Black Alumni Network - Advancement

BLACK ALUMNI NETWORK

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

BLACK ALUMNI NETWORK

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

The Black Alumni Network is an inclusive leadership organization that seeks to empower, connect, and celebrate the University of Rochester Black Community. This group encourages communication and cooperation between alumni, students, friends, faculty, and staff who are committed to the advancement of people of the African diaspora. The Black Alumni Network fosters a network for personal and professional connection and provides a sense of community and family for alumni of color.

Meet the Black Alumni Network leaders

Ashley Campbell ’09, ’10 (MS)
Rochester, NY
National Co-Chair

Gina Cuyler ’92M (MD), ’95M (Res)
Rochester, NY
National Co-Chair

Emerson Fullwood
Rochester, NY
National Co-Chair

Meet the leaders

Family, we can do this together.

We build a sense of community and belonging as extended family members of the African diaspora. With your support, we can:

Cultivate opportunities for Black alumni to authentically connect to each other, current students, and the University
Identify and foster opportunities that celebrate and preserve the University’s history of Black achievements
Promote Black alumni, students, faculty, and staff in the spirit of inclusive excellence
Leverage partnerships and resources to recruit, retain, mentor, and support fundraising efforts of Black students
Provide educational programs and resources relevant to the Black experience that foster a framework in which Black alumni and students can thrive

What we can do, together.

We invite you to take an even more active role in our community. Together, we can do more, change more, and inspire more. With your support, we can channel our collective philanthropic resources to advocate for the causes that matter to us the most, from student support to career and leadership development to innovation across academic disciplines and beyond.

Learn more

Stories from the Boardroom: Experiences of our Black Leaders

In celebration of the Black Alumni Network’s first anniversary, a distinguished panel of Black members of the University of Rochester’s Board of Trustees hosted this special event to share their career paths, their commitment to serving the University, and their perspectives on efforts to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education and in their professional work.

Upcoming events

Please email Amari Tevell Simpson at amari.simpson@rochester.edu for upcoming events and details at this time.

Upcoming events

May 13

ENGAGEMENT49th Annual Office of Minority Student Affairs Senior Celebration

5:30 PM

Party Tent in Wilson Quad

ENGAGEMENTUbuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence

11 AM ET

Memorial Art Gallery

See event details

Black Alumni Network webinar library

These videos exemplify the values of the volunteer-led Black Alumni Network. The Network unites the University of Rochester’s Black community through engaging and empowering programming and conversations.

Watch now

Spotlight stories

Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA) portrait wearing a red suit

On mentorship: Her story: Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA)

In March 2019, Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA), retired from her position as chief financial officer at Coca-Cola, following a successful, 32-year career.

Changemaker: Combining Engineering and Medicine

The lives of family members inspire an engineer to improve health care in Africa.

Yvette Conyers ’07N, DNP, MS, RN, FNP-C, CTN-B smiling in a portrat with glasses and a scarf

Yvette Conyers ’07N: Pursuing social justice through nursing

In high school, Yvette Conyers ’07N, DNP, MS, RN, FNP-C, CTN-B, dreamt of becoming a neonatologist.

Volunteer

You can help us build the Black Alumni Network. As one of our founding members, there are many ways for you to be a part of this effort. To join and volunteer for the Black Alumni Network, please tell us about yourself.

Volunteer

Connect

Find us on Facebook
Network with other alumni and students on The Meliora Collective
Subscribe to Encompass – an e-newsletter presented by the Office of Equity and Inclusion. View the archive of Encompass here.
For more information on our Diversity and Inclusion programming, visit this page.
Join the Black Alumni Network directory to maintain, enrich, and expand your connections with other Network members, as well as take part in mentoring and networking opportunities. University of Rochester students, staff, faculty, and family members are welcome to join.

Photo Gallery

Through new events and activities, such as networking with students, celebrating at Meliora Weekend, and conversations around Juneteenth, the Black Alumni Network has grown its membership, involvement, and awareness.

View photos

Contact Us

For more information on the Black Alumni Network and additional identity-based programs and events, contact Amari Simpson, associate director of affinity networks and equity, diversity and inclusion at amari.simpson@rochester.edu.

Amari Simpson has gained vast experience working with diverse populations of postsecondary students, collaborating with university departments and alumni to develop retention curriculum for Black students, and recruiting, hiring, and onboarding student employees during his Doctor of Philosophy program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Amari builds our affinity networks, collaborates with campus partners, and engages underrepresented members of the University community through events and volunteer opportunities. He manages the Black Alumni Network and the emerging LGBTQ Network. He also works with our Admissions Office connecting our Posse scholars and alumni.

Meet the Black Alumni Network leaders

Family, we can do this together.

What we can do, together.

Stories from the Boardroom: Experiences of our Black Leaders

Upcoming events

Upcoming events

Black Alumni Network webinar library

Spotlight stories

On mentorship: Her story: Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA)

Changemaker: Combining Engineering and Medicine

Yvette Conyers ’07N: Pursuing social justice through nursing

Volunteer

Connect

Photo Gallery

Contact Us

Contact

Explore

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