18 Howard Alumnae Who Are The Blueprint for Professional Women
Link to the original article on Walker’s Legacy
October 17, 2016
Howard University, founded in 1867, has had a long history of successful alumni. With notable graduates including Taraji P. Henson, Zora Neale Hurston, and Phylicia Rashad, there’s no doubt that Howard produces successful women. In honor of this week being Howard’s 2016 homecoming, titled “The Blueprint” and the launch of University Women Campus Power Moves, here are eighteen HU alumnae who have undoubtedly set the bar as professional women.
Jennifer Henry
Photo: Howard Magazine
Jennifer Henry was one of the only black researchers at New York University during the process of earning her Ph.D. in neuroscience. After thinking about the effect of racial identity and attitudes on academic performance, Jennifer Henry founded HillPoint Preparatory School in Jersey City, NJ. The school has a NeuroNurture curriculum and is individualized to each student based on his or her learning needs. Henry realized that if she, or more importantly her son, could not receive her ideal education, she could "build one from scratch". Henry learned the connection "between education and culture" at Howard and NYU.
Karleen Roy
Photo: Todd Youngblood
Karleen Roy worked in publicity with Island Def Jam Recordings immediately after graduating from Howard. She gained respectable celebrity clientele, including working with NeYo as a management coordinator at Compound Entertainment, and Sean "Diddy" Combs as a Senior Executive Assistant at Bad Boy Entertainment. Her experience working with management and notable celebrities inspired her to found The Vanity Group: A Luxury Lifestyle and Management Agency. Her services combine "corporate and luxury lifestyle management, expertise, premier resources, and global capabilities" and include event production and management, luxury concierge services, and talent relations.
Aisha Moody (Bowden)
Photo: Anthony Alston, Solidarity Films
Aisha Moody is the co-founder of AMPlify, a choral program within the Atlanta Music Project. Prior to serving as the choral director for AMP, Moody was the chair of the music department and Thomson Elementary whose choir appeared on several television programs. She completed the Sistema Fellows Program in 2012 and implemented a similar program, the first of its kind in Georgia. Moody is an award-winning music educator and has appeared in "Teaching Music," the publication for the National Association for Music Education.
Lillian Lincoln Lambert
Lillian Lincoln Lambert is the first Black woman to receive an MBA from Harvard, which she earned in 1969. Before enrolling at Howard at 22 years old, she worked as a maid, typist, and traveling saleswoman. Upon graduating from Howard, Lambert attended Harvard Business School. At Harvard, she along with four other black students founded the African American Student Union. After graduating from Harvard, she went on to create Centennial One, Inc., a business for janitorial services which she started out of her garage and grew to make over $20 million in sales
Angel Anderson
Photo: Courtland Milloy, The Washington Post
Angel Anderson founded SpiceSuite, an interactive spice bar, in 2015. Anderson previously held jobs as a teacher at Oak Hill Youth Center, Counselor and Assistant Principal and Cesar Chavez Public Charter School after earning her bachelor's and masters in Psychology at Howard. She states wanting to invest in property and open The SpiceSuite, as well as a rental home and DinnerDate which she founded in 2012, to benefit from increasing property value and to be able to provide a bed and job for her siblings.
Michelle C. Gibson
Michelle Gibson started her own fashion line "Simply L3ve" upon graduating from Howard. She actually began creating her business plan during her sophomore year, even detailing when she was an RA at Howard and would ask the girls on her floor to do hair, nails, and model for her videos. Gibson has had several showcasings at DC Fashion Week and went on to improve her brand. Gibson states that she practices balance, discipline, and time management to avoid burning out and utilizes social media platforms, specifically Instagram, to connect with and expand her audience. Her drive for pursuing fashion as a career and not just a hobby was her desire to have a say in the conversation about fashion and beauty.
Wendy McAllister
Wendy McAllister earned her master's degree in International Management and Marketing. In 2005, she founded Evolution Consulting Group to emphasize brand engagement. In 2005, she founded CraveDC, a network for local women business owners. She also co-founded Dinner-net, an organization for professional women in new media
Camille Cash, Ph.D.
Camille Cash is a cosmetic surgeon based out of Houston, Texas. Cash was named "Resident of the Year" in 1998 during a 5-year residency at St. Joseph’s hospital. Her main goal is to not only excel as a surgeon and medical professional but to ensure that her patients are left feeling more self-confident than ever. This is perfectly exemplified by her work as Chief Resident with Operation San Jose, where she went to Lima, Peru and treated patients with cleft lips and palates.
Yvette McNally
Photo: LA Great Streets
Yvette McNally opened Cordially Invited in 2010. The store was named "Best Gift Wrapping" and "Best Stationary Store" in 2012 and 2013. McNally thrives off of community support and makes it a mission to have a hands-on interaction with Pico Boulevard, the main street where her store is located. Through work with the Great Streets Initiative, McNally and Cordially Invited helped to make Pico Boulevard the heart of the community.
Brit Fitzpatrick
Brit Fitzpatrick began her career in technology, but also had an equal passion for entrepreneurship. She realized early on as an African American woman in tech, that the best way to overcome hardships that came her way was through a support system of mentors, which lead her to found MentorMe, an online platform that allows networking and mentorship opportunities for organizations, businesses, universities, and communities. Since MentorMe’s inception, Fitzpatrick received FOCUS 100 Fellow in 2014, was named one of “8 Awesome Black Women Tech Founders to Watch” by Inc. Magazine, was a TEDx speaker, and won Points of Light Civic Accelerator’s “Best Pitch” award in 2014. Fitzpatrick credits her success to her desire to learn about “why things work the way they do” as well as her “passion for applying tech-based solutions to complex social problems.” She has been a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusive entrepreneurship, speaking at various conferences such as Dreamforce, White House Demo Day, and the US Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Summit, and has had her work recognized by GOOD Magazine, Inc. Magazine, FastCompany, and Madame Noire.
Claudia Gordon
Claudia Gordon graduated from Howard University with a degree in political science and went on to be the first deaf graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law. Gordon is also the first deaf Black female attorney in the US. Gordon describes experiencing discrimination early in her life due to suddenly losing her hearing at eight years old, which lead to her transferring to Lexington School for the Deaf. She served as a Public Engagement Advisor to the Disability Community in the White House Office of Public Engagement as well as a consultant with the National Council on Disability. Gordon has also worked in the Department of Homeland Security and now serves in the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Gordon has been a long-time advocate for the disabled community, specifically those who are minorities.
Debra Oh
Debra Oh is the Senior Editor and Vice President of International Operations for The Shade Room, an entertainment news outlet that originated on Instagram. She graduated from Howard in 2014 and began writing for the Shade Room, initially for free, until getting promoted after two months. Her job entails traveling, interviewing various celebrities on the red carpet, and attending various award shows, panels, and conferences.
Sharon Renee
Sharon Renee has an extensive resume in the makeup industry, having worked for Marriott Love Travels as their Head Makeup Artist, Delta Sky, Angela Simmons, Essence, MTV2, BET, and a variety of other television networks, magazines, and influential people. Renee launched her own line of lip colors in 2015 called Sharon Renee Cosmetics. She solidified her mastery in the cosmetic industry by teaching makeup artists at the Montgomery County Community College in Gaithersburg, MD. She is now continuing to expand her brand in Atlanta, DC, and New York with Sharon Renee Beauty, LLC.
Yandy Smith
Yandy Smith is most notable for her personality on Love & Hip Hop New York. Before joining the cast, she was a part of the show’s creative team and was also a producer for the first season. Before her role on the show, Smith already made a name for herself in the music industry and is credited for the success of Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, and Jim Jones. Smith admits that after graduating from Howard most of her courses weren’t applicable and that she learned what she knows through networking. In an interview with Don Bleek, Smith said that she wanted to be a part of Love & Hip Hop to change how women in entertainment are viewed. She wanted to showcase the various roles that women held in corporate positions. She is the CMO of Everything Girls Love, a lifestyle and informative brand for women. Yandy’s other career ventures include motivational speaking, encouraging young voters to support the Obama Care campaign, and founding a mentorship program for middle school girls.
Simone Missick
Photo: Marvel
Simone Missick graduated from Howard with a minor in Theater Arts. She then received classical training at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England and further perfected her acting skills through performances at a regional theater in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. After moving to Los Angeles, California, Missick took roles in short films and wrote and produced one-act plays. She is now gaining attention for her lead role as Misty Knight in Marvel’s new series Luke Cage, which is available on Netflix.
Vayne
Vayne, an emcee and radio personality, received her Howard degree from the School of Business. As a recording artist, she went on to work with acts such as Busta Rhymes, Chamillionaire, Remy Ma, and has been featured on Hot 97 FM and Power 105 FM. Vayne has also been featured in XXL Magazine. After moving to Barbados in 2014, she landed on the card as the host or a presenter of some of Barbados’ most popular platforms including Soca On De Hill 2015 & 2016, Hennessy Artistry 2015, and Reggae On The Hill 2016, and is now the host of “The Energy Drive,” a prime time afternoon radio show on SLAM 101.1 FM and her very own radio show entitled "Vayne's Top 10 Countdown.”
Taryn Finley
Taryn Finley currently serves as a Black Voices Associate Editor for The Huffington Post. She previously worked for The Root, ESSENCE Magazine, NBC Universal, DC Modern Luxury, and Radio One. Finley received her master’s degree from Columbia University’s Journalism school. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and is an alumna of the American Society of Magazine Editors internship program. On her website’s “About” page, Finley expresses her determination to “finding new and compelling ways to tell art, cultural, and entertainment stories,” and has an extensive repertoire as a strong voice for the Black community.
Isabel Wilkerson
Isabel Wilkerson is the author of "The Warmth of Other Suns," a story of the Great Migration of African Americans between 1910 and 1970. Her book became a New York Times bestseller and was chosen by Barack Obama for his Summer Reading List in 2011 and 2012. When she served as Chicago Bureau Chief of the New York Times, Wilkerson made history as the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer prize, and the first Black person to win for individual reporting. She has also served as a professor of Journalism at Princeton University, Emory University, and Boston University, and has appeared on national programs including "60 Minutes" and NBC's Nightly News.
