Make Your Success A Reality
Our Success Session seminars are geared toward African American and Hispanic students – 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, purpose, 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.
To provide schools the most flexibility, The Compelling Why now offers virtual programming options that complement our traditional in-person delivery.
To learn more, contact us here.
African American Men
| Randy Bowman | President, MW Logistics |
| Patrick Briggs | Texas State Director, AVID |
| Baine Brooks | Owner, Two Rows Restaurant Councilmember, City of Allen |
| Carl Dorvil | Entrepreneur |
| Nakia Douglas | Exec Director – TRIO and Pre-Collegiate Programs, University of North Texas at Dallas |
| Derrick Evers | Managing Partner/CEO, Kazien Development Partners |
| Art George | Principal/The George Development Group Retired Texas Instruments executive |
| Matt Houston | Principal, MLH Enterprises |
| Coach Brian King | CEO & Founder, iGlobal Coach |
| Dale Long | Sr. Community Relations Coordinator, City of Dallas |
| Terrence G. Maiden | CEO, Russell Glen Company |
| Marcus Martin | CEO, 2M Research Services |
| Prentis Murphy | Chief of Staff | Hybrid Solutions & Incubation, Deloitte |
| Michael D. Pegues | Shareholder, Polsinelli |
| Fred Perpall | CEO, The Beck Group |
| Byron Sanders | President & CEO, Big Thought |
| Ronnie Spellman | COO, Mbroh Engineering, Inc. |
| Joel Vilmenay | President & General Manager at WDSU-TV, New Orleans |
| Ronnie Wilson, Jr | Lead Technology Project Manager, GKN Aerospace |
African American Women
| Tiffany M. B. Anderson | Assistant Professor, Texas A&M Commerce |
| Annika Cail | Principal, Convince Capital Partners |
| Tiffani Evans | Sr. Project Manager, AT&T |
| Lyria Howland | President, Howland PR |
| Torrey Littlejohn | Managing Director, JLL |
| Gabrielle Madison | Director of Community Relations, Thomson Reuters |
| Angela Martin | Managing Director & General Manager, US Strategic Distribution Group, JPMorgan Chase |
| April Martin | Head of E-Commerce Corp Affairs and Communications, Kroger |
| Deanna Naugles | Strategic Program & Operations Senior Manager, Accenture |
| Alfreda B. Norman | SVP, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas |
| Cheryl Richardson | Enterprise Account Mgr, Cisco Systems |
| Yinka Robinson | Regional Head, External Communications & Marketing (North America), Hitachi Rail |
| Sandra Phillips Rogers | Group VP, General Counsel, Toyota North America |
| Christa Brown-Sanford | Dept. Chair – Intellectual Property (Firmwide) Partner |
| Michelle R. Thomas | VP, Philanthropy & Community Relations, JPMorgan Chase |
| Tamara Urquhart | Recruitment Director, Teach for America |
| Nicole Washington | Director of Innovation and Growth, OCTANe |
| 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 | Former President, Goucher College Former Dean, Meadows School, SMU |
| Andy Canales | Executive Director, Greater Houston Latinos for Education |
| 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 | Founder, Owner and CCO, Garza Financial Planning |
| Adan Gonzalez | Executive Director, Puede Network! |
| Alfonso J. Herrera | Attorney at Law, Rad Law Firm |
| Pete Lerma | Principal & Founder, Richards/Lerma |
| Jaime Luna | Associate Director, Supply Chain, Raytheon |
| Chris MacFarland | Executive Chairman and CTO, Masergy |
| R. Mateo Magdaleno | Chief Education Officer, IDQ Group |
| Carlos Morales | Partner, Freidman & Fieger |
| Mauricio Navarro | President, RAIZ Inc. |
| JJ Ponce | SVP of Community Development, Texas Capital Bank |
| Arturo Sanchez, III | Deputy Director, External Relations, NASA Johnson Space Center |
| Rawly Sanchez | Former, Assistant Superintendent, Tyler ISD |
| Alejandro Sanchez Sobrino | Former, GM Telemundo, Orlando, ZGS Communications |
| Miguel Solis | Chief of Staff, The Commit Partnership |
| Joe Posada | Director, Underserved Student Services |
| Jeronimo Valdez | Managing Partner, Valdez | Washington |
| Isaul Verdin | Counselor, Verdin Law |
| Luis Zambrano | Partner, Miller, Eagan, Molter & Nelson, LLP |
Hispanic Women
| Diana F. Aguirre | Director of Development and Alumni Relations, University of Texas at Dallas |
| Lily Anderson | Go To Market Strategy Consultant, Rixon Technology |
| Michelle Bobadilla | Senior Associate VP for Outreach Services, UT Arlington |
| Patricia Rodriguez Christian | President, CRC Group |
| Marisha Davis | Manager, Corporate Events|Technology, Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Hilda C. Galvan | Partner-in-Charge Dallas, Jones Day |
| Florencia Velasco Fortner | President & CEO, The Concilio |
| Cassandra Gandara | Lawyer, Gandara & Gonzalez |
| Gloria Lopez | Founder & Co-CEO, Josephine Torres Cultural & Comm Ctr |
| Ashley Paredez | Nightside News Reporter at ABC15 Arizona |
| M. Elizabeth Cedillo-Pereira, Esq. | Assistant City Manager, City of Dallas |
| Ana Rodriguez | Executive Director, Latino Leadership Initiative, SMU Cox School of Business |
| Alice Rodriguez | Senior Advisor, Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase |
| Gail Salcido | VP, General Counsel, Fluor Corporation |
| Natalie Solis | Anchor / Reporter, KDFW Fox 4 |
| Nina Vaca | Chairman & CEO, Pinnacle Group |
| Abigail Williams | President & Founder, United to learn |
| Ashley Zárate | JD Candidate, Baylor University School of Law |
| Ivonne Zambrano | VP, Residential Sales, Wingert Real Estate |
View Compelling Why Success Session
Recent Panelists
Director of Development, University of Texas at Dallas
Partner, New York Life
Sr. Manager – Program Archetype, Big Thought
Public Affairs Associate, Allyn Media
Principal, Convince Capital Partners
Dallas Office Managing Director - Accenture
Event Consultant, Southwest Airlines
Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs Officer, City of Dallas
Entrepreneur
Exec Director – TRIO and Pre-Collegiate Programs, University of North Texas at Dallas
Of Counsel, Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm
Projects & Systems Sr. Analyst, Toyota Financial Services
Attorney at Law, Rad Law Firm
Assistant VP Partner Marketing, AT&T
VP City Leader All Stars Project of Dallas
CEO/Founder, iGlobalCoach
VP, WW Wafer Fab Manufacturing Ops, Texas Instruments
Managing Director, JLL
Founder & Co-CEO, Josephine Torres Cultural & Comm Ctr
Associate Director, Supply Chain, Raytheon
President, Bonton Farms
CEO, Russell Glen Company
Chief Educational Officer – IDQ Group
Managing Director | Head of Client Mgmt & Delivery, JPMorgan Chase
Head of E-Commerce Corp Affairs and Communications, Kroger
Manager, Supply Chain-Transformation Mgmt Office, Toyota
Nightside News Reporter at ABC15 Arizona
Director, CFT for Business at Communities Foundation of Texas
Director, Office of Student Belonging, UNT Dallas
Regional Head, External Communications & Marketing (North America), Hitachi Rail
Retired Executive, JPMorgan Chase
Executive Director, Latino Leadership Initiative, SMU Cox School of Business
Lead Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Presiding Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court #4
Founder and Managing Partner, Valdez | Washington LLP
President and Founder, Bonafide Leaders
Head of Technology Ecosystems & Partnerships, GKN Aerospace
Residential Sales, Coldwell Banker
JD Candidate, Baylor School of Law
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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.
