UNCF New Jersey celebrated UNCF’s 80th anniversary at its
annual Masked Ball on July 13, 2024.
More than 200 guests joined the UNCF NJ team at
Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club in Livingston, NJ to celebrate the
milestone.
The festive event was ushered in and led by the
ball’s honorary chair Sebastian Guth, Bayer US president, and event
chair Lissa Jean Ferrell, Esq., Chief Diversity Officer of
Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins.
The vice chairs for the celebratory event
included Armond Kinsey, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer,
Atlantic Health; Dr. Avery Ince, Vice President, Medical Affairs-
Cardiovascular, Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Calvin Souder, partner,
Souder; Shabazz & Woolridge Law Group; Carloyn Brown-Dancy,
Executive Director, Atlantic Health; Carole Lakin, Group HR leader,
Enterprise; Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and Chief Executive
Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital
of New Jersey; Robin Nesbit, Compliance Business Partner, Consumer
Health, Bayer; Sara Baxter, Chief Financial Officer, SubCom; and
Tammeisha Smith, President, Dunbar Center, Inc.
In his opening remarks, Guth noted, “On behalf
of Bayer, I am honored to join you this evening. Thank you for
being here tonight as we commemorate 80 years of UNCF supporting
students in achieving their dreams to attend colleges all over the
United States.”
An event celebrating UNCF’s 80 years would not
be complete without featured student and alumni speakers, Derrick
Register, Florida Memorial University, ’25; Felicite Mbaye, Howard
University, ’25; Tahaj Tanksley-Barrett, Morehouse ’23; Matthew
Kassi, Howard University ’24 and Benae Johnson, Virgina Union
University, ’23, all HBCU affiliated, sharing their inspiring
journey and UNCF’s impact.
During his speech, Tahaj, a 2023 Morehouse
graduate, shared this moving testimony: “The truth is you are
looking at a rose that grew from concrete. My academic achievements
have been watered by the moral support of UNCF, donors, mentors and
my family. Today, I can proudly say that education is one of the
most valuable assets I possess.”
Ngozi Emenyeonu, UNCF NJ area director,
emphasized that “these young scholars and alumni epitomize the
power of opportunity that UNCF provides through the generosity of
our sponsors and supporters.
The evening’s entertainment featured Bri Blvck,
an Afro-futuristic violinist and vocalist, who wowed the audience
with her performance and DJ Rob Dinero who kept everyone to the
dance floor until midnight.
The UNCF New Jersey is grateful to our event
sponsors as they helped us raise nearly $300,000 and include:
Bayer, J&J/Janssen, Atlantic Health System, Fountain Baptist
Church of Summit, PSEG, Delta, Aetna, RWJ Barnabas/Newark Beth
Israel Medical Center, Commvault, Gibbons PC, Javerbaum Wurgaft
Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, PNC Bank, Rivkin Radler LP and
Souder, Shabbazz and Woolridge Law Group.
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About UNCF UNCF (United Negro
College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority
education organization. To serve youth, the community and the
nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through
scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37
member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance
of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3%
of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other
historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective,
awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of
doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black
students in higher education. UNCF administers more than
400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship,
mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty
development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 50,000
students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the
country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in
education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a
terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or
for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on X (formerly
Twitter) at @UNCF.
Roy Betts
UNCF
2407033384
roy.betts@uncf.org