Sounding the alarm for relevancy in the 21st century, successful professional alumni from Jackson State University returned to their alma mater to trumpet the school’s elite programs and wax philosophical about careers, branding and skills during a series of forums held by each of the five academic colleges.
Alums of the JSU College of Business included Michael Brown, a motivational speaker and global management expert who authored the award-winning book “Fresh Passion: Get a Brand or Die a Generic.” He was among nearly a dozen guests who regaled the audience of students, faculty and staff with anecdotes and wisdom.
“Sixty percent of college graduates are not landing a job,” said Brown, from the Class of 2002. “You must get a return on your investment, and ask the question, ‘Am I a brand or generic; am I fresh and relevant?’ ” Brown further admonished the audience, telling observers “you cannot have payphone skills in a smartphone world.”
Also, in attendance, V. Lynn Evans (Class of 1975), a certified public accountant, returned to share words of inspiration. The JSU alum is owner of a professional services firm and was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2012, and eventually confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Evans urged attendees to “set goals and make decisions based on whether they help you achieve your goals. “First, set a financial goal,” Evans advised.
Along with other pursuits and accomplishments, Evans is an organizer and director of a community financial institution called First Alliance Bank, headquartered in Uptown Memphis, with multiple locations throughout Tennessee. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Panelists lauded the education they received from JSU and credit instruction from leaders such as then-business chair Dr. Mary White, now the interim vice president of Institutional Advancement and chair of Entrepreneurship and Development.
Further dispensing wisdom, visiting alum Dr. Howard Gibson (Class of 1998) said, “If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would master a foreign language because it makes you much more marketable. You can land a good job because you’re bilingual.”
Gibson, executive assistant to the Chancellor at Baton Rouge (La.) Community College, says business students must not lose sight of their goals, emphasizing they must maintain their business focus to survive because of stiff global competition. “Success,” he said, “ is all about strategy and performing your best.”
The Jackson native also says life is about building and maintaining solid relationships, like the ones he said he developed while a student at JSU.
Mitchell de John (Class of 2012) says the university paved the way for his success. “I got my job through Jackson State,” the native of Aruba said. “I owe everything to the faculty here.”
De John is now employed with GulfSouth Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in funding seed, startups, early venture and incubation. The alum, who deals with private equity investing, oil and gas investments and marketable securities, says coming back to JSU to share his story of success is a way to give back to the institution that gave him so much.
Other distinguished alums attending the College of Business Notable Alumni Panel, on Oct. 9, included:
- Joye Baugh, a Ph.D. student majoring in accounting at JSU
- Andrell Harris, an accomplished businessman, investor and philanthropist
- Willard Hart, senior director of Global Security and Investigations for MoneyGram International in Dallas
- Marlo Graham McGuire, employed with the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children unit in San Francisco
- Frazier Wilson, vice president of the Shell Oil Company Foundation in Houston, Texas
- Ambriel Woods, a manager in the International Tax Service at Ernst & Young in Houston, Texas
Special guests during the numerous sessions included Yolanda R. Owens, president of the Jackson State University National Alumni Association; and Dr. Earlexia Montoya Norwood, the 2014 JSUNAA Alumnus of the Year. She is the director of Practice Development and director of Community Health Education at the West Bloomfield Hospital in Detroit, Mich.
Other JSU entities hosting alumni included the College of Liberal Arts; the College of Public Service; the College of Education and Human Development; and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.