

Upcoming Events

Monday, February 1, 2021
Angela F. Williams, president and CEO of Easterseals, will be discussing her personal and professional journeys as a Black woman CEO in a conversation moderated and facilitated by Black women at UCLA Anderson. This event is open to all students.
Angela F. Williams, President and CEO, Easterseals
Angela F. Williams is president and CEO of Easterseals, the nation’s leading nonprofit provider of life-changing services and powerful advocacy for people with disabilities of all ages, including veterans and seniors. She is the first Black woman to hold this post and was hired in 2018 as a change agent in anticipation of Easterseals’ 100th anniversary in 2020. With more than 30 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, Williams brings a long history of purpose-driven work to her role at Easterseals. A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in American government from the University of Virginia, a juris doctor from the University of Texas School of Law and a master’s of divinity, cum laude, from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University.

Anam Lakhani, Co-Founder, Alinea Invest
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Do you find yourself struggling to invest and don't know where to begin? Former Wall Street professional Ro$$ Mac, a hip-hop artist and host of REVOLT TV's hit weekly segment "Maconomics," and Anam Lakhani, co-founder of the Generation Z-focused investment platform Alinea Invest, will explain how to get started. This event is open to all Black student groups.
Ro$$ Mac, creator/host "Maconomics"
After graduating from the Wharton School of Business, Ro$$ Mac moved to New York to begin his career on Wall Street, where he worked for Morgan Stanley. After spending three years on a highly regarded sales and trading desk, he took a job at a prestigious hedge fund in his hometown of Chicago.
Moving back to Chicago helped Mac get back in touch with his community and led him down a path of service. In an attempt to change the narrative and mindset of inner-city youth, he started a YouTube series called "Maconomics." It gave his audience a fundamental understanding of financial literacy from an urban perspective. The series performed so well that Mac developed a partnership deal with REVOLT TV.
Today, "Maconomics" is a perfect fusion between hip-hop culture and Wall Street knowledge. Mac is dedicated to increasing people's financial literacy by merging education and entertainment. He has become a champion of financial literacy for his community so that everyone can "Get to Dat Bag."

Monday, February 8, 2021
Join Black Business Students Association (BBSA) and the Los Angeles chapter of the National Black MBA Association to discuss being Black in corporate America and how to navigate tough discussions about race in the workplace. Allies will have the opportunity to learn more about how they can step up in their work environments.
Event open to UCLA Affiliates (students, staff, faculty, and alums) and their invitees (including prospective students)
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Discover opportunities in the African venture landscape with four founders on their journeys toward entrepreneurship.
Event open to UCLA Affiliates (students, staff, faculty, and alums) and their invitees (including prospective students)
Angela F. Williams is president and CEO of Easterseals, the nation’s leading nonprofit provider of life-changing services and powerful advocacy for people with disabilities of all ages, including veterans and seniors. She is the first Black woman to hold this post and was hired in 2018 as a change agent in anticipation of Easterseals’ 100th anniversary in 2020. With more than 30 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, Williams brings a long history of purpose-driven work to her role at Easterseals. A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in American government from the University of Virginia, a juris doctor from the University of Texas School of Law and a master’s of divinity cum laude from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. "

Thursday, February 11, 2021
Join Keenya Kelly, CEO of If You Brand It, as she shares her entrepreneurial journey and tips for growing your brand on TikTok.
Event open to UCLA Affiliates (students, staff, faculty, and alums) and their invitees (including prospective students)
Keenya Kelly, CEO, If You Brand It
As an accomplished business executive, teacher and inspirational speaker, Keenya Kelly captures her audiences by conveying powerful lessons of overcoming fear and self-doubt to create successful six-figure businesses utilizing her gifts and corporate background.
Kelly is the CEO of If You Brand It, a branding and consulting firm in Redding, Calif., where she helps business owners go from the formulation stage to million-dollar brands.
Kelly believes that branding is what people say about you when you are not around, so we need to tell them what to say.

Moderated by Mitchella Gilbert, UCLA Anderson MBA 2021
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Join us to learn how Black homeownership has been stifled in the U.S. as well as how to use various resources to overcome the challenges faced by first-time home buyers. Our panelists will provide a road map to help you navigate the home-buying process.
Event open to UCLA Affiliates (students, staff, faculty, and alums) and their invitees (including prospective students)
PANELISTS:
Mike Lens
Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy, UCLA Luskin, Urban Planning School of Public Affairs, Lewis Center
Michael Lens is faculty director of the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies. Lens’ research and teaching explore the potential of public policy to address housing market inequities that lead to negative outcomes for low-income families and communities of color.
Lori R. Gay
President & CEO, Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County
Lori R. Gay is the president and chief executive officer of Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County, a nonprofit lender, developer and neighborhood revitalization corporation. Gay has worked in the community development field for over 30 years, focusing her efforts on rebuilding impoverished communities and creating mechanisms for community empowerment and ownership.
Ashley Garner
Community Outreach Coordinator, California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA)
Ashley Garner leads CalHFA's Black homeownership initiative, Building Black Wealth, which includes the introduction of the upcoming “Did You Know” educational video series, success stories, resources and much more.
(MODERATOR)
Mitchella ("Mitch”) Gilbert
UCLA Anderson MBA, 2021 Candidate; and UCLA Anderson BBSA VP of Finance
Mitchella Gilbert is a second-year MBA student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Gilbert joined Anderson after working at Deloitte as a consultant and after starting an investment firm that buys and sells real estate, mutual fund shares and other assets.

Moderated by Enanuvie ("Nuvie”) Ewharekuko, UCLA Anderson MBA, 2022 Candidate; and UCLA Anderson AREA VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Are you interested in learning how to invest in real estate without a large down payment or getting your hands too dirty? Hear from our panelists, who found creative ways to build generational wealth through real estate.
Event open to UCLA Affiliates (students, staff, faculty, and alums) and their invitees (including prospective students)
PANELISTS:
Michael Banner
President and CEO, Los Angeles LDC
Michael Banner is president and CEO of the Los Angeles LDC Inc., a mission-driven community development finance advisor that provides capital and advisory services to foster positive community development impacts in distressed neighborhood. The LDC is an expert at aligning the needs of both borrowers and investors, and has delivered $400 million of capital into transactions located in low-income and distressed communities.
Christopher Webley
Chairman, NEW RULES® Benefit Corporation
Chris Webley serves as chairman of NEW RULES® Benefit Corporation; a "turnkey" real estate development collective anchored on the northside of Minneapolis. NEW RULES independently owns and manages nearly $11 million in assets, including commercial and residential buildings throughout the midwest and southern regions.
Mark R. Jones II
Founder, Livin' Rent Free Academy (HouseHacking in LA); and UCLA Anderson FEMBA, 2022 Candidate
Mark Jones II is currently an MBA student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Los Angeles native. When he isn't reading case studies, Jones is running his online business, the Livin’ Rent Free Academy, where he teaches others how to eliminate their housing expense by purchasing a two- to four-unit property, living in one unit and renting out the others.
Courtney Pettway
Co-Owner, Pettway Estates
Courtney Pettway is an entrepreneur, landlord, investor, and licensed developer. She is privileged to serve alongside her husband as half of the Pettway Estates® brand, a professional, full service real estate solutions company that buys & sells properties throughout Louisville, Kentucky.
MODERATOR
Enanuvie ("Nuvie”) Ewharekuko
UCLA Anderson MBA, 2022 Candidate; and UCLA Anderson AREA VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Nuvie Ewharekuko is a student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management specializing in real estate, with interests in both multi-family development and asset management. Ewharekuko currently serves on the board of AREA as a co-director of DE&I and as a section president for her class.
FFriday, February 19, 2021
Join Black MBA clubs across the country in a battle of wits. This event is open to BBSA members only.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Come learn about Uncle Nearest, a Black-owned whiskey distillery named after the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel the craft of distilling. This event is open to BBSA, Women's Business Connection and Spirits@Anderson members.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Celebrate AfroLatinidad with an Afro-Latinx cocktail demo led by Dominican-American restaurateur and chef Nelson German. Chef Nelson will walk you through the preparation of two of his cocktails while sharing the stories of their development, the history of Sobre Mesa and his experience growing up Afro-Latinx in the U.S. This event is open to BBSA and Alliance for Latinx Management members.