acting and directing through the
Brown/Trinity Repertory Consortium.
Continuing Education offers programs for adults, undergraduates, and high school students - on campus, online, and
abroad. Programs include the Undergraduate Summer Session and Pre-College Programs.
Brown students have a lot to smile about. Named by the 2010 Princeton Review as the #1 College in America for
Happiest Students, Brown is frequently recognized for its global reach, many cultural events, numerous campus
groups and activities, active community service programs, highly competitive athletics, and beautiful facilities located
in a richly historic urban setting.
The mission of Brown University is to serve the community, the nation, and the world by discovering, communicating,
and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry, and by educating and preparing students to
discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation. We do this through a partnership of students and
teachers in a unified community known as a university-college.
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15. HISTORY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
Brown was founded in 1764—the third college in New England and the seventh in America. Brown was the first Ivy
League school to accept students from all religious affiliations, a testament to the spirit of openness that still typifies
Brown today.
Originally located in Warren, Rhode Island and called the College of Rhode Island, Brown moved to its current
location overlooking Providence on College Hill in 1770 and was renamed in 1804 in recognition of a $5,000 gift from
Nicholas Brown, a prominent Providence businessman and Brown alum, Class of 1786.
Women were first admitted to Brown in 1891. The Women’s College was later renamed Pembroke College in Brown
University before merging with Brown College, the men's undergraduate school, in 1971. The northern section of
campus where the women’s school was situated is known today as Pembroke Campus.
The first masters degrees were granted in 1888 and the first doctorates in 1889. The first M.D. degrees of the
modern era were presented in 1975 to a graduating class of 58 students. Today, Brown awards some 90 medical
degrees annually from the Alpert Medical School.
Undergraduate education changed dramatically in 1970 with the introduction of what has become known as the
Brown Curriculum. The idea for this change came from a report written by undergraduates Ira Magaziner ‘69 and
Elliot E. Maxwell ‘68, as part of a GISP (Group Independent Study Project) that examined education at Brown.
The new curriculum eliminated core requirements shared by all Brown undergraduates and created specific
departmental concentration requirements. This approach has defined the undergraduate academic experience at
Brown ever since, demanding that students serve as the architects of their courses of study.
Constant change defines Brown’s past and future, though the University’s culture is rich in tradition. Brown’s first
building, for example, the red-bricked University Hall, was built in 1770 and still stands on the College Green. Today,
the core campus consists of 235 buildings on 143 acres on the East Side of Providence. The Warren Alpert Medical
School and the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine are housed in state-of-the-art facilities in Providence’s historic
Jewelry District.
Launched in 2002, The Plan for Academic Enrichment built on Brown’s strengths and set new benchmarks of
excellence in research, education, and public leadership. Transformation of the Engineering program into a School of
Engineering and Public Health program into a School of Public Health were direct results of these efforts.
In its current process of strategic planning, Brown continues to follow its mission—seeking ways to improve, expand
its scope, and better serve the world as a leading institution for education, discovery, and global intellectual progress.
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16. FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT BROWN UNIVERSITY
Enrollment Statistics
Approximately 6,133 students are enrolled in the undergraduate
College, 1,947 in the Graduate School, and 460 in the Medical
School. These students represent all 50 states plus the District of
Columbia and approximately 108 foreign countries. For the class
of 2016, the University received 28,742 applications and
accepted 2,759.
Full-time students and part-time degree-seeking students as of
Nov. 2012:
 Undergraduate: 6,133
 Graduate: 1,947
 Medical: 460
 Total: 8,540
Tuition and Fees
 Undergraduate tuition for academic year 2012-13: $42,808
 Room, board, and required fees: $12,208
 Total cost: $55,016
Financial Aid
Brown meets 100% of a student’s full demonstrated financial need:
 89% of all undergraduates who applied for financial aid received a need-based aid award
 36% of undergraduate students receiving financial aid have a $0 contribution from parents’ income
 The average hourly wage for students who work on campus is $9.90
 100% The amount of self help (student summer earnings expectation, loan and work) students can replace
with outside scholarships
All undergraduates:
 $90.1 Million — The amount of Brown University need-based scholarship for 2012-13.
 $93.1 Million — The amount of need-based scholarship budgeted for 2012-13, which included University
Scholarship and estimated federal Pell Grants.
 43% of all undergraduates are receiving need-based scholarship aid, which includes federal and state needbased scholarship and grants
 The average need-based scholarship for all undergraduates is $35,288
 46% of all undergraduates are receiving need-based aid, which includes federal and state grants and needbased work-study and loans.
 The average need-based financial aid award for all undergraduates is $39,222
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17. Research
In fiscal year 2012, total research expenditures were $178,908,912. Top funding sources included Department of
Health and Human Services, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and Energy, NASA, Department
of Education, and several private, corporate and nonprofit organizations. Faculty members also garnered support in
the form of Fulbright scholarships, and MacArthur, Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities
fellowships.
The Students
Brown University has recently been ranked #1 for
America’s Happiest College Students, according to
the Princeton Review 2010 rankings. Brown was
also named "the most fashionable school in the Ivy
League" by the fashion trade journal Women’s Wear
Daily on the basis that students on campus seem to
have the strongest sense of personal style.
 Brown currently enrolls approximately
5,900 undergraduates from all 50 states
and 93 countries.
 52% of undergraduates are female, 48%
male.
 About 29% of undergrads are people of
color.
 10% hail from abroad.
 The graduation rate within 6 years is 95%.
 80% of all undergraduates live in residence
halls.
 9% of students belong to fraternities or sororities; there are 12 fraternities, and 5 sororities.
 1542 graduates in the Class of 2008:
o 1196 A.B. recipients
o 312 Sc.B. recipients
o 22 Combined A.B./Sc.B.
Life After Brown
 35% of undergraduates pursue graduate or professional study immediately.
 60% of undergraduates pursue graduate or professional study within 5 years.
 Brown consistently ranks among the top five colleges in the nation in the percentage of its applicants
accepted to medical school, and these impressive records are similar in other areas of graduate study.
 Of those who apply to law school, 92 to 95 percent are accepted to one of their top three choices; among
business school applicants, the figure is nearly 100 percent.
 Within 10 years of graduation, 80% of all students have pursued further education through graduate or
professional study.
Page | 15

18. CHRISTINA H. PAXSON, PRESIDENT OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
Christina H. Paxson was sworn in as the
nineteenth president of Brown University on
Monday, July 2, 2012. At the time of her
appointment in March 2012, she was dean of
the Woodrow Wilson School of International
and Public Affairs and the Hughes Rogers
Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at
Princeton University.
A 1982 honors graduate of Swarthmore
College, Phi Beta Kappa, Paxson earned her
graduate degrees in economics at Columbia
University (M.A., 1985; Ph.D., 1987). She
began her academic career at Princeton
University in 1986, becoming assistant
professor of economics and public affairs the
next year. She became a full professor in
1997 and was named the Hughes-Rogers
Professor of Economics and Public Affairs in
2007. While at Princeton, Paxson also served as associate chair (2005-2008) and chair (2008-2009) of the
Department of Economics and was the founding director of a National Institute on Aging Center for the
Economics and Demography of Aging. In 2000, she founded the Center for Health and Wellbeing, an
interdisciplinary research center in the Woodrow Wilson School. The center established multidisciplinary
graduate and undergraduate certificate programs in health and health policy. She served as the center’s
director until 2009.
Initially working on international economic problems of labor supply, mobility, savings, inequality, and aging,
Paxson focused increasingly on the relationship of economic factors to health and welfare over the life
course, particularly on the health and welfare of children. She has been the principal investigator on a
number of research projects supported by the National Institutes of Health, the most recent of which is a
study of adversity and resilience after Hurricane Katrina. She was elected vice president of the American
Economic Association in 2012 and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Page | 16

19. INMAN PAGE BLACK ALUMNI COUNCIL (IPC)
Philosophy:
The Brown experience should be optimal for its Black
community at all levels and in all aspects. IPC is
dedicated to proactively making that experience
prosperous, nurturing, enriching and healthy.
The Council is formed in honor of Inman Page and
George Washington Milford, the first known Black
undergraduates of Brown University in the class of
1877, Ethel T. Robinson, the first known Black
undergraduate of Pembroke College in the Class of
1905, and all of the Black students who have followed
in the path that they cleared. The Council was
established on April 14, 2000 at a retreat held in
Newport, Rhode Island, attended by Black alumni,
other members of the Black community of Brown
University, and the Brown University Alumni Relations
Office.
Mission of the Council:
The mission of the Inman Page Black Alumni Council is to strengthen Brown University by directly
addressing the needs and concerns of its Black alumni and establishing a productive interaction among
Black alumni, students, faculty and staff. Members of IPC shall endeavor to channel their energies toward
broadening opportunities for the Black community of Brown University and maximizing Black alumni
participation in the life of the University. In addition, the members shall work with organizations that further
the interest of Brown University, including but not limited to the Brown Alumni Association.
Dr. Inman Edward Page and George Washington Milford, the first known African-American graduates of the
class of 1877, paved the way for an impressive history of black graduates to follow. Such individuals as
John Hope, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society of the class of 1894; and Ethel Tremaine Robinson, a
member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She was the first black graduate of the Women’s College in
1905 and went on to teach English at Howard University. In 1932, Samuel M. Nabrit was the first black
graduate to receive a Ph.D. from Brown. From 1967 to 1972, he served as the Brown Corporation’s first
black Trustee.
Page | 17

20. INMAN EDWARD PAGE, 1853-1935
Inman Edward Page was born into slavery on December 29, 1853, in
Warrenton, Virginia. During the Civil War his family fled Virginia and
later moved to Washington, D.C. Mr. Page attended Howard
University for two years and then enrolled at Brown University. He
was the Class of 1877 Orator. After graduating from Brown University
in 1877, he earned A.M. and LLD degrees from Wilberforce University
in 1880 and 1918. He was an educator at several schools in Missouri
and Oklahoma, and went on to become the President of Roger
Williams University in Tennessee and Lincoln University in Missouri.
“…Mr. Page is the first colored graduate from the University. The theme of his
oration was the ‘Intellectual Prospects of America.’”
“... Mr. Page did not receive his position as class orator from a chivalrous
recognition of his race by his white associates, although the choice is none the less creditable to them. He is an orator of rare
ability, speaking with weight and sententiousness without effort at display and at times rising to a profound and impressive
eloquence. The scope of the essay indicated grasp of thought and the language was often remarkable for elegance and power.
There is no doubt but he fairly earned his honors.”
- Account of Class Day in the Providence Journal in 1877, Encyclopedia Brunoniana by Martha Mitchell
GEORGE WASHINGTON MILFORD, 1852-1917
George Washington Milford was born on November 11, 1852 in
Stafford County, Virginia. He was the Class of 1877 Historian. After
graduating from Brown University in 1877, he earned a LLB degrees
from Howard University in 1901. He was admitted to the bar by the
Washington, DC Supreme Court in 1902 and admitted to practice
before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1911.
Page | 18

21. INMAN PAGE BLACK ALUMNI COUNCIL (IPC)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Karen McLaurin Chesson ’74 | IPC President
Karen McLaurin Chesson held the position of director of the Third World
Alumni Activities Committee and Associate Director of Alumni Relations
for five years. In 1993, she was named the first female director of the
Third World Center and Associate Dean of the College, where she served
for 18 years. Her impetus, leadership, dedication and commitment made
the Third World Center “a hub” of student leadership and diversity
programming for the Brown community. She will be honored with the
Joseph M. Fernandez ‘85 Award for her commitment to diversity and
collaboration that strengthens the university community at the Brown Alumni Association Recognition
Ceremony and Luncheon. She currently serves as President of the Inman Page Black Alumni Council.
Tiffani Scott ’98 | Reunion Co-Chair and IPC President-Elect
Tiffani Scott graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and
started her career at United Technologies where she was a Mechanical
Design Engineer on the NASA spacesuit. After pursuing her MBA at NYU
Stern School of Business, her focus was in supply chain management at
companies such as Johnson & Johnson and BASF with a focus on
implementing enterprise resource planning systems. In 2009, Ms. Scott
also founded Black Ivy Events, a company that organizes networking
events that cater to the social, professional, and civic interests of diverse
alumni of the Ivy League institutions. Currently, Ms. Scott is an Information Technology Manager at Becton
Dickinson, a global medical devices manufacturer. As IPC Secretary from 2008-2010, she spearheaded the
planning of the 2010 Black Alumni Reunion. This included helping to raise $323,000 toward the IPC
Endowed Scholarship Fund. In 2011, she was awarded the Brown Alumni Leadership Award for her
innovation, collaboration and execution. Ms. Scott is the Co-Chair of the 2013 Black Alumni Reunion and
will serve as President of IPC for the 2014-16 administration.
Page | 19

22. Adrienne Jones ’93 | IPC Treasurer
Adrienne Jones is the current IPC Treasurer for the 2012-2014
administration. Ms. Jones is completing her Ph.D. in Political Science at
the City University of New York Graduate Center. Her dissertation, The
Voting Rights Act Under Siege documents the influence of conservatism
on the federal governments enforcement of the VRA. Ms. Jones is a
graduate of Brown University and of Berkeley Law School at the
University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Jones has enjoyed working with
the IPC executive board to fund traditions that support a sense of
belonging and community among students and alums. This year, IPC initiated the Adopt-A-Student
program which makes it possible for alums to sponsor IPC t-shirts to welcome incoming students and kente
stoles to congratulate new Brown graduates. This year, IPC helped to mobilize over 898 Black alumni
donors for the Brown Annual Fund Challenge created by Lynette Allison Carr ‘79, Roosevelt Robinson ‘78,
Westley Thompson ‘76 and Derek Medina ‘88 who established a new scholarship for a black student. In
addition, IPC supports student initiatives on campus and has sponsored regional chapter events
in Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York. Please consider donating to IPC! It’s a personal and
meaningful way to stay connected to Brown!
Crystal Cochren ’95 | IPC Secretary
Crystal Cochren currently serves as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender
with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender where she provides
legal advice and representation to indigent clients. Previously, Ms.
Cochren worked in private practice focusing on Employment Law. Ms.
Cochren has been appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court Family
Practice Committee for the 2011-2013 term and the District Ethics
Committee for the 2012-2016 term. Ms. Cochren is also licensed to
practice law in New York. In addition to pursuing academic excellence at
Brown, she was one of the seven charter members of the Mu Kappa chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho
Sorority, Incorporated and served as the chapter’s first president. Ms. Cochren received her Juris Doctor
degree from Rutgers University School of Law, in Newark, New Jersey. After receiving and answering her
call from God to enter into ministry, Ms. Cochren enrolled in the Master of Divinity degree program at Drew
University Theological School in Madison, New Jersey. Ms. Cochren received her Master of Divinity degree
in May 2010 and is participating in ministry in New Jersey.
Page | 20

23. Darwyn Parker-Harris ’75 | Black Alumni Reunion Co-Chair
The first Back female to graduate from Brown in Engineering, Darwyn
Parker Harris ‘75, also holds a degree in Biology, a Master’s in Applied
Mathematics and was a Nabrit Ph.D. Fellow in Bio Medical/Electrical
Engineering at Brown. She has been involved in numerous engineering
projects over the years with start-up as well as Fortune 100 companies. In
these companies, she has held a range of positions, including: Human
Factors Engineer, responsible for the design of crew systems and interfaces
with naval aircraft at Naval Air Systems Command; Engineering Supervisor
for Manufacturing, Design, Operations and Capital Improvements at Pfizer
and Astra Pharmaceuticals; Systems Engineer and Cost Analyst for special government projects while with
the MITRE Corporation, where she authored a host of publications; and Principal Analysis providing
technical direction for development and deployment of logistics tools to VP of Operations, INNOLOG. While
at Brown, Darwyn was a member of the Black Choir and taught Math, Science, and English to high school
students at Hope High School, as well as in an alternative learning school in downtown Providence for
students with special circumstances. After leaving Brown she continued her involvement and was a
member of the Third World Alumni Activities Committee, Secretary-Elect for the Brown Associated Alumni
and is currently a member of the IPC Board of Governors and co-chair of the Black Alumni Reunion
Committee.
Page | 21

24. BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Fundraising
Fundraising
Alumni of Color Initiative
Alumni of Color Initiative
Communications
Newsletter
Newsletter
Alumni & Student Relations
Alumni & Student Relations
Alumni & Student Relations
Local Chapter, Atlanta
Local Chapter, Chicago
Local Chapter, NYC
Local Chapter, NYC
Local Chapter, DC
Local Chapter, Philadelphia
Matriculation
Matriculation
Africana Liaison
Africana Liaison
Membership
Historian
By-Laws
Nicole Clare ’99
Alissa Mayers ’03
Bernicestine McLeod Bailey ’68, P’99, P’03
Harold Bailey ’70 LHD’95 hon., P’99, P’03
Shane McGregor ’95
Denise Bledsoe Slaughter ’75 AM’77
Lydia Boddie-Rice ’76
Justin Coles ’11
Andrea O’Neal ’03
Margaret Stevens AM’06 PhD’10
Tuneen Chisolm ’84
Steven Hunter ’99
Deshaun Mars ’08 AM’09
Dwight Vidale ’05
Anthony Teat ’88
Thierry Fortune ‘84
Eldridge Gilbert ’05
Judith Sanford-Harris PhD ’74, P’14
Neil Roberts ’98
Markita Morris-Louis ’98
Celeste Malone ’02
Cassie Owens ’09
Leland McGee ’77
Page | 22

25. BLACK ALUMNI REUNION COMMITTEES
Reunion Co-Chairs
Darwyn Parker-Harris ’75
Tiffani Scott ’98
Executive Planning Committee
Karen McLaurin Chesson ’74
Adrienne Jones ’93
Richard Gray ’85
Planning Committee
Dorsey James ’83, P’14
Troy Wilson ’83
Harry Holt ’84, P’16
Tina Patterson ’85
Cheryl McCants ’86
Dina Runcie ’86
Diane Johnson ’94
Nicole Clare ’99
Alissa Mayers ’03
Justin Coles ’11
Promotions Committee
Adrienne Jones ’93
Rosetta Hillary ’74
Brian Lacey ’75, P’02
Troy Wilson ’83
Harry Holt ’84, P’16
Thierry Fortune ’84
Katani Sumner ’85
Harold Bailey ’70 LHD’95 hon, P’99, P’03
Kenya Crumel ’93
Diane Johnson ’94
Eldridge Gilbert ’05
Aisha Stroop ’98
Tiffany Yizar ’07
Nicole Clare ’99
Justin Coles ’11
Lorie McGee ’01
Chantel Whittle ’12
Alissa Mayers ’03
On-Site Host Committee
Karen Hall ’77
Harry Holt ’84, P’16
Diane Johnson ’94
Aisha Stroop ’98
Nicole Clare ’99
Dionne Nickerson ’00
Varina Clark ’12
Amanda Dowden ’12 MD’16
Thomas Beauford ’13
Michelle Onibokun ’14
Colin Blake ’15
Chell Burke ’15
Taylor Williams ’15
Anisha Lewis ’16
Ricardo Mullings ’16
Malikah Williams ’16
Aadon Penny ’11
Colin Blake ’15
Shauna Tulloch ’15
Chell Burke ’16
Godwin Tsado ’16
Josie Valcin ’16
Isabelle Thenor-Louis ’16
Gabrielle Frampton ’17
Page | 23

26. ROLAND LAIRD JR. ’82 MEMORIAL SUMMER PROGRAM
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC) is pleased to announce the
Roland O. Laird Jr. Memorial Summer Program Scholarship Fund
through which IPC will continue to support selected African-American
participants in Brown's Summer Leadership Institute and SPARK
programs. Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the Laird Jr. Memorial SPS
Fund by December 31, 2013. The fund is housed at Brown University and
all contributions are tax-deductible.
Roland Laird Jr. ’82 was the central player in establishing and
maintaining IPC-NY's SPARK scholarship to honor the late Marie Moses
Irons ’82, a computer science major. That scholarship enabled at least two
African-American middle school students from the NY/NJ area to attend
SPARK since 2003. SPARK students spend 1 to 2 weeks on Brown's
campus immersed in a science discipline of their choice; they get a real taste of what it means to be a
scientist and learn how to explore and make discoveries. Laird ultimately expanded the initial effort, adding
IPC-NY scholarships in the names of Onyx and the late Coach Doug Terry to Brown's summer Leadership
Institute for high school students. Leadership Institute students spend 2 weeks at Brown developing
knowledge and understanding of complex issues through case studies, lectures, films, simulations,
discussions, field research and group projects. With faculty guidance and peer feedback, students create
an Action Plan that addresses a pressing social issue in their school or community, and then work on the
project when they return home.
Brown partners with IPC, paying 50% of the tuition and fees for each IPC nominated summer program
participant; however, Laird ensured IPC-NY's ability to fund its 50% of the tuition fees and he personally
provided transportation for the students to campus. Each year, he reached out to fellow IPC alum for
contributions and sought grants to raise the necessary funds through an outside foundation. In 2012, Laird
worked with Tuneen Chisolm ’84 to help establish IPC Atlanta's scholarship to the Leadership Institute in
honor of Dr. Ruth Simmons, and he made sure IPC Atlanta's inaugural scholarship was covered when the
area contributions fell short of the necessary amount. To date, over 36 African-American students have
attended Brown summer programs as IPC nominated participants.
When Laird passed away in February 2013, we thought it fitting to establish a Brown University housed IPC
summer program scholarship fund in his name to ensure that we continue the IPC support of African
American Brown Summer Program participants that Laird worked so diligently to establish and maintain.
The amount required to support two SPARK participants and two Leadership Institute participants is
$10,000 each year.
To donate, visit www.gifts.development.brown.edu/Brown/ChooseGifts.aspx, check the box for "Other"
under "Other Current-Use Priorities," and write in "LAIRD JR. MEMORIAL SPS FUND."
Page | 24

27. GEORGE LIMA ’48, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN
In April 1945, as a member of the U.S. Army’s 477th Bombardment
Group, George S. Lima was one of sixty black Air Corps officers
arrested for trying to enter a white officer’s club at Freeman Field, in
Indiana. He described the incident during an interview. “When you’re a
commissioned officer you get a notice from the president that you’re an
officer and a gentleman, and you think that, presumably, you’re entitled
to everything an officer is entitled to,” he recalled. “And we go to the
club and try to get a Coca-Cola—they tell you they can’t serve you—
then you react, you know.” As a result of the incident at Freeman
Field—an embarrassing name, under the circumstances—the army
ordered the base to integrate its clubs and replaced the unit’s
commanding officer. Three years later Harry Truman ordered all the
armed forces integrated. A lifelong political and labor activist, Lima, the
son of immigrants from Cape Verde, George Lima moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, after the war with
his new wife and daughter. From there, Lima commuted to Brown—except during football training, when he
lived in Hegeman Hall. He helped found the University’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi, a black fraternity, and
he studied sociology partly “to get my head straight about this business about segregation and
discrimination,” he says. Mr. Lima founded the Black Air
Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is
dedicated to empowering youth through education. His
remarkable experiences as a “Tuskegee Airman” came to
the attention of the public in the documentary “Black Men
Can Fly”. More information is available on their website at
www.blackairfoundation.org
The Inman Page Black Alumni Council honored George
Lima during the 2010 Black Alumni Reunion (shown above)
for his outstanding contributions to the Black community at
Brown University and beyond.
Page | 25

28. THOMAS BROWN ’50, TRUSTEE EMERITUS
A native of Fall River, Thomas Brown is most remembered
for the lifelong battle he fought in Boston to achieve diversity
in employment. A member of the class of 1950 at Brown
University, he immediately took a more venturous
professional turn for that era. As an associate at the Marvin
and Leonard Advertising Agency he became the first AfricanAmerican to be employed at a management level in that
industry. It was at that firm that he came to the attention of
Edwin H. Land, CEO and founder of the Polaroid Corp. Land
hired Brown as his special corporate assistant, thus providing
Brown with the bully pulpit from which to begin a crusade for
social change. A call from Land's office to other Greater
Boston CEOs would make it difficult for them to refuse to
consider hiring racial minorities. Brown made a number of
such calls until it was necessary for him to establish the Jobs
Clearing House to process the new job opportunities. Tom
Brown opened Jobs Clearing House in 1963 and ran it for
more than 30 years and never took a dime of compensation
for his effort. During this time more than 10,000 minorities
found employment at higher levels than were formally available. Business and educational leaders in
Greater Boston acknowledged Brown's achievement. He was a member of the Brown University Board of
Trustees. Brown was a big promoter of the IPC Scholarship Fund.
Page | 26

29. DANIELLE DUNLAP ’10, PEACE CORPS ACTIVIST
Danielle Alexis Dunlap graduated in 2010 from Brown University with a
degree in Neuroscience. While at Brown she was a member of the Fusion
Dance company, a minority recruitment intern and a swim instructor for
children with asthma. Dani arrived in Ghana on June 6, 2011 for preservice training as a health volunteer. She was one of 69 Americans
sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers on Aug. 30, 2011 at the residence of
the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana as part of the 50th anniversary celebration
of Peace Corps in Ghana. Throughout her service, she carried out
activities aimed at improving the quality of life for her community in the
areas of nutrition, HIV/AIDS and malaria awareness, and sanitation.
Peace Corps Ghana staff said Dani’s boundless energy and enthusiasm
endeared her to her community in Ghana, and that she was proud of her
role as a volunteer trainer, helping to mentor newly arrived volunteers in
the projects to which she was so devoted. Dani was scheduled to
complete her service on August 16, 2013.
Dani was born in Germany and lived in several places around the world before her service in Ghana. She
enjoyed traveling and studied abroad in both Haiti and South Korea, where she learned Spanish and
Korean. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, Dani tutored young students in English, math and science at The
Academy at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass.
In the fall of 2013, she planned to further her
education by beginning a Masters program in
Public Health at Emory University. But her time
was cut short and Dani passed on April 28,
2013 of an acute Malaria illness. While in
Ghana, Dani raised money to build a clinic in
her community. That community chose to
remember her by naming the clinic after the
name they had given her, "Mama Grace."
Page | 27

30. DECEASED BLACK ALUMNI
Mr. Ralph W. Reckling
Mr. Roswell S. Bosworth
Mr. Frederick D. Pollard
Dr. Lorimer D. Milton
Miss Rosa J. Minkins
Mr. Jay M. Williams
Dr. Russell A. Lane
Reverend Aurelius D. Pinckney
Mr. Joseph C. Allen
Dr. Walter F. Becket
Dr. Joseph F. S. Carter
Dr. Samuel B. Milton
Mr. Howard Hughes Murphy
Mr. Louis L. Redding
Mr. Lawremce S. Larry
Mrs. James K. Smith
Mrs. Charlotte W. Strickland
Miss Violet Warfield
Mrs. Marguerite Worthington
Mr. Robert E. Mc Millan
Mrs. William H. Bush
Prof. J. Saunders Redding
Mrs. Esther Cumby
Dr. William C. Foster
Mr. Joseph H. Mahood, Jr.
Mr. John Hope II
Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit, Ph.D.
Dr. S. O. Roberts
Mrs. Carolyn Stanley
Mr. Carl N. Mayhew
Dr. Mercer Cook, Ph.D.
Mr. Vernon Beaubien
Mrs. Paul S. Hough
Mr. Frederick D. Pollard, Jr.
Mrs. P. Vaughn Sterrett
Miss Beatrice Y. Black
Dr. Lester L. Gavurin
Mrs. Elizabeth J. Phillips
Mr. Paul B. Zuber
Mr. George S. Lima
Prof. Charles H. Nichols, Ph.D.
Mae B. Simmons, Ph.D.
Mr. Robert Albert
Mr. James O. Banks, Jr.
1910
1918
1919
1920
1920
1920
1921
1921
1923
1923
1923
1923
1923
1923
1924
1924
1924
1925
1925
1927
1928
1928
1929
1929
1931
1932
1932
1932
1932
1935
1936
1937
1937
1937
1940
1941
1944
1945
1947
1948
1948
1948
1949
1950
Mr. Thomas J. Brown
Mr. Fermino J. Spencer
Mr. Joseph H. Thomas, Jr.
Mr. Eugene E. Whitlock, Jr.
Mr. Archie Williams
Mr. Charles E. Taylor
Mr. Wortham R. Baskerville
Mr. Joel C. Stokes
Ms. Peggy B. Evans
Prof. Wallace Terry II
Dr. Roy Hunter, Jr., Ph.D.
Prof. Irving L. Williams
Dr. J. Nathan Gayles, Jr., Ph.D.
Dr. Ronald E. Brooks, Ph.D.
Mr. John A. Jones
Dr. Enamidem U. Ubok-Udom
Ms. Judith Clark Lombard
Dr. Jerome H. Wood, Jr., Ph.D.
Reverend Lindsey A. Robinson
Dr. Clement F. Shearer
Mr. Leonard B. Smith
Mr. Ray D. Barnes
Mr. Phillip N. Bond
Mr. Leonard E. Collins, Jr.
Mr. Robert H. Jones
Mr. Bruce L. Owens
Miss Sherley A. Williams
Mrs. Vera L. Ballard
Mr. Rodney W. Dennis
Dr. Eldred G. Fowler
Mr. Albert C. Mannings
Mr. Kenneth L. Marshall
Mr. Sylvester Turner, Jr.
M. Denise Wiley, M.D.
Mr. Glenn T. Wilson
Mr. Christopher T. Chester
Dr. Herbert O. Edwards, Sr., Ph.D.
Mr. James A. Emanuel, Jr.
Patricia Taylor-Irvin
Dr. Janis H. Jackson
Dr. Wendell A. Jeanpierre, Ph.D.
Mr. George G. Woody III
Mr. Charles Ballard
Dr. Melvin W. Dixon, Ph.D.
1950
1951
1954
1954
1956
1957
1958
1958
1959
1959
1962
1962
1963
1965
1965
1965
1968
1969
1971
1971
1971
1972
1972
1972
1972
1972
1972
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1973
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1975
1975
Page | 28

31. DECEASED BLACK ALUMNI
Dr. Arlington L. Finley, Ph.D.
Mr. Carl A. Hardy
Anthony Harmon, M.D.
Mr. Jack S. Lobato
Mr. Kenneth L. Middleton
Mr. Edward P. Morris
Mr. Eddie Ray Wallace
Ms. Teddy R. Wilster
Ava Malloy Brackett
Ms. Elizabeth A. Britton
Professor Rhett S. Jones, Ph.D.
Mrs. Lynn Beaman Keys
Ms. Jacqueline A. Reed
Ms. Linda S. Ballard
Mrs. Beverly M. Guthrie
Ms. Vicky R. Jones
Dr. Charles J. Latos, Ph.D.
Pastor Melvin T. Lee
David Riddle, D.D.S.
Mr. James F. Wing, Jr.
Kirk A. Woodson, M.D.
Desiree Bennett Backstrom, M.D.
William C. Baker, M.D.
Mr. Leonard J. Davis
Ms. Valerie J. Drysdale
Mr. Musa Kalimullah
Mr. Charles J. Norwood
Ms. Dorothy Phillips Prude
Mr. Thomas W. Riggsbee
Mr. John F. Silva
Mr. Michael A. Slocum
Mr. Hugh L. Pearson
Ms. Cassandra R. Burrell
Mr. Ronald W. Chapman
Ms. Maureen D. Jackson
Mr. Frederick W. Love
Ms. Lori Murphy-Carter
Mr. Arthur D. Wright III
Mr. Erik L. Bond
Mr. Michael C. Frazier
Mr. Alan C. Howard
Ms. Makeda Milele
Mr. Cortland W. Waifer
Mr. Bernard G. Council
Dr. Isaac A. Harris, Jr., Ph.D.
1975
1975
1975
1975
1975
1975
1975
1975
1976
1976
1976
1976
1976
1977
1977
1977
1977
1977
1977
1977
1977
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1979
1980
1980
1980
1980
1980
1980
1981
1981
1981
1981
1981
1982
1982
Ms. Marie L. Irons
Mr. Roland O. Laird, Jr.
Ms. Alyson S. Perry
Ms. Robin L. Walker
Mr. Jurgen D. Cheston
Mr. Derek A. Jones
Ms. Tonita F. Lipscomb
Noreen M. Coachman, M.D.
Mr. Chester N. Crawford
Mr. Cedric B. Johnson
Mr. Andre M. Jones
Mr. Eaon A. Richardson
Mr. George L. Alleyne
Dr. Kris L. Douglas
Ms. Lisanne Paulin
Mr. Roger D. Parrish
Thaddeus M. Smith, Ph.D.
Mr. Melvin D. Lewis
Mr. Joseph R. Cordery
Ms. Iona Grace Harris
Mr. Kenneth P. James
Ms. Nicole I. Mason Esq.
Mr. Darryl Theirse
Mr. Edward M. Washburn
Arthur W. Chaney, M.D.
Ms. Michele A. Roach
Dr. Lynnéa Y. Stephen
Donald A. Randolph, Jr., M.D.
Mr. Reginald Shepherd
Mr. Tronn D. Carson
Jimmie D. Clark, M.D.
Ms. Nadgia B. James
Ms. JoAnne K. Johnson
Mr. Iran A. Bachman
Mr. Gabriel B. Stepto
Ms. Brienin N. Bryant
Mr. Gregory G. Parker
Mr. David S. Neale
Ms. Candace M. Batts
Mr. Kolajo P. Afolabi
Ms. Joanne M. Leavy
Ms. Arin J. Adams
Ms. Danielle A. Dunlap
Mr. Matthew E. Strickland
Ms. Laura N. Kibuuka
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32. CELEBRATE DIVERSITY with the Brown Alumni Association’s
MULTICULTURAL ALUMNI COMMITTEE
MAC welcomes alumni back for
the 2013 Black Alumni Reunion!
The Multicultural Alumni Committee of the Brown Alumni Association
(MAC) is pleased to welcome you to campus and wishes you a rich and
fulfilling experience at the 2013 Black Alumni Reunion.
MAC is a standing committee of the Brown Alumni Association (BAA)
Board of Governors. MAC represents the voices of alumni of color, and
serves as an advisory committee to the BAA Board. We proudly support
initiatives like the Black Alumni Reunion that celebrate the diversity of
the Brown community, including MAC/BAA-affiliated alumni groups:




Asian/Asian American Alumni Alliance (A4)
Brown Transgender, Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae
(Brown TBGALA)
Brown University Latino Alumni Council (BULAC)
Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC)
Visit alumni.brown.edu/diversity to learn more and find out how to
stay in touch!

33. Since 1970 Rites and Reason has developed and produced
over 100 plays ranging in subject matter from the black
solider in the Revolutionary War, to the roles of ArmenianAmerican women, to the practice of ancient Chinese foot
binding, championing the multidisciplinary approach to
theatre arts. It is anchored in tradition and heritage yet
embraces innovation and the fresh ideas that come with
changing times.
A Collaborative Beginning
In 1974, Afro-American Studies and
Rites and Reason Theatre informally
united when the founding Artistic
Director of Rites and Reason and the
Director of Afro-American Studies
joined with 15 Brown undergraduates
(six white, nine black) in a Group
Independent Study Project (GISP).
GISPs enable students with a shared
interest to work with faculty to direct
their study. The professors agreed to
teach GISP 21, “Race Relations in
Providence, 1920-1940,” which, for the
first time, brought the results of student
research to the stage of Rites and
Reason.
A research and developmental theatre, Rites and Reason
employs its unique Research-to-Performance Method (RPM)
of play development. RPM is a rational and systematic
process that organizes teams of artists and scholars in the
development of new plays. Combining artists’ ideas and
scholars’ research, these teams typically begin a dialogue
with each other over a body of research. In most cases, the
scholar prepares a brief written statement on the research
which is discussed with the playwright. The playwright then prepares an overview of the
play based on a reading of the research. The playwright revises the work and the dialogue
continues. Other artists, scholars, students, and community members are often invited to
participate in the discussions. Through these discussions the research moves from
readings, to workshops, and finally to a full production.
The Ruth J. Simmons Africana Studies Endowed Fund
With broad and significant support from across the Brown alumni community, The Ruth J.
Simmons Africana Studies Endowed Fund was established in May 2012. The Fund
supports the various initiatives of the Department of Africana Studies.
The Department of Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary intellectual center for students,
faculty, artists, and scholars interested in the artistic, historical, literary, and theoretical
expressions of Africa and the African Diaspora. It houses scholars in the fields of history,
literature, philosophy, religious studies, political theory, performance studies, feminist
studies, and cultural studies.
Page | 31

34. The Department's Rites and Reason Theatre develops new plays by students and faculty.
Africana Studies sponsors symposia, lectures, debates, a bi-annual film festival, and regular
colloquia on African and African Diaspora writing. The faculty is also at the hub of a global
collaboration projects.
Your gift to this Fund will help support the activities of the department, including Rites and
Reason Theatre. The endowment will also fund visiting scholars and artists and support
program enhancements that will benefit the entire Brown community.
Visit the website below to make your gift to the Endowed Fund:
www.giving.brown.edu/initiatives/aoci/africana
Department of Africana Studies
Brown University
Box 1904
155 Angell Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3137
www.brown.edu/Departments/Africana_Studies/rites_reason
Page | 32

35. The Department of Africana Studies’ Rites and Reason Theatre presents
an INVITATION to the
NIGHTMARE YEARS
a musical drama
Written and directed by
Original score by
Elmo Terry-Morgan
Dr. Clarice LaVerne Thompson
Thursday, October 17 through George Houston Bass
Saturday, October 19 at 7PM Performing Arts Space
Brown University, Churchill House
155 Angell Street
Sunday, October 20 at 3PM
with post play FolkThought discussion
Providence, Rhode Island
http://brown.edu/Departments/Africana_Studies/events • 401-863-3137 Africana_Studies@Brown.edu

36. The Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA) is an
interdisciplinary campus-wide hub for generative ideas, public conversation, creative
expression and engaged scholarship on race and ethnicity in America. We also encourage
and support research on indigenous people, new immigrant and racial groups as well as
transnational issues as they pertain to race and ethnicity.
A core component of CSREA is enabling faculty and advanced students in the development
of cutting edge, collaborative intellectual work. Toward this end, CSREA has launched
“What I am Thinking About Now,” an on-going informal workshop/seminar series to which
faculty and graduate students are invited to present and discuss recently published work
and work in progress. We also initiated the CSREA Research Grants Program. This
program awards up to $3,500 for semester long collaborative research projects led by
faculty from departments across the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences who are
developing or share an existing inter-, multi- or trans-disciplinary research project.
On September 17, we hosted our inaugural event: a community forum titled “Where Do We
Go From Here?: After Trayvon,” led by a panel of nationally recognized activist-leaders and
students. On September 24, we opened an exhibit of artworks from CultureStr/ke, a national
network of professional and emerging artists whose mission is to advance progressive
change in immigration through cultural organizing.
CSREA is excited to be a hub at Brown and beyond for the study and reflection on race and
ethnicity in America. Prioritizing race and ethnicity as core research areas across various
disciplines enables and intensifies our ability to develop new ideas, raise new questions and
hopefully generate more useful answers.
We encourage alumni involvement! Please visit our website to join our mailing list and
offer program suggestions: www.brown.edu/race
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF RACE + ETHNICITY IN AMERICA
Box 2032, Providence, RI 02912
401-863-5775
csrea@brown.edu
Page | 34

37. The Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ) is a scholarly research center
with a public educational mission.
Recognizing that racial and chattel slavery were central to
the historical formation of the Americas, the CSSJ will
create a space for the interdisciplinary study of:
• historical forms of slavery
• how the legacies of slavery shape our contemporary world
• contemporary forms of human bondage
To further this study, CSSJ will establish research programs designed to foster deeper
understandings about the issues of justice, human rights, and freedom today.
We are dedicated to a policy of global public engagement on the issues of slavery, human
bondage, and justice. In order to explore these issues we will:
• convene public forums
• intervene in national and international debates
• develop collaborative partnerships of research and activities with scholars, activists,
individuals, and institutions committed to these issues
• hold conferences and workshops around these issues
The Center developed out of recommendations of the Steering Committee on Slavery and
Justice. During the Center’s inaugural year of programming in 2012–13 we introduced a
robust interdisciplinary series of programs which both examined Brown University’s
complex historical relationship with slavery and the contemporary legacies of slavery around
the world. The Center hopes to continue to provide a structure through which students,
scholars, and community members can create innovative connections and meaningful
discourse.
Through films, lectures, music programs, public exhibitions, conferences, and workshops,
CSSJ seeks to weave the past, present, and future perspectives on historical forms of
Page | 35

38. slavery and the contemporary search for justice and create a space for ongoing dialogue
surrounding these issues.
History of CSSJ
In 2003, the then President of Brown University Dr. Ruth Simmons
appointed a Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice (SCSJ) to
explore Brown’s historical relationship to slavery and the transatlantic
slave trade. The SCSJ devoted three years to this task, uncovering,
documenting, and discussing Brown’s history and relationship to
American slavery and the African slave trade. The SCSJ also sponsored
many events that helped Brown and the Providence community reflects
on this history, and the then national debate about reparations for slavery.
The SCSJ’s final report includes a set of recommendations by which Brown could publicly
acknowledge this history and promote ongoing consideration of issues related to slavery
and justice. One major recommendation was the establishment of a Center for the Study of
Slavery and Justice (CSSJ). CSSJ was formally established during the 2012–2013
academic year.
Contact Us
At the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice we are interested in collaborative
programming, and providing a space to respond to
issues important to you. Please share your
feedback from previous events, or ideas for new
programming.
Alumnae Hall
194 Meeting Street
Providence, RI 02912
Phone: 401-863-5085
Email: slaveryjustice@brown.edu
www.brown.edu/slaveryandjustice
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39. The Third World Center was established in 1976 in response to student protests in 1968
and 1975. Although “Third World” may have negative socioeconomic associations, Brown
students continue to use the term in the context originating from the Civil Rights Movement.
MISSION
The Third World Center seeks to provide students at Brown University a variety of
opportunities to engage in the academic endeavors of the University and to integrate their
curricular and co-curricular interests. Accordingly, the Center’s mission is fourfold:
1. To provide an environment in which students of color and their allies can feel comfortable
exploring, expressing, and celebrating their cultural heritages;
2. To provide a base from which Third World students can have an impact as a community
at Brown;
3. To expand the social awareness of the University community with regards to current
issues involving the status of Third World people at Brown University and in society at large;
and
4. To equip students with life-long skills to aid them as they navigate their journey at Brown
and beyond.
The overarching purpose of the Center is to make significant contributions to the personal
and intellectual growth of students at Brown.
SIGNATURE PROGRAMS
The TWC promotes learning opportunities for social justice education, community building,
and leadership development through programs such as the Third World Transition Program
(TWTP), Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) program, heritage series, and student initiatives.
Third World Transition Program
The Third World Transition Program is the TWC’s premier pre-orientation program that
began in 1969. Over the four-day experience, participants meet other students, are
introduced to campus resources, and engage in learning activities that promote selfreflection, identity exploration, and critical discourse.
Minority Peer Counselors
The MPC Program started in 1973, when a group of black upperclass students volunteered
their services to provide new black students with academic support while building a sense of
Page | 37

40. community, tradition, and strength. This program has evolved over the decades to include
mentors from other communities of color. Today, MPCs help build a stronger community
among first-year students within the residence halls. They also conduct workshops, provide
an academic and cultural referral network within and across residence halls, and promote
consciousness of cross-cultural issues.
Co-Curricular Initiatives
The TWC hosts five programming series: Asian American Heritage Series, Black Heritage
Series, Latino Heritage Series, Multiracial Heritage Series, and Native American Heritage
Series. Additionally, the Center supports the Asian American Student Initiative, Black
Student Initiative, Latino Student Initiative, First-Gen Initiative, $ocial Classmates (student
organization that raises awareness, fosters dialogue and takes action on issues pertaining
to social class disparities and classism in the student body), and The Next Thing (a
confidential support group for LGBTQ students of color).
TWC’S LEGACY MOVING FORWARD
The Third World Center will soon celebrate 40 years of student activism among
communities of color. To identify the most pressing needs of current students while setting a
vision for the future, the Center completed an extensive program review - which included a
self-study and external evaluation - to highlight the Center’s strengths, areas of
improvement, and programming opportunities. The next task is to have in-depth
conversations with different members of the campus community about the mission, focus,
and strategic plan of the TWC in 2013 and going forward; a name will come out of those
discussions about mission. More information about the strategic planning process can be
found at www.brown.edu/twc.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Third World Center
Brown University
Box 1871
68 Brown St.
Providence, RI 02912
Phone (401) 863-2120
Fax (401) 863-1184
TWC@brown.edu
Like us on Facebook: Third World Center (TWC)
Page | 38

41. For nearly two decades, the Annenberg Institute has hewed to a single mission: to develop,
share, and act on knowledge that improves the conditions and outcomes of schooling in
America, especially in urban communities and in schools serving disadvantaged children.
We adopted that mission because our abiding concern for equity demanded a focus on
urban schools and communities, where inequities in opportunities and results remain
unacceptable.
Since that time, we have seen many improvements in urban education, and the Institute is
proud of whatever small role we have played in some of them . However, we know the job is
incomplete. While many urban school districts can justly claim that their students have
attained basic-level knowledge and skills, no large urban district can say that all of its
students have developed the abilities they will need to be effective citizens in a complex,
diverse society or workers in a global, creative economy.
We know that schools alone cannot ensure that all students have the resources and
supports they need to reach that level. Districts, in partnership with community agencies
and organizations, need to provide a comprehensive web of learning support. We call this
type of partnership a “smart education system.” Our work is focused on defining such a
system and assisting communities in developing and strengthening their systems. We do so
while adhering to our core principles.
Districts and Communities
A smart education system is built on three pillars: schools, districts, and communities. The
importance of schools is obvious, and fortunately, there are many organizations, including
many with which we partner, that provide resources and supports to strengthen instruction
and learning in classrooms.
We have chosen to concentrate on the areas that match our expertise and experience:
districts and communities. In 2000, the Institute formed a national task force to examine the
role of urban districts. At the time, districts were seldom considered vital to educational
improvement, except as a source of problems. But the task force concluded that redesigned
districts are essential to ensuring results and equity, and it outlined a vision for a district that
could support students and schools effectively.
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42. The task force’s conclusions have informed much of our work since then. We currently work
with districts to build their capacity to support schools and students, and are developing and
testing an array of tools to support them in those efforts.
Similarly, we work to build local capacity and develop supporting tools to enable community
organizations to provide pressure and support for educational improvement. Community
organizing and engagement has been a hallmark of the Institute’s agenda since the 1990s,
when the Institute supported the eighteen Annenberg Challenge sites. Our work in this area
was strengthened substantially in 2006, when the New York City-based Community
Involvement Program joined the Institute and augmented our expertise and capacity. With
them we have continued to work on building community engagement in New York, and have
expanded our engagement work in other cities. In 2011, the Institute launched a major
national initiative, the Center for Education Organizing, that provides research, policy
analysis, and alliance-building support to individual groups and national networks engaged
in education reform.
We are engaged in building smart education systems in a number of cities throughout the
country. Yet we are also committed to upholding our values at home, both as a member of
the Brown University community and as a citizen of Providence and Rhode Island.
At Brown, we are helping to prepare the next generation of urban education leaders through
the Urban Education Policy master’s program. In Providence, we are providing research
and technical assistance support to the mayor’s Children and Youth Cabinet in its schoolimprovement efforts.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Brown University
383 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903-2923
Telephone: 401.863.7990
AISR_info@brown.edu
www.annenberginstitute.org
Page | 40

43. As you may know, the Brown School of Engineering is undergoing an unprecedented growth campaign
which includes new faculty in cutting-edge research areas, growth of master's programs, and planning for a
new high-tech facility on College Hill.
A major component to all of this positive growth is accessibility of the engineering program to students, and
with that in mind the School is committed to growing and supporting all student organizations.
A specific targeted effort is taking place to foster the growth of the National Society of Black Engineers
(NSBE) to ensure that membership is supported and a close integration with the School of Engineering's
growth plan exists. The School is committed to working closely with NSBE to expand and support
membership, increase ties with alumni, and solidify collaborative relationships with other student
organizations in order to provide NSBE students with the best possible networking and create a strong
presence at the School. Help with mentoring, networking, events (speakers, job talks), and graduate
diversity fellowships are also key areas we would like to see grow in the coming years.
Diversity is a vital component of any university. Exposure to a broad range of perspectives, views and
outlooks is key to fostering both breadth and depth in intellectual discovery and furthering research.
The School of Engineering seeks to promote diversity, inclusion and fair treatment of all members of the
community.
In a time when the importance of geographic boundaries has been virtuallyeliminated by emerging
technology, the importance of diversity and the understanding of different perspectives play a key role in
the functioning of our society.
Brown University is founded on the ideals of academic inclusiveness and the benefits of a liberal education.
These principles are held strongly at the School of Engineering, where this philosophy has developed into a
culture of multidisciplinarity that crosses many intellectual boundaries. The School of Engineering's success
through creative and collaborative approaches are a testament to the benefits of inclusion and working with
a variety of diverse perspectives.
Diversity is therefore a foundational element, which facilitates our educational and research goals, and the
School is keenly aware of how enhancing historically under-represented populations in our engineering
community furthers achievement of these goals.
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44. We acknowledge the challenges and the opportunities of achieving diversity, particularly in the fields of
engineering, which is why the School is strongly committed to developing these efforts at both the graduate
and undergraduate levels.
Outreach to under-represented populations for admissions, as well as efforts to engage students through
student organizations and support/retention programs are a priority for the School.
Many new initiatives are planned in these areas for the near future, and those with new ideas or support for
our efforts should contact Associate Dean Robert Rome for further discussion and brainstorming:
Robert Rome
Associate Dean for Organizational Development and Planning
School of Engineering
Brown University
Box D, 184 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02912
401-863-1433
robert_rome@brown.edu
www.brown.edu/academics/engineering
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45. Founded in 1975, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest studentgoverned organizations in the country. With over 394 College, Pre- College, and Professional chapters in
the United States and abroad, NSBE has, accomplished more for Black engineering students than any
other organization in the world. The mission of NSBE is “to increase the number of culturally responsible
black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact their communities.”
The Brown University chapter of NSBE aspires to follow the main mission of NSBE while furthering our
members’ pursuits in engineering. This year, our chapter aims to have a resurgence within the Brown
community with the hopes of becoming one of the leading Black professional groups on campus. The long
term goal of the chapter is to increase the number of Black graduates from Brown University in the fields of
science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M.). We are excited about what this year brings forward
and we look forward to leaving a legacy for future generations of Black Brunonians.
The primary long term aim of the NSBE chapter at Brown is to increase the number of students that
graduate with degrees in engineering. To achieve this goal, the chapter has outlined the following steps:
1: To provide a support group for students of color in Engineering
Some students of color – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – who major in engineering
are often discouraged when they encounter the challenges related to engineering. Our NSBE chapter
should be there to support these students by demonstrating that it is possible to bridge those gaps and
excel in fields of engineering.
2: To create a network within and outside the Black at Brown community of engineering
This network would consist of undergrads, graduates, and alumni of the Brown community. This network
will be important in achieving the long-term goals because it helps to build a network within the Brown
community to promote collaboration within all fields of engineering.
3: To introduce black students to career opportunities within the field of engineering
Possibly the greatest benefit of being a part of NSBE is providing the opportunity for students to see what
career paths are possible with a degree in engineering. It is important for NSBE chapter members to travel
to the NSBE conferences to seek internship and employment opportunities.
Questions, comments or suggestions can be directed to NSBE Chapter President
Godwin Tsado ’16 at godwin_tsado@brown.edu.
Page | 43

46. PANELISTS, SPEAKERS AND HONOREES
Bernicestine McLeod Bailey ’68, P’99, P’03 | Moderator/AOCI CoChair
Bernicestine McLeod Bailey is president of McLeod Associates, Inc., an
information technology consulting firm that specializes in performance
management and business intelligence software applications. For 12
years prior to forming McLeod Associates in 1981, she was a Systems
Engineer at IBM. In addition, she is currently actively involved as a Vice
President of Aisha & Co LLC, a family business specializing in the
stationery, gift, and toy industries with the Ishababies ® product line. Ms.
McLeod Bailey was elected to the Brown Corporation (the Board of Trustees) in 2001 and is currently a
Trustee Emerita. She has been involved at Brown most recently as a Vice Chair of the Campaign for
Academic Enrichment, specifically the Alumni of Color Initiative; a past chair of the President's Advisory
Council on Diversity; and chair of the Archives Committee of the Pembroke Associates Council.
Additionally, she has served as Class Treasurer; co-founder, the Investment in Diversity Fund; co-founder,
Third World Alumni Network; member, Parents Council; member and co-chair of several Reunion Gift
Committees; board member, Friends of the Library; member, Third World Alumni Activities Committee; and
she has participated in numerous on-campus forums and seminars. She was an initial recipient of the
Brown Alumni Service Award and received the Brown Bear award for sustained alumni service in 2007.
Harold Bailey , Jr. ’70 LHD’95 hon., P’99, P’03 | Moderator/AOCI CoChair
Since his days as a student leader and athlete, Harold Bailey has been
committed to making Brown a better place. As an early chair of the BAA’s
Minority Affairs Committee and later as secretary of the BAA, Bailey
worked successfully to increase the numbers of alumni of color involved in
student recruitment, local programming and reunion activities. Mr. Bailey
served as the co-chair of IPC’s Black Matriculation Campaign that
facilitated alumni calling prospective Brown students. He is also one of the
Vice Chairs for the Alumni of Color Campaign Committee. Mr. Bailey is a trustee emeritus and holds an
honorary Ph.D. from Brown University.
Page | 44

47. Karen Baxter | Moderator
Before coming to Rites & Reason, Baxter was the executive director of
the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop (FSWW), one of the oldest Harlembased playwrights' laboratories. As Producer/Managing Director at Rites
& Reason, Baxter produces all of the season's productions and
programs. These have included film/stage-veteran Ossie Davis' Sybil,
Mule Bone by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes (which was
presented on Broadway by Lincoln Center, NY) and The
Disappearance by award-winning novelist Rosa Guy, adapted and
directed by veteran actor Ruby Dee and Elmo Terry-Morgan (which was also produced at CrossRoads
Theatre, NJ); the RI, NC and CA tours of Heart to Heart: Ain’t Your Life Worth Saving?; Freshwater
Road by Denise Nicholas; The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza (fully produced at the Goodman
Theatre, Chicago and at the Fountain Theater, Los Angeles). Baxter also produces The Black Lavender
Experience – Theatre and Conversation Sparked by Queer Playwrights of Color; and the Africana Film
Festival. She studies the West African language, Bambara and works with the Trilateral Reconnections
Project, University of Cape Town, SA/Brown/University of the West Indies and Fitna Yellen, Mali. Baxter
also teaches a course, Art and Civic Engagement that explores public art, communities, social and cultural
identity, democracy and power structures.
Lydia Boddie-Rice ’76 | Moderator
Lydia Boddie-Rice is CEO of Young Audiences of Rochester and
President and Principal Creative of BoddieWORKS Outreach Consulting.
She retired in 2010 as Manager of Public Affairs at Rochester Gas and
Electric Corporation for fourteen years where she was primarily
responsible for managing Community and local Government Affairs and
the Company's Corporate Contributions program. A Rochester
community influencer, she also is the former Director of the Center at
High Falls and elected Commissioner of the Rochester City School
District’s Board of Education. She is or has been a member of an exhaustive list of boards and committees,
including, but not limited to Rochester Community Baseball and the Rochester Broadway Theater League.
She is also the Founder and Managing Director of Cross Currents Minority Rowing
(www.ccminorityrowing.com). Lydia holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a masters degree
from Rhode Island College. She also earned her K-12 teaching certification in art education from the Rhode
Island School of Design. She has received numerous honors and awards for her professional contributions
and expertise.
Page | 45

48. Sheila Bridges ’86 | Featured Author
Named "America's Best Interior Designer" by CNN and Time Magazine,
Sheila Bridges founded her own interior design firm in 1994. Sheila
Bridges Design, Inc is committed to creating high-end, interior spaces
that are thought-evoking and visually interesting while also comfortable
and livable. Ms. Bridges has designed residences and offices for many
prominent entertainers, entrepreneurs and business professionals
including the 8,300 square foot Harlem offices for former President Bill
Clinton and his staff. Sheila Bridges Design, Inc has also completed
projects at Columbia University and Princeton University, bringing Sheila's signature design aesthetic to
interior spaces at both of these prestigious academic institutions. Sheila has been a regular contributor on
NBC's Today Show, has appeared on Oprah and has been profiled in numerous national and international
publications including The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal; O, The Oprah Magazine; Martha
Stewart Living; and Ebony. Ms. Bridges was recently featured in the New York Times and will be signing
copies of her new book The Bald Mermaid: A Memoir on Saturday, October 19 at 2:00-3:30pm at the
Brown Bookstore and 3:45-4:15pm at Smith-Buonanno Hall Lobby.
Professor Anthony Bogues | Panelist
Professor Anthony Bogues is Harmon Family Professor of Africana
Studies, affiliated Professor of Political Science and Modern Culture and
Media, and Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at
Brown University. Created on recommendation of the '2006 Report of
the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice', the
new Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice will expand upon the
work of that committee, creating a space for student and faculty
research and public discussion of the history and legacies of these
issues. He recently co-curated a national exhibition of Haitian Art, Reframing Haiti: Art, History, and
Performativity. He is currently working on three major projects: a political/philosophical project on questions
of the human, freedom, human emancipation and the black intellectual tradition; co-curating a major
exhibition on Haitian art for 2014 in Paris and Cape Town, South Africa; and an intellectual/political
biography of Michael Manley and Jamaican postcolonial politics. Professor Bogues teaches courses on
subjects ranging from the Haitian Revolution, the complexities of African American political thought, and the
nature of freedom in the modern world to the relationship between critical political theory and the
imagination and on the relationship between history and literature in Caribbean novels.
Page | 46

49. Ed Brockenbrough ’95 | Panelist
Ed Brockenbrough is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Curriculum
at the University of Rochester’s Warner Graduate School of Education,
where he teaches courses on concepts and issues in social science
research, pre-service teacher preparation, and diversity and social justice
in American education. He is also the Director of the Urban Teaching and
Leadership Program, a Warner School initiative in partnership with the
Rochester City School District that prepares urban teachers with a
commitment to social justice. Professor Brockenbrough's research and
scholarly publications focus on negotiations of identity, pedagogy, and power in urban educational spaces,
with particular attention to black, masculinity, and queer issues in education. He is currently publishing
findings from his critical ethnography on the identities and educational experiences of LGBT youth of color,
with an emphasis on youth agency in the midst of multiple systems of oppression. Professor
Brockenbrough is also the former president of the board of directors of the MOCHA Center, a nonprofit
agency that addresses health disparities affecting LGBT communities of color.
Chell Burke ’15 | Panelist
Chell Burke is a junior from Brooklyn, New York City and is currently on
the pre-med track studying Neuroscience and intending to double
concentrate in Community Health. She hopes to fuse her two interests by
pursuing her MD degree and becoming an activist for persons living
without (quality) health care. She has served as a mentor to students of
various programs for 7 years and continues to pursue her vision of
shaping the next generation through her knowledge and experiences even
today. Ms. Burke has served as president of The League of United Black
Women, executive board member of the Black Student Union and is currently a Black Heritage Series
programmer while maintaining a presence in various groups on campus. Outside of her academic and
extracurricular interests, writing poetry, choreographing dances for her dance team and playing the piano.
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50. Angel Byrd, MD/PhD Candidate | Featured Student Speaker
Dedicated, passionate and energetic, M.D./Ph.D. student Angel Byrd has
earned many accolades and research opportunities. But she only recently
won a young scientist’s most coveted prize: publication as lead author of a
paper highly esteemed by her colleagues. As an undergrad at Tougaloo
College she earned the opportunity to do summer research in China on
gene expression and was named a Leadership Alliance scholar. Later at
Brown she earned a research internship at drug giant Eli Lilly, and has
piled up awards for research posters. After she won a coveted United
Negro College Fund/Merck Graduate Fellowship in 2011, she sparkled on televisions around the country in
a segment featuring her on BET. But it was not until recently that she could experience the pride — and
relief — of flipping open the Journal of Immunology to see her name as lead author not only of a paper, but
a paper the editors featured as one of the “top 10 percent” of the papers they publish. What Byrd found,
along with co-authors, are the exact conditions and molecular means that trigger the body’s response to the
invading Candida albicans. The fungus kills about 10,000 people in the United States each year,
particularly babies, HIV patients, and others with weak immune systems.
Dorothy Clark ’75 | Moderator
Dorothy Clark recently retired from the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke
University where she served as Deputy Director for Operations. After
leaving that post, she started Bull City Tax Service which focuses on
providing services to the arts community and small businesses. She is
also a full time student in Duke Divinity School. She makes her home in
Durham, NC and, when time permits, still performs on stage. Dorothy is a
founding member of 20/20 Sisters of Vision, a Giving Circle and member
of the Community Investment Network.
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51. James Clemmons ’14 | Panelist
James Clemmons, a native of a Columbus, Georgia, stands currently as a
senior at Brown University concentrating in Economics. Beyond being
academically devoted, James partakes in multiple extracurricular activities
which include The Brotherhood, Imani Jubilee, Residential Life, Ivy
Council, and Brown Student Agencies. He is a leader on campus serving
as Co-President of the Brotherhood and a Community Adviser for the
Office of Residential Life.
Justin Coles ’11 | Moderator
Justin Coles, a Philadelphia native, graduated from Brown University with
a dual concentration in Political Science and Education Studies. The
majority of Mr. Coles's academics as an undergraduate focused on the
intersections of politics and urban education in America. While at Brown,
Mr. Coles spent a large amount of his time working with the Black
community, primarily as an officer for O.U.A.P., recently renamed the
Black Student Union. Mr. Coles also spent time as a tour guide for the
Bruin Club, a Minority Peer Counselor, and a secretary at Advising Central
for the Dean of the College programming. Immediately after leaving Providence, he returned to
Philadelphia where he taught 8th grade literature as a Teach For America corps member. Mr. Coles is
currently a doctoral student at Michigan State University’s College of Education, in the Curriculum and
Instruction department with a focus on Race, Culture, and Equity.
Adom Crew ’04 | Panelist
Dr. Adom Crew is a graduate of the Class of 2004 and currently resides in
New York, NY. While at Brown, Adom was a member of the Men’s Soccer
Team, where he earned Ivy League Player of the Year and All-American
accolades during his senior season. After receiving his Business
Economics degree at Brown, Dr. Crew continued his studies at New York
University College of Dentistry, graduating in 2009 with high honors.
Currently a practicing dentist in Queens, NY, Dr. Crew has earned a
Fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantology and is back
at NYU part-time completing additional certification in Implant Dentistry. Outside of work, Dr. Crew serves
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