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Morgan State University graduate students, Morgan Newton and Cierra Robinson, have been selected by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Hennessy to participate in the 2023 Hennessy Fellows Program, a highly competitive professional and career development initiative designed to cultivate and prepare high-achieving students to become the next generation of executive leaders in corporate America. Newton, an MBA student in the Morgan’s Earl Graves School of Business and Management, and Robinson, a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Administration, will join a cohort of 10 fellows from other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to receive executive coaching, scholarships, and professional development experiences that will prepare them for c-suite career positions.

According to data released by McKinsey & Company, Black employees comprise 14 percent of all US employees while the Black workforce at the managerial level represents just half of that at 7 percent. At senior-manager levels—vice president and senior vice president—it declines further to 5 and 4 percent, respectively. As an effort to address this address the lack of diversity of Black leaders in business, each year Hennessy purposefully recruits high-performing students from HBCUs to participate in its leadership development program. The annual program is funded by an approximate $14 million commitment from Hennessey to TMCF over the next 10 years. To date, more than 30 students have completed the program including 16 from Morgan.

As part of the program, the fellows will spend an all-expenses-paid three-day weekend in Charlotte where they will participate in leadership, communication, and media relations workshops. Later this year, they will travel to New York for an intense executive boot camp consisting of experiential learning sessions led by Moet Hennessy executives, industry leaders, and influencers. In addition to training and professional development, fellows will receive a scholarship of up to $20,000 per academic year, a $10,000 annual stipend for other educational expenses, and an opportunity to pitch for a community-related project grant of up to $10,000.

For more than 35 years, Thurgood Marshall College Fund has awarded more than $300 million in assistance to students attending HBCUs. TMCF has delivered 98 percent of its awards exclusively to HBCUs, and the Hennessy Fellows program is a continuation of an ongoing investment in Black students and the Black community at-large. To learn more about the program and how to apply visit Hennessy Program.

Congratulations to Morgan Newton and Cierra Robinson on such a great accomplishment. Thank you for representing the National Treasure on the national stage!