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Founded by Brown University in 1992, The Leadership Alliance is a consortium of thirty-seven leading research and teaching colleges, universities, and private industry dedicated to increasing the participation of underrepresented and underserved students in Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. training programs. The Alliance has mentored over 6,000 undergraduates with more than 1000 of the summer program alumni, known as the Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholars, earning advanced degrees.

The Leadership Alliance was founded on the principle that promoting and advancing underrepresented talent in research produces a more equitable research workforce and society. By catalyzing a culture of belonging, fostering mentorship, and acknowledging intersectionality, The Leadership Alliance is a change agent that promotes and contributes to the national discourse on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the research workforce.

Prelude Dinner to The Presidential Forum

The Salamander Hotel Washington, D.C.

Thursday April 18, 2024


6:30 p.m.

The Leadership Alliance 2024 Presidential Forum

Friday, April 19, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts
2700 F St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20566

 

Featuring two-panel discussions:

“The Future Landscape of Academic Diversity: Navigating the “New Normal”

and

“Celebrating Our Doctoral Scholars: The New Generation of Leaders and Role Models in  Academia, Public and Private Sectors”

With a special public session from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

The Leadership Alliance Presents a Fireside Chat with Dr. Clarence B. Jones and Brown University President Christina H. Paxson

Headshot of Dr. Clarence B. Jones
Clarence B . Jones, Ph.D.

Dr. Clarence B. Jones served as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and draft speechwriter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1960 until Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April...

President Christina Paxson, Brown University
Christina H. Paxson, Ph.D.

Christina Hull Paxson has served as Brown University’s 19th president and professor of economics and public policy since July 1, 2012.

Under Paxson’s leadership, Brown has fortified its standing as a...

head shot Taiese Bingham-Hickman
Taiese Bingham-Hickman, M.S., MBA, Ph.D.

Dr. Bingham-Hickman embodies this mission as an alumna of the Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) and a Leadership Alliance member institution. After participating in the SR-EIP...

Roundtable 1:
The Future Landscape of Academic Diversity: Navigating the “New Normal”
Dr. Rochelle Ford Headshot
Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR

Possessing a robust résumé in higher education administration, President Ford has earned a stellar reputation as a hands-on, transformative leader. Since arriving at Dillard on July 1, 2022, she has...

Camille Burge Hicks headshot
Camille Burge-Hicks, Ph.D.

Camille Burge-Hicks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Villanova University where she also serves as Department Chair. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bethune-Cookman...

headshot sylvia carey butler
Sylvia R. Carey-Butler, Ph.D.

Dr. Sylvia R. Carey-Butler is Brown University’s Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity. She began in July 2021. She previously served as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for...

Robert Patterson headshot
Robert Patterson, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert J. Patterson is a professor of African American Studies and served as the inaugural chair of the Department of African American Studies at Georgetown University (2016-2019). He is the author...

Elizabeth Rule headshot
Elizabeth Rule, PhD

Elizabeth Rule, PhD (enrolled citizen, Chickasaw Nation) is a writer, public scholar, policymaker, and advocate for Indigenous communities. Dr. Rule was appointed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s Executive Chamber in 2023...

Headshot JT Saunders
John T. Saunders, III, M.S.

John “JT” Saunders serves as Korn Ferry’s Chief Diversity Officer. He is an accomplished leadership consultant, facilitator and coach who has spent most of his professional career supporting diverse and...

Damon Williams Headshot
Damon L. Williams, Jr., M.B.A.

Damon L. Williams, Jr., M.B.A., serves as the Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff for Institutional Diversity at the University of Kentucky. In this role, he is responsible for diversity,...

Dr. David Wilson Headshot
David Kwabena Wilson, Ph.D.

David Kwabena Wilson, Ed.D., is the 10th inaugurated president of Morgan State University—Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University. For more than a decade, Dr. Wilson has not only been a...

Roundtable 2:

Celebrating Our Doctoral Scholars: The New  Generation of Leaders and Role Models in  Academia, Public and Private Sectors

headshot Sian Beilock
Sian Beilock, Ph.D.

Sian Beilock is the 19th president of Dartmouth College. She is the first woman to have been elected president of Dartmouth by the Board of Trustees and began her tenure on June...

Dr. Kafui Dzirasa headshot
Kafui Dzirasa, MD, Ph.D.

Kafui Dzirasa completed a PhD in Neurobiology at Duke University. His research interests focus on understanding how changes in the brain produce neurological and mental illness, and his graduate work has led...

headshot kenneth gibbs
Kenneth Gibbs, Jr. Ph.D.

Kenneth (Kenny) Gibbs, Jr., Ph.D., is Chief of the Undergraduate and Predoctoral Cross-Disciplinary Training Branch within the Division of Training, Workforce Development and Diversity (TWD) at the National Institute of...

Gerald Lopez Headshot
Gerald Lopez, Ph.D.

Dr. Gerald Lopez is the Director of Operations and Business Development and the inaugural Center Associate Director at the University of Pennsylvania Singh Center for Nanotechnology, a nationally recognized center...

Headshot Jasmine McDonald
Jasmine McDonald, Ph.D.

Jasmine McDonald, an Assistant Professor in Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology, embodies excellence in education, research, and community engagement. Her journey began with a Bachelor of Science...

headshot chanelle truscott
Cristal Chanelle Truscott, Ph.D.

Cristal Chanelle Truscott, PhD is a culture worker, scholar, educator, playwright, director, founder of the touring ensemble Progress Theatre and creator of “SoulWork” – a generative method for making performance,...

headshot shanta whitaker
Shanta Whitaker, Ph.D.

Dr. Whitaker is a managing director of Continuum Health Group, a public health and health disparities policy firm based in Washington, DC. She is also a senior vice president in the...

Glory
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Performers
Black Lodge Singers
Black Lodge Singers

Blacklodge is a 9-time Grammy Nominee based out of White Swan, Washington on the Yakama Reservation. The group was formed in late 1980 by Kenny Scabbyrobe with wife Louise and...

group shot dillard ladies ensemble
The Dillard University Female Ensemble

The Dillard University Female Ensemble consists of 12 ladies from across the United States with diverse majors.  The Ensemble is sought after to perform throughout the university, the New Orleans community,...

dillard university theater actors on stage
Dillard University Theater

In September of 1935, Sheppard Randolph Edmonds instituted the first HBCU Theatre Arts Program in the United States at Dillard University in New Orleans. The following year, he established NASDA (National Association...

admin building howard university campus
Howard University Jazz Ensemble (HUJE)

The Howard University Jazz Ensemble (HUJE) was founded in 1975 by its director, Fred Irby, III. Outstanding performances in the United States, Europe, South and Central America, China, Japan, Africa...

logo semilla cultural
Semilla Cultural

Semilla Cultural is a non-profit organization developing and cultivating a community that embraces Puerto Rican culture and arts in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. They focus on raising...

dancers posing
The Gallaudet Dance Company

The Gallaudet Dance Company, founded in 1955, is a performing group of Deaf and hard of hearing dancers. All members of the company are undergraduate or graduate students at Gallaudet...

choir director in front choir in back
The Morgan State University Choir

The Morgan State University Choir is one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles. The choral forces of this critically acclaimed choir include The University Choir, which is over...

Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholars & Alumni
headshot Teresa Ramirez
Teresa Ramírez, Ph.D.
Hotel Accommodations

A block of rooms has been reserved at The Watergate Hotel for April 18 and 19 at a rate of $309. Click the button below to reserve your room.

The deadline to make reservations is March 26. 

Getting to The Kennedy Center

 

The Kennedy Center is located at 2700 F St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20566.

  • It is accessible by Metro (via the subway and bus lines), by taxi, and by car.
  • If you are driving, use this link to refer to the directions to find the most efficient route for getting to the Center.
  • You can find information on garage hours, fees, and accessibility at Parking at the Kennedy Center.
  • Please Note: Online pre-paid parking must be purchased at least one day in advance. Otherwise, parking is offered at the gate on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Always remember to allow extra time when driving as Washington traffic can be unpredictable.
  • More information is available on the Kennedy Center website if you are using other means of travel.
Support The Leadership Alliance National Symposium

The Leadership Alliance National Symposium provides a platform to over 500 undergraduate student researchers that are part of the Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program to present their summer research. Please consider donating to this important initiative in support of promoting critical professional development opportunities for young scholars. 

Learn More

View The LANS 2023 Program Book

The Leadership Alliance Presidential Forum 2016