Management consulting isn’t the first career path on the radar of most aspiring public servants. However, many Ron Brown Scholars have found alignment and meaning through their work as consultants, particularly with decade-long partner of RBSP, Deloitte’s Government & Public Services (GPS) practice.

This episode features and/or mentions:

• Bradley Pough (RBS ’08)
• Sean Means (RBS ’14)
• Idris Mitchell (RBS ’14)
• Andrew Moton (RBS ’15)
• Michelle Osagie (RBS ’18)
• Brian Siegel (RBS Board of Trustees)

To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org

It's easy to think that experts have all the solutions to the country's challenges, but we can't agree or decide if and when to implement them. However, researchers like Dr. Andrea Headley (RBS '10) who study the inner workings of police departments make it clear that we still have a long way to go until we know what the best solutions are, let alone until we are ready to embrace and implement them.

To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

The food industry is about as essential as it gets, and coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic when local grocery stores and restaurants kept the world fed amidst a global crisis, Brandon Hill - 2011 Ron Brown Scholar and Co-Founder of Vori - and Colin Webb - 2014 Ron Brown Scholar and Co-Founder of Sauce - both launched venture-backed companies that are bringing world-class technology to those small business owners that need it most. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

Inspired by her own struggle to find and enjoy all-natural, non-toxic, Black-owned beauty products, Dr. Kristian Edwards - 2005 Ron Brown Scholar and Founder of BLK + GRN - created an e-commerce marketplace, academy, incubator, and financing ecosystem to help independent brands launch and grow. As the platform designed and run by and for Black women continues to evolve, she shares how she protects her margins without compromising her values, especially in a dynamic business and social environment when those two objectives can conflict with one another. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

A split decision to move to China for a gap year before medical school turned into a half-decade journey of pleasing your inner child with cookie flavors inspired from all over the world. Tyrell Russell - 2012 Ron Brown Scholar, President of the Ron Brown Scholar Alumni Association, and Founder of The Kookie Box - traces the passion he has for food, the imagination he brings to his brand, and the joy his cookies inspire back to his childhood. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

Javaughn Lawrence - 2010 Ron Brown Scholar and Founder of Drip - loved to collect and trade Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon cards as a kid. As he takes his childhood hobby online and builds “the Shopify for livestream commerce” of physical collectibles and NFTs, his true mission is to create more economic opportunity for others. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

After years of working for some of the most iconic brands, Brittany Coleman - 2009 Ron Brown Scholar and Founder of Tough Cutie - is building an outdoor apparel company that's made in the USA by women for women. While their premium hiking socks empower women to blaze their own trails, Brittany is committed to increasing diversity in the outdoors along the way. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

From surviving the Rwandan genocide to becoming a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, Robert Kabera - 2007 Ron Brown Scholar, Advisory Board Member, and Founder of Sync Energy AI - brings us into the tunnel that kept his family safe and shares how the Ron Brown Scholar community has informed and transformed his career. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

For Ethan Monreal-Jackson - 2008 Ron Brown Scholar, Advisory Board Member, and Founder of Newtype Ventures - investing in founders of African, Latin, and Indigenous heritage isn't just good for society and good for business: it's personal. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

In February 2023, the Ron Brown Scholar Program launches a new podcast, "The Value of One, The Power of All," hosted by Ray Pryor (RBS '15). This podcast highlights the stories of the scholars, alumni, staff, partners, and friends that make this program special. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

The Presidential and Congressional elections are all the rage these days, but several Ron Brown Scholars are committed to ensuring the third branch does right by the American people. On this episode, ⁠Ray Pryor (RBS '15)⁠ shares insights from conversations he had with four Ron Brown Scholars on their legal careers in the public sector.

This episode features:

• ⁠Bradley Pough (RBS '08)
• Azeezat Adeleke (RBS '13)
• Kelsey Miller (RBS '12)
• ⁠Morgan Harper (RBS '01)⁠

To learn more, visit ⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠.

It's most wonderful time of the year - election season. On this episode, Ray Pryor (RBS '15) shares insights from conversations he had with three Ron Brown Scholars on what it really takes to run for political office - emotionally, financially, professionally, socially, and more.

This episode features:

• Chaz Beasley (RBS '04)
• Morgan Harper (RBS '01)
• Zachary Hall (RBS '11)

To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

This fall, the Ron Brown Scholar Program will launch Season #2 of "The Value of One, The Power of All," hosted by Ray Pryor (RBS '15). This podcast highlights the stories of the scholars, alumni, staff, partners, and friends that make this program special. To learn more, visit ⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠.

As Ray Pryor - 2015 Ron Brown Scholar and Host of The Value of One, The Power of All - shares his favorite snippets from Season #1 where he interviewed 12 fellow Ron Brown Scholars who have launched their own business ventures, he also gives a sneak peek into what's coming up for Season #2. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

One day, Caleb Franklin - 2001 Ron Brown Scholar and Founder of Matter Entertainment and HeyLabs - gets invited by a roommate to sit in on a random Hindu and Urdu course at Harvard. Fast forward some years, Caleb has founded a talent agency in Mumbai as well as a venture-backed tech startup that connects Indian celebrities and brands to their audiences through shoutouts and NFTs. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

After taking off during the COVID-19 pandemic, David Boone - 2012 Ron Brown Scholar and Founder of BlendEd and Thru - made the hard decision to let the sun set on his first edtech venture a lot earlier than he thought it would. Now, he’s taking all the hard lessons he learned to build a mobile-first job readiness platform for young adults seeking zero-debt careers. To learn more, visit ⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠.

No one loves the dentist, but it’s hard not to love it when you don't have to go to the dentist, but rather, your dentist comes to you. When Lowell Caulder - 2005 Ron Brown Scholar and Co-Founder of Studio Dental - decided to leave Harvard Business School to build a modern dental practice on wheels, he not only embraced but enjoyed having to juggle all of the moving and unknown variables that come with innovative health care service delivery. Since the COVID-19 pandemic took him and the business in different directions, Lowell continues to find and solve complex problems whether he's an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

Jeff Nelson - 2006 Ron Brown Scholar, Advisory Board Member, and Co-Founder of Blavity⁠ - became an entrepreneur before he even knew it was a term. After stumbling into computer science as a major and software engineering as a career, his knack for problem-solving led him and his college classmates to launch their own Black media tech company. What started as a content platform named after the cultural experience of Black students at predominantly white institutions has now grown into a Google Ventures-backed holding company of Black Millennial and Gen Z brands including AfroTech, 21Ninety, Blavity360°, Home & Texture, Shadow and Act, Talent Infusion, and Travel Noire. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

A software engineer turned researcher and professor turned founder, Dr. Jay Cunningham (2016 Ron Brown Captain and the Co-Founder of AmendLabs) is building a new model for the data economy centered around consent, compensation, and trust. As a researcher trained in Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) that studies the intersection of equity and AI/ML technology, Jay also teaches Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and directs the Responsible AI Systems & Societal Experiences (RAISE) Lab at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠, that’s C-O.

Tesla may have taken the "Apple" slot in the EV charging market, but Steve Leke (2022 Ron Brown Scholar and the Co-Founder of Zap-It) has his eyes set on being the "Android" of the market, the best option for everyone else. More than just a founder committed to executing successfully where larger energy companies have failed, Steve sees Zap-It as the first piece to solving America's inevitable energy crisis with the mass adoption of EVs and AI.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co, that's C-O.

One simple assignment during an MBA class at Yale revealed how Tsikata Apenyo (2014 Ron Brown Captain and Founder & CEO of Volta Health) could combine his training as Medical Doctor at Brown, passion for student wellness, and his keen eye for technology innovation after working in VC.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠spiracapital.co⁠, that's C-O.

After overseeing over a billion dollars worth of real estate investments at KKR and studying Africa's demographic trends and technological advancements, Feyi Makinde (2016 Ron Brown Captain and Co-Founder & CEO of Reeka) is building the tech and financial infrastructure to power Africa's rental real estate market.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit spiracapital.co, that's C-O.

Presented by the ⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠ and sponsored by ⁠Spira Capital⁠, Season #3 will build on Season #1 by highlighting the next wave of startup founders in the Ron Brown Scholar Program's alumni network.

From AI, web3, and B2B SaaS to robotics, energy, and CPG, you'll hear how Ron Brown alumni are changing the world through innovation and entrepreneurship, diving into their personal upbringings and backgrounds, the origins of their ideas, and the successes and challenges they've had along the way.

This episode features Ray Pryor, IV (RBS '15), Founding Director of the Ron Brown Venture Lab, and Ethan Monreal-Jackson (RBS '08) and Co-Founder of Spira Capital and Founder of Newtype Ventures. To learn more, visit ronbrown.org.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit spiracapital.co, that’s C-O.

Independent artists and creatives take pride in the uphill battle in the music industry, but Mylan Henderson (2014 Ron Brown Captain and Co-Founder & CEO of Certo Music) is building the platform that will make independence the ultimate goal for artists, not just a stepping stone to a record deal.

This episode is hosted by ⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠, that's C-O.

Phillip Champagne (2017 Ron Brown Captain and Co-Founder & CEO of Touchpoint) could have easily had a long, fulfilling career as a lawyer, but he's chosen to have an exponential impact on the profession by supercharging the legal teams in enterprise and mid-sized companies with AI.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠, that's C-O.

Despite undeniable traffic that Gen-Z entrepreneurs receive making 5-7 figures or more just using social media, Shawn Filer (2017 Ron Brown Captain and Co-Founder & Head of Product at ⁠Catch It⁠) is building the tools they need to turn what on paper may look just like a side hustle into investment-ready businesses that can access capital markets.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠, that's C-O.

Brothers Rusty & River Fields (2017 Ron Brown Scholar and 2021 Ron Brown Captain, and the Co-Founders of Honey Glow) have done virtually everything together since birth (including launch the first Black residency hacker house in their Bedstuy brownstone), but once a homemade remedy for their grandmother went viral on TikTok multiple times and did millions in sales within the first quarter, they were ready to do and learn whatever it took to build the clean, superfood-forward beauty brand that it was clear the market needed.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠spiracapital.co⁠, that's C-O.

As a chess-master and foundation leader turned engineer, linguist, and hedge fund investor, Tyrone Davis, III (2018 Ron Brown Scholar and the Co-Founder & CEO of Miyagi Labs) explored many ideas after getting into Y-Combinator. At the center of every idea was a passion for education, and now he's using AI to help learners of all types maximize the virtually limitless knowledge that exists on YouTube.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠spiracapital.co⁠, that's C-O.

After pivoting away from building web3 security tools, Emmanuel Udotong (2015 Ron Brown Captain and the Co-Founder & CEO of Shield) is building the decentralized financial infrastructure for import-export businesses right when they need it most.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠spiracapital.co⁠, that's C-O.

Our loyal listeners from Season #1 might recognize a familiar name, face, and voice.

After his first startup building AI automation tools for restaurants got acquired, Colin Webb (2014 Ron Brown Scholar and Founder & CEO of Avatar Robotics) reset his sights on the technological passion of his childhood and college career: robotics.

While breakthroughs in AI, hardware, and remote work already made Avatar an exciting opportunity for Colin, he also can't overstate how desperately the United States economy, especially our manufacturing industries, need robotics to stay alive and keep up with consumer demand.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠spiracapital.co⁠, that's C-O.

Jadal Williams (2017 Ron Brown Scholar and the Co-Founder & CEO of ⁠Vision Sense Analytics⁠) has applied computer vision (CV), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) to construction, professional sports, retail, and now the equine industry by saving horses worth millions of dollars from a disease that can kill them within hours.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠spiracapital.co⁠, that's C-O.

Florence Onyiuke is a 2022 Ron Brown Scholar in the Huntsman Program studying International Relations and Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Florida representing U.S. District 7, she is the 1st Rhodes Scholar in program history.

To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠⁠.

Dr. Joel Bervell is a 2013 Ron Brown Captain and a member of Ron Brown’s Advisory Board.

Known as the "Medical Mythbuster", Joel's social media platforms (@joelbervell) have grown to over 1.5 million followers, 500 million+ impressions, and a monthly reach of more than 10 million people. His work has been featured by the White House, The New York Times, NPR, Good Morning America, FDA, TED, SXSW, Google, Microsoft, Meta, AMA, Forbes, TIME, and more.

Joel's also the the host of The Dose, a podcast by The Commonwealth Fund, and he’s creator of  The Doctor Is In, a mixed live action and animated TV series on YouTube for kids.

He earned his bachelor's degree in cellular and molecular biology at Yale, master’s in Medical Clinical Sciences at Boston University, and MD at Washington State University.

To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

Across his career as a consultant at McKinsey, director at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Partner at BCG, and now a Partner at Strategy&, Dr. Diarra Lamar⁠'s (RBS '97) clients have included providers, payers, service providers, pharma and tech companies, as well as investors across the healthcare space. He earned his bachelor's degree in Cognitive Neurosciences, MD, and MBA from Harvard University.

To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

Dr. Keon Pearson is a 2011 Ron Brown Scholar and Medical Director of Human Longevity where he works on the frontier of longevity medicine, a fast-emerging field of medicine aiming to extend lifespan and improve healthspan.

Prior to that, he worked with healthcare startups as a Scout investor for Lightspeed Venture Partners.

He studied Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University as an undergraduate and earned his MD and MBA from Stanford University.

To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

After years as an educator, management consultant, and impact investor for family offices, Jay Lundy (2005 Ron Brown Scholar and Managing Director of NAACP Capital) is building a $200M fund of funds platform that is combining the power of venture capital with the legacy and influence of the oldest civil rights organization in the United States to close gaps across health, education, climate, and economic opportunity.

This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠⁠, that’s C-O.