Make Your Success A Reality
Seminars are geared toward African-American and Hispanic high school and middle school students of promise – youth who may be straddling the fence between academic complacency and meaningful engagement.
Through moderated panel discussions, students are provided the opportunity to learn from and interact with successful business and community leaders who speak with authenticity and cultural credibility while reinforcing the Compelling Why pillars of the importance and value of education, self-motivation, personal responsibility and active engagement.
The pillars are reinforced through panelist personal stories and strategies for surmounting obstacles. Panelists provide inspiration and motivation to youth who too often are without positive role models in their lives.
Students are challenged with a call-to-action to engage in programs that prepare them for success in college and career. Academic enrichment and youth development programs, already available on their campuses and in their communities, are featured during an Opportunity Fair – think college career fair setting – so students can easily and immediately learn more about those programs and enroll.
Seminars are held at partner university campuses and segmented by gender and ethnicity to help maximize impact on participants.
African American Men
Randy Bowman | President, MW Logistics |
Patrick Briggs | Texas State Director, AVID |
Baine Brooks | Owner, Two Rows Restaurant |
Carl Dorvil | President/CEO, Group Excellence |
Derrick Evers | Managing Partner/CEO, Kazien Development Partners |
Art George | Principal/The George Development Group |
Matt Houston | Principal, MLH Enterprises |
Dale Long | Sr. Community Relations Coordinator, City of Dallas |
Marcus Martin | CEO, 2M Research Services |
Prentis Murphy | North Texas Retail Client Relationship Executive, Deloitte |
Michael D. Pegues | Shareholder, Polsinelli |
Fred Perpall | CEO, The Beck Group |
Byron Sanders | President & CEO, Big Thought |
Ronnie Wilson, Jr | Lead Technology Project Manager, GKN Aerospace |
African American Women
Tiffani Evans | Sr. Project Manager, AT&T |
Lyria Howland | President, Howland PR |
Torrey Littlejohn | SVP, Jones Lang LaSalle |
Deanna Naugles | Senior Mgr, Strategic Program & Operations, Accenture |
Alfreda B. Norman | SVP, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas |
Cheryl Richardson | Enterprise Account Mgr, Cisco Systems |
Michelle R. Thomas | VP, Philanthropy & Community Relations, JPMorgan Chase |
Tamara Urquhart | Recruitment Director, Teach for America |
Frances Cudjoe Waters | National Speaker, Writer, Minister and Life Coach |
Hispanic Men
Rafael Anchia | Texas State Representative |
Manuel Aybar | Manager, Industrial Engineering, Qorvo |
Jose Bowen | President, Goucher College |
Andy Canales | Director, Center for Social Measurement and Eval, Children at Risk Former Director, Literacy Initiatives, Commit! |
Jorge A. Corral | Dallas Office Managing Director, Accenture |
Marcus Duron | Principal, Rocky Duron & Associates |
Jorge Luis Estrada | Community Outreach Representative, Dallas Police Dept. |
Edwin Flores | Managing Partner, Chalker Flores LLP |
Richard Garza | Principal, Garza Program Management |
Victor Garza | Financial Advisor, Amicus Financial Advisors |
Adan Gonzalez | Executive Director, Puede Network! |
Pete Lerma | Principal & Founder, Richards/Lerma |
Jaime Luna | Material Program Manager, Raytheon |
Chris MacFarland | CEO, Masergy |
R. Mateo Magdaleno | Chief Education Officer, IDQ Group |
Carlos Morales | Partner, Freidman & Fieger |
Mauricio Navarro | President, RAIZ Inc. |
Arturo Sanchez | Integration Mgr, International Space Station, NASA |
Rawly Sanchez | Chief Admin, Tyler ISD |
Alejandro Sanchez Sobrino | VP, GM Telemundo, Orlando, ZGS Communications |
Jeronimo Valdez | Managing Partner, Valdez | Washington |
Isaul Verdin | Counselor, Verdin Law |
Luis Zambrano | Partner, Miller, Eagan, Molter & Nelson, LLP |
Hispanic Women
Lily Anderson | Manager, Sales Development, Mercuri International |
Michelle Bobadilla | Senior Associate VP for Outreach Services, UT Arlington |
Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Cedillo-Pereira | Director, Office of Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs, City of Dallas |
Patricia Rodriguez Christian | President, CRC Group |
Hilda C. Galvan | Partner-in-Charge Dallas, Jones Day |
Florencia Velasco Fortner | President & CEO, The Concilio |
Cassandra Gandara | Lawyer, Gandara & Gonzalez |
Gail Salcido | VP, General Counsel, Fluor Corporation |
Natalie Solis | Anchor / Reporter, KDFW Fox 4 |
Recent Panelists
Director of Development, University of Texas at Dallas
Manager of Sales Development - Mercuri International
Assistant Professor, Texas A&M Commerce
Senior Associate VP/Assistant Provost The University of Texas at Arlington
Dallas Office Managing Director - Accenture
CFO, FCW Strategic Consulting
National Speaker and Educational/Parenting Expert
Chief Executive Officer & President - GEX Management, Inc.
Director – City of Dallas I Office of Welcoming Communities & Immigrant Affairs
Chief Executive Officer - Kaizen Development Partners
Partner-in-Charge Dallas Office - Jones Day
Certified Financial PlannerAmicus Financial
Advisors, LLC
External Engagement Partner – The George Development Group
Retired Senior Vice President & Manager – Texas Instruments
Founder and Executive Director - Puede Network
Attorney at Law, Rad Law Firm
Principal – MLH Enterprises
President, Howland PR
CEO/Founder, iGlobalCoach
Executive Director, Orange County Educational Arts Academy
Senior Vice President – Jones Lang LaSalle
Sr. Community Outreach Coordinator – The City of Dallas
CEO, Trinity River Mission
Material Program Manager - Raytheon
Chief Educational Officer – IDQ Group
North Texas Retail Client Relationship Executive
Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Strategy and Operations
Senior Management & Improvement I Strategic Operations Programs - Accenture
Senior Vice President - Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Reporter, KDFW Fox4 News
Chief Executive Officer – The Beck Group
Chief Legal Officer, Toyota North America
Senior Vice President, Texas Capital Bank
Director, Student and Partner Engagement, University of North Texas at Dallas
Head of Community & Business Development, Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase
Managing Director, Business Development & Latino Leadership Initiative, SMU Cox School of Business
Lecturer, University of Texas at Arlington
President & CEO – Big Thought
Partner, Baker Botts
Co-Founder, Latino Center for Leadership Development
Chairman and CEO, Pinnacle Group
Founder and Managing Partner, Valdez | Washington LLP
Founder and Managing Partner – Verdin Law Firm
President & GM, WDSU-TV (New Orleans)
Director of Innovation and Growth, OCTANe OC
Executive Director, United to Learn
Lead Technology Project Manager at GKN Aerospace
Vice President, Residential Sales, Wingert Real Estate
The Impact of Compelling Success Sessions
- Increase each student’s level of engagement. Research shows students who are behaviorally, emotionally and cognitively engaged in school are more likely to achieve positive academic outcomes.
- Expose students to accomplished role models with whom they relate to culturally. Students served seldom see themselves reflected in the myriad of careers and occupations to which they might aspire.
- Connect students to the resources needed to achieve their college and career goals.
In Their Own Words
Listen to these speakers share words of wisdom on education and achieving success. View all videos.
