Ferdinand Risco

Booker T Washington. He encouraged Black people to: • Own businesses • Acquire property • Save and invest wisely • Build wealth collectively Washington also founded the National Negro Business League in 1900, creating one of the first national platforms to support Black entrepreneurs, bankers, and business owners. The League helped Black-owned businesses connect, grow, and access resources during a time when mainstream institutions excluded them. While some criticized his approach as too focused on economics over direct protest, Washington’s legacy proves a powerful truth: Economic power creates leverage. For many Black families, his philosophy laid the groundwork for: • Black-owned businesses • Homeownership • Community banking • Generational stability

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President Theodore Roosevelt's October 24th, 1905 visit to Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) symbolically endorsed Booker T. Washington's model of industrial education, emphasizing practical skills and economic self-reliance for African American employment within a segregated society. This legacy influences modern HR through its early emphasis on skills-based hiring, workforce development partnerships, economic inclusion, and alternative education pathways. These concepts have evolved into core HR pillars: valuing competencies over pedigree, building education-to-employment pipelines, pursuing diversity and equity, and recognizing non-traditional credentials for talent expansion. #TuskegeeUniversity #HumanResources #HREducation #Leadership #HigherEducation #TheRenaissanceEra #HonoringOurPast #InvestingInOurFuture #TheTuskegeeWay

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Yesterday morning at the Mobile Chamber Executive Roundtable, we heard from Olivier Charles, President of Bishop State Community College — and it was a strong reminder of what we have in Alabama. Alabama has 14 of the nation’s 101 HBCUs — and 6 of the 12 historically Black community colleges in the U.S. Bishop State now serves 4,500+ credit students per semester and over 10,000 individuals annually. Dual enrollment has grown from 500 to 1,700 students. Growth & investment: • $14M renovation at Southwest Campus • $10M renovation at Carver Campus • Major upgrades to technical labs & simulators Largest CDL program in Alabama (350 grads/year). Workforce partnerships with Airbus and others are reducing attrition and strengthening pipelines. What’s next: funeral services, construction management, logistics & supply chain, maritime, and drone technology. In a city driven by aerospace, manufacturing, healthcare, and the Port — this is workforce strategy in action. My Biggest Takeaway Community colleges operate with one funding model but carry enormous responsibility: They must run general education efficiently so they can subsidize technical training that costs far more to deliver. That takes creativity, leadership, and strong partnerships with employers. If you’re a business owner, HR leader, or benefits manager in Mobile — this isn’t just “education.” This is workforce strategy. This is economic infrastructure. This is long-term community health. Grateful to President Charles for the vision and transparency this morning.

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This what happens when you don’t listen to employees when they report unacceptable behaviors, ADA concerns, harassment, etc. Mental health topics are ever rising now days. I dare say you boss has more of an effect on your mental health than most of the outside world. Employers when an employee tells you something isn’t right, listen, hear them, investigate the issue, and act. Letting behaviors slide only emboldens the perpetrator.

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A Ten-Point Plan for HBCUs (Inspired by the Black Panther Ten-Point Program) In 1966, a call was made to “create a liberated Black community through Black self-determination,” via the original Black Panther Party Ten-Point Program. Six decades later, similar ideas could be re-envisioned for HBCU strategy, institutional effectiveness (IE), and student success. This reimagined framework recasts Panther principles in the language of accreditation standards (SACSCOC, 2024) and the innovative efforts happening now across HBCUs (UNCF, 2025). Alignment across mission, metrics, and money can guide an evolution from compliance to liberation-centered accountability, where every retention target, budget item, and learning outcome is an act of self-determination. ✊🏽From the Panthers to our campuses: Transformation is still a collective act. SACSCOC. (2024). The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement (and 2024 Resource Manual). UNCF. (2025, Oct). Why HBCUs still matter (Michael L. Lomax commentary/overview #HBCU #UNCF #InstitutionalEffectiveness #BlackPantherLegacy #StudentSuccess #SACSCOC #DataDrivenChange #HigherEducationLeadership

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Atlanta Tribune: Black Business Leaders Engage Trump White House to Advance Real Economic Power for Black Enterprises A national delegation of Black business leaders convened in Washington this week for high-level meetings organized through the National Black Chamber of Commerce National Business Policy Conference, in partnership with the National Alliance for Black Business. The delegation secured a direct White House briefing and held policy discussions with congressional offices on issues central to strengthening economic power for Black Business Enterprises. “Credibility matters,” said one business leader attending the convening. “Charles H. DeBow, III and Dr. Ken L. Harris, Ph.D. Harris have consistently demonstrated a commitment to advancing real opportunities and ensuring Black businesses have a seat at the table.” Charles H. DeBow III, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, outlined the strategic priorities guiding the delegation’s engagement. “Our interests begin with policy,” DeBow said. “Second, much of America’s wealth has historically been created through federal contracting. And third is trade — especially global economic development, including the rapidly expanding markets across Africa.” https://lnkd.in/eEsjvpDs Donald Cravins, Jr., Esq., C. Earl Peek, CPA, Natalie Madeira Cofield, Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Lynne Patton, John James, Djibril DIALLO, Clinton White, Kendra Gaither, Larry Ivory, Ja'Ron Smith, Dr. E. Faye Williams, Nubian Simmons, Joe Briggs, Esq., Ernisha Hall, MBA, MSW, John E. Harmon, Sr., IOM, Dr. (honoris causa) Ayanna Khan-Flowers M.S., IOM, Gina Barr, Diante Johnson, Rick C. Wade, Anna Buckalew, Stacia Robinson, Phyllis Dickerson,Steven L. Reed, Fred Gray Jr., Dr. Velma Trayham, Bob Dickerson, Crystal L. Gunn, Dr. Danielle Cato,Racheal Allen, Janan McDougal, Leona Barr-Davenport, Alvin Wang Graylin, Alveda King, Jetheda Hernandez, MBA

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Two years later and her experience still brings me to tears. She was bullied by her leadership, HR ignored her concerns, and ultimately she is no longer with us because she felt she had no place to turn. I spoke on Dr. Bailey's experience after her tragic passing, and how it resonated with many Black women in leadership. https://lnkd.in/gbvwPMAh #elevatingblackvoices #blackhistorymonth

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𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵: 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗿𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘆 When we think about Black leadership in spaces where influence and opportunity intersect — from corporate governance to civic engagement — Conrad Woody stands as a powerful example of what it means to build bridges, not just careers. Conrad’s journey from Howard University — where he grounded himself in political science — to the helm of a major Washington-based executive search practice speaks to more than professional ascent. It reflects a commitment to crafting pathways for others to lead. Today, as Managing Partner and head of the U.S. Association & Corporate Affairs Practice at a global executive search firm, he helps shape leadership pipelines at the highest levels of corporate and association life, connecting vision with opportunity and talent with impact. But what sets Conrad apart isn’t his title — it’s how he shows up. Whether he’s engaging emerging professionals around thoughtful career strategy, speaking on leadership, or championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in boardrooms and beyond, he reinforces something fundamental: Black excellence is about empowerment as much as achievement. By co-leading his firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Council and driving initiatives to expand leadership representation, he’s helping redefine what inclusive leadership looks like in 21st-century organizations. His career began in public service, working on Capitol Hill, and includes meaningful roles in corporate recruiting and talent strategy. That blend of public, private, and civic orientation gives his work a depth too few leaders cultivate — one that lifts up others while advancing institutional excellence. In a time when the call for authentic leadership is louder than ever, Conrad Woody embodies what Black History Month celebrates: not just remembering where we’ve been, but charting where we’re going — with intentionality, integrity, and impact.

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Michael Bloomberg, who donated $600 million in 2024 to support medical schools at four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), has a new plan to back Black education: Funding K-12 charter schools on HBCU campuses. On Thursday, the billionaire former New York City mayor’s Bloomberg Philanthropies and the education nonprofit City Fund announced a $20 million initiative to fund two public schools in Alabama, one at Stillman College and one at Tuskegee University, that will create direct pipelines into HBCUs and promote career success. Check out the full story: https://lnkd.in/eEn43baW

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