Join Freeman for Black Alumni Weekend

The A. B. Freeman School of Business Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is proud to partner with Tulane University’s Office of Alumni Relations to host the 2024 Black Alumni Weekend.

Join us from Feb. 22-24 as we celebrate the successes and achievements of our Black alumni and students while also providing an important space for fellowship and camaraderie. By fostering relationships with Black students and alumni, we can ensure that these students cohorts understand that there is a community waiting to embrace them after graduation.

"As a young accountant and later as a young accounting instructor, I was often the only African American in the building, so I can speak firsthand about how isolating and disheartening that can be," said Erick Valentine, the Freeman School's associate dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. "By bringing our Black alumni together to meet and share their experiences, I hope we can celebrate their success, build stronger connections between our alumni and send an important message to our current students: You're got an amazing support network available to help you achieve your goals."

As part of the weekend's events, the Freeman School will host a panel discussion, "Generational Wealth: Creating Pathways for the New Black Wall Street." Freeman School alumni Brian Egwele (BSM ’01), Kenny Welcome (BSM ’15), Derrick Strozier (BSM ’14), Shannon Brice (MBA ’04) and Stephanie Navarre (MBA ’86) will share insights on establishing generational wealth through business ownership, investing, financial management and starting conversations about money at an early age. The panel will be moderated by Charisse Gibson, Emmy award-winning journalist with WWL-TV.

“The Black community has been burdened by a number of historical factors that have effectively impeded the transfer of wealth across generations and contributed to the wealth gap today," said Egwele, managing director at Egwele & Co., an independent boutique investment bank that provides high quality advice and innovative solutions to corporations and institutional investors. "It is vital that we have these discussions to talk about potential solutions to address these significant challenges. I’m thrilled to be part of this event."

In addition to the Generational Wealth panel, the weekend will feature a host of other events, including the Dean Witmeyer Colloquium featuring Lisa P. Jackson (E ’83, H ’12), vice president of Environment Policy and Social Initiatives at Apple Inc.; panels on Black entrepreneurs, the arts and athletes who have achieved success in other fields; and a Black Business Expo. The weekend culminates with tailgating and the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, an all-star game showcasing the best NFL draft-eligible football players from historically Black colleges and universities.

For more information and to register online, visit alumni.tulane.edu.