Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the Heart & Soul’s Chief Executive Officer, Clarence Brown, '76. As the CEO he is responsible for the growth and expansion of the 21-year-old brand to ensure its continued growth, success, and return on shareholder investment. After graduating from Colgate University, he worked with Time magazine for 12 years and worked with Black Entertainment Television (BET) for 13 years. As Vice President of Operations and Associate Publisher for the BET Publishing Group, he was responsible for the launch of 3 magazines and managed a 15-million-dollar budget for Emerge, Young Sisters and Brothers and BET Weekend magazines. He was instrumental in the structure and content for the launch of MSBET, a joint venture web site for BET and Microsoft that eventually became BET.com.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the mental health expert, Carla Beckford. '88. After graduating from Colgate University, she continued her graduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University where she focused on becoming an educator. Returning to her initial focus on mental health, she went on to graduate from the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at Columbia and completed post-doctoral work in the educational, psychological, and neuropsychological assessment of learning disabilities, she continues to focus on the needs of youth in underserved areas and the disproportionate numbers in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. She now conducts forensic assessments in NY Courts and teaches as adjunct faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the Amherst College Counseling Center’s Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Training, Darien McFadden. '88. Darien received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his doctoral internship at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Center for Counseling and Psychological Health. While at Colgate, Darien was a co-founder of the Prism, a Residential Advisor for two years, and majored in psychology and English Literature.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the elected official, educator, and entrepreneur, Jacqueline Colon Hernandez, '96. The Owner and Director of The Ark of Learning Childcare Center, Jacqueline has 20 years of experience as an educator. She has dedicated her professional life to meeting the developmental, social, and spiritual needs of children. While at Colgate, Jackie was the President of LASO and majored in Psychology.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the strategy and operations consultant, Yvonne Gyimah, '01. Yvonne has over 15 years of experience across multiple industries and fields. She has been heavily involved with Colgate since graduation. She has served on the Board of Trustees, Alumni Council, and been co-chair for the Alumni of Color. While at Colgate, Yvonne was on the soccer team for four years and majored in Sociology and Anthropology.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the entrepreneur and real estate developer, Steven Williams. '91. Steve has been in urban planning and development for over 25 years. He has been involved the execution and coordination of development projects from concept to completion. While at Colgate, Steve was a running back for four years on the football team and majored in Political Science.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the owner operator of Naturally Made, Shirene D. Brown. '91. Shirene has been an entrepreneur since she started baking bread at 10. Her joy in life is seeing herself and others happy. She believes in talking health, wellness and happiness to every person she meets. Along with creating healthy drinks and skincare products, Shirene is a jewelry designer, custom t-shirt designer, custom t-shirt cutter, a farmer, a chef at heart and someone open to creating new things. While at Colgate, Shirene served as a leader in AASA graduated with a major in SoAn, minoring in African American Studies

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with Pharmavite’s Director of Talent, Inclusion and Belonging, Kiwanda Stansbury. '00. Kiwanda loves creating connections between Business Objectives and Human Capital. She promote achievement of goals, positive work experiences and successful team collaboration.. While at Colgate, Kiwanda founded S.O.R.T. (Sisters of the Roundtable) and graduated with a BA in Philosophy.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with Nardin Acadmey’s Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Opportunity, Kendra Brim. '11. Kendra also owns a consulting company, K. Savannah Consulting, and co-hosts the podcast, Black Gems Dive In Podcast. While at Colgate, Kendra played basketball and graduated with a BA in Political Science. Listen as she shares her story and fierce passion for ensuring equitable treatment and inclusive environments.

Alvin and German conduct a great conversation with the Colgate Trustee Emeritus, Maroon Citation and Brian Little Award winner, Mr. Leroy Cody. '71. Leroy is now retired after a distinguished career of more than 40 years on Wall Street. Believing that it was very important for today’s communities of color to leave tangible evidence of our presence in this moment for future generations, he has supported AOC leadership’s efforts to establish an endowment to provide funding in perpetuity to support programming dedicated to students of color. At Colgate Leroy was active in the Association of Black Collegians, was a DJ on WRCU, served on the Student Judiciary Board and was the first manager of the dining hall in the Black Cultural Center.