About

The Black Alumni Council (BAC) is the officially recognized affinity organization and shared interest group within the Georgetown University Alumni Association that supports and engages current and future generations of Black Georgetown alumni.

The BAC is dedicated to inclusion, engagement, and outreach for all Black alumni of Georgetown. While the university will continue to celebrate and honor Black history month, it is important to the Alumni Association that commemorations and celebrations are no longer reduced to one month a year. The BAC is the group that aims to promote the interests and give voices to Black alumni, further strengthening relationships with the university and fostering a spirit of connectivity.

Our goal is to encourage more Black alumni to return to the Hilltop and re-engage with the university in ongoing efforts, including support of the Patrick Healy Fund and Dinner, Black Alumni Summit, Soul Hoya Reunion Weekend, John Carroll Weekend, and other Georgetown University Black Alumni Council initiatives.

Give back and help shape the future of Georgetown! The Nominations Committee of the Georgetown University Alumni Association Black Alumni Council (BAC) Board of Advisors invites alumni to participate in the inaugural call for nominations. The number of available elected Advisor positions shifts from year to year, depending on current Advisors’ term limits. 

If you are a leader in your community or profession and you are looking to connect with fellow Hoyas, give back to Georgetown, and advance the mission of the Black Alumni Council, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Eligibility for Board Nominations

All Black alumni are eligible to self-nominate for membership on the Board. 

Members of the Board of Advisors are elected based upon their demonstrated leadership and service to Georgetown University, the community, and their chosen profession. The Board of Advisors is actively seeking a representative group of qualified nominees; reflective of generations of graduates, schools, levels and areas of study, geographic location, gender, and socio-economic diversity; who meet these criteria and who are eager to commit their time, talent, and treasure to Georgetown, its alumni community, and its Black alumni community specifically.

How to Submit Your Nomination

Each of the application components below must be provided by May 19, 2023 in order to qualify for consideration for the Board of Advisors:

1. A completed Google application form capturing the following:
   1. Biographical information 
   2. Biography or summary resume/CV
2. A personal statement, to include answers to the following questions:
   1. Why do you wish to serve on the Black Alumni Council Board of Advisors? What would you like to contribute? 
   2. What are your three most impactful community and/or Georgetown volunteer experiences and why?
3. Submit at least two (2), but no more than three (3), letters of recommendation from members of the Georgetown University community that are willing to serve as a reference.

Submit Your Nomination

Responsibilities of the Board

• Board members are expected to accept a leadership role to further the Black Alumni Council’s mission to inspire, empower, and elevate Black alumni engagement and to work  closely with the Georgetown University Alumni Association and the Office of Advancement to ensure seamless execution.
• Board participation requires a time commitment of attending at least three (3) meetings of the full Board (which occur bi-monthly), quarterly committee meetings, and a presence at signature alumni events. 
• Board members are also asked to make an annual gift to the school or program of their choice within the University at any giving level. 
• Elected Advisors may serve up to two consecutive three-year terms.

Board Composition

The Board of Advisors is composed of up to twenty nine (29) and no less than fifteen (15) elected Advisors, including the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Parliamentarian, all of whom shall be elected from the membership of the Board of Advisors Nominations Committee. 

Additionally, The Board of Advisors includes ex-officio, non-voting members which include: the Executive Director of the Georgetown University Alumni Association; students from the Main Campus, the Law Center, and the Medical Center; and faculty/staff from the Main Campus, Law Center, and Medical Center. These ex-officio and appointed members do not have voting privileges and shall not be counted in the determination of a quorum.

Board Officers

The officers of the Board are the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and the Parliamentarian. Each Officer must be a member of the Board of Advisors at the time of their election and serve for a period of two years. All Officers must be willing to travel and attend the majority of signature events of the Black Alumni Council.

Board Committees

Committee work is integral to executing the Board’s many projects and priorities. Each year, Board members and alumni volunteers focus on issues of strategic importance to the growth and strength of the Black Alumni Council and the Georgetown University Alumni Association. There are ten standing committees, in addition to the Executive Committee which is composed of the officers of the Board and chairs of the nine standing committees.

Business Committees	Programmatic Committees
Admissions and Financial Aid	Patrick Healy Dinner
Communications and Engagement	Black Alumni Summit
Faculty, Staff, and Curriculum	Soul Hoyas
Nominations and Awards	Student Life
Philanthropy
Research

Patrick Healy Dinner Committee

Coordinates preparations for the annual Patrick Healy Dinner, in partnership with the University’s Office of Advancement. Through the Patrick Healy Dinner, the Committee enhances the BAC’s efforts to recognize the accomplishments of Georgetown’s Black alumni, faculty, staff, and students. In
addition to supporting planning for the dinner, the committee is responsible for leading the BAC’s outreach and sponsorship efforts to widen the event’s reach each year. Proceeds from the dinner support the Patrick Healy Scholarship, which promotes diversity at Georgetown by providing assistance to students who have demonstrated financial need for scholarship aid.

Co-chairs: Marguerita Brunson Sims (C’91) and Willie Tate (B’94)

Black Alumni Summit Committee

Plans and manages the biennial Black Alumni Summit, in partnership with the University’s Office of Advancement, for the purpose of celebrating the professional and personal achievements of the diverse and accomplished Georgetown Black alumni community. The Summit brings Black alumni from across the globe, classes, schools, eras, professions, and walks of life back to the Hilltop to reconnect with each other and with the University.

Co-chairs: Eric Woods (B’91) and Mannone Butler (B’94, L’99)

Soul Hoya Committee

Plans and manages the annual Soul Hoya Reunion and GU Homecoming events for the purpose of fostering social camaraderie and community service, and generating financial support for current Georgetown Students. The Soul Hoya Committee works to encourage more Black alumni to return to the Hilltop for Georgetown Reunion and Homecoming Weekends and, ultimately, get re-engaged with the University in ongoing efforts, including support of the Patrick Healy GU Endowed Scholarship/Patrick Healy Dinner, Black Alumni Summit, John Carrol Weekend, and other BAC initiatives.

Co-chairs: Winoka Wendy Wilkes (SFS’91) and Keith Dent (B’89)

We Are Georgetown: Celebrating Our Black History Committee

Through storytelling and first-hand accounts, We Are Georgetown documents the history of the Black experience at Georgetown, leveraging oral histories, artifacts, and memorabilia. The project’s initial focus is on the stories of Black students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others from the 1960s to the present. The project aims to represent an intergenerational portrait of our narrative, spanning across the University’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools.

Co-chairs: Michael C. Ford (L’84) and Fonda Sutton (SFS’87, L’95, G’15)

Faculty, Staff, and Curriculum Committee

Serves as a catalyst for diverse and inclusive scholarship, by encouraging the faculty of the University to develop and sustain a diverse and rigorous academic environment and curriculum across disciplines. The committee seeks to provide support to academic and administrative staff around issues related to a diverse student body and the interests of students of color.

Co-chairs: Marcia Cooke (SFS’75) and O. Felix Obi (MPM’11)

Admissions and Financial Aid Committee

Works in conjunction with the overall University admissions and financial aid offices on the Main Campus, Law Center, and Medical Center, to ensure that the admissions and financial aid processes yield a socially, culturally, and economically diverse population in order to provide world-class access and opportunity.

Chair: Chris Perkins (B’94)

Student Life Committee

Exchanges ideas amongst schools and units, including the Center for Multicultural Equity & Access, to identify opportunities to increase visibility and involvement of alumni with students across the University Community.

Co-chairs: Ky Adderley (C’98, SCS’01) and Ashley Hodges (L’14)

Nominations and Awards Committee

Responsible for selecting candidates for election to the Black Alumni Council Board of Advisors and makes recommendations to the Board of Black alumni candidates for any and all awards bestowed on alumni by the
Georgetown University Alumni Association. The committee reviews the awards structure of the BAC and makes recommendations to the Board of Advisors regarding how best to recognize and celebrate excellence, service,
and professional accomplishment within the Georgetown Black community.

Chair: Nigel Scott (C’95)

Communications and Engagement Committee

Fosters communication among Black alumni, students, faculty, and administrators, and keeps alumni abreast of current events and issues impacting the Georgetown community, through newsletters, e-mail blasts, social media, and other vehicles.

Philanthropy Committee

Devises ways to encourage philanthropy among Black alumni, drive strategy, provide thought leadership, and recommend to the Board of Advisors ways to celebrate the success of the BAC culture of philanthropy throughout all program areas and functions, supporting the fundraising priorities of the BAC. This committee is charged with facilitating the ability of the BAC to support the fundraising priorities of Georgetown University.

Over the years, Black alumni of Georgetown have engaged with the university and each other in a variety of ways. Three tentpole events have served as the focus of this engagement: the Patrick Healy Dinner, Soul Hoya Reunion Weekend, and the Black Alumni Summit. Through the years, these events have grown in number and impact, which created the critical mass to embark on a new and exciting journey.

In January 2020, a group of Black alumni leaders, including the leadership of the Georgetown University African American Advisory Board (GUAAAB), the Black Alumni Summit (BAS), the Soul Hoya Alumni Group (Soul Hoyas), as well as other Black alumni engaged at the leadership level in various aspects of the university, convened to discuss the current status—and consider the future—of Black alumni engagement at Georgetown University. In partnership with Julia Farr (C’88, Parent’19, ’21, ’24), executive director of the Georgetown University Alumni Association (GUAA), Black alumni leaders endeavored to consolidate resources in an unprecedented effort to provide meaningful and effective support for enhancing the empowerment and engagement of Black alumni.

In July 2022, the BAC will launch with the alumni leaders of the three tentpole events spearheading the development of this first-ever affinity group within the Georgetown University Alumni Association.

Mannone A. Butler (B’94, L’99)

Tyree P. Jones, Jr. (L’86, Parent’21)

Gail Gillis-Louis (C’75)

Conan N. Louis (I’73, MS’78, L’86)

Tammee Thompson (C’91)

Winoka Wendy Wilkes (SFS’91)

Eric Woods (B’91)

Mannone A. Butler (B’94, L’99), Chair

Winoka Wendy Wilkes (SFS’91), Vice Chair

Gail Gillis-Louis (C’75), Secretary

Conan N. Louis (I’73, MS’78, L’86), Parliamentarian

Ky Adderley (C’98, SCS’01)

Marguerita Brunson Sims (C’91)

J. Jacques Carter (M’79)

Marcia Cooke (SFS’75)

Keith Dent (B’89)

Goren Dillard (C’84)

Michael Ford (L’84)

Schuyla Goodson-Jeanniton (L’92)

Ashley Hodges (L’14)

Tyree Jones (L’86, P’21)

Christopher Jones (M’01)

Erin Meadors (C’05, L’21)

O. Felix Obi (MPM’11)

Chris Perkins (B’94)

Beverly Perry (L’81)

Nigel Scott (C’95)

David Simmons (L’84)

Rick Sinkfield (SFS’91)

Markhum Stansbury (C’91)

Fonda Sutton (SFS’87, L’95, G’15)

Charlene Tarver (L’03)

Willie Tate (B’94)

Tammee Thompson (C’91)

Donna Wise (SLL’80)

Eric Woods (B’91)