2023 Alumni of Color Network Weekend Award winners

In recognition of the college’s breadth of diverse and successful alumni, Fisher hosted its third annual Alumni of Color Network Weekend. The event provided graduates with a chance to reconnect on campus, to celebrate the accomplishments of a select few who have made meaningful contributions to their professions, impacted academia and provided a legacy of professional excellence, and to gather for an Ohio State football win over Youngstown State.

“At Fisher, we are thought leaders, and our biggest legacy is our alumni who are positively changing our communities and our world,” Anil Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business, told attendees. “We gather together this weekend to celebrate our outstanding alumni who bring us a degree of diversity, different backgrounds and different perspectives.”

During the weekend’s Evening of Celebration, three individuals were recognized with Alumni of Color Legacy Awards — Steven R. Brand (BSBA ’98, BA ’98), Angel Fernandez (MBA ’11, JD ’11) and Ami Scott (BSBA ’94, MBA ’94) — for achieving excellence and recognition in their professional careers. Rohan G. Williamson (MA ’96, PhD ’97) was acknowledged for his contributions to higher education with The Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award.

“When I came to Ohio State, I was a nontraditional student. I was married and had two children,” said Brand, deputy chief information officer for Resource Management at the U.S. Department of Energy. “The foundation of my success has been not only my wife, but the education I received at Fisher College of Business.”

David Harrison, senior director of Fisher’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion Student Services and Corporate and Community Outreach, praised Fernandez for being one of the first graduate students to help with the KeyBank Leadership and Creativity Undergraduate Symposium and the KeyBank MBA Student Case Competition — programs that are flourishing today.

“I think we are successful because of the people who stand behind us and give us the platform to succeed,” said Fernandez, CEO of Johnson’s Roofing Services, Inc. “For me there are two people who helped me. My 85-year-old grandmother who was sold into servitude, but at 26 years old came to the U.S. and became a first-generation immigrant. The second is my chemistry teacher from high school who taught me to aim high and always hit the mark. I am standing before you today because of them.”

Harrison recalled meeting and recruiting Scott when she was a senior in high school. He was impressed she was reading “The Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, a favorite story of Harrison’s about a man who thought he was invisible to society.

“David Harrison has been a constant in my life for 35 years. He’s the reason I’m here today,” said Scott, a consultant and coach with Volta Talent Strategies. “David is the reason I have a sense of community — of collaborating, mentoring and teaching. He taught me how to keep giving until it hurts.”

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2023 Alumni of Color Network Weekend

 

Alumni of Color Legacy Award Recipients

The Alumni of Color Legacy Award recognizes Fisher alumni of color who have achieved excellence and recognition in their professional careers and have provided extraordinary service to their alma mater and their respective Black, Hispanic, Latinx and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities.

As the inaugural recipient of the Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award, James Hill had the honor of presenting this year’s award to Williamson, the Bolton Sullivan and Thomas A. Dean Chair of International Business at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

“We were undergraduates together, we studied together, he was a mentor of mine and we pledged the same fraternity,” said Hill, chair of Fisher’s Department of Operations and Business Analytics and a professor of operations management. “And today, with this award, our walks [in life] have come full circle.”

“When we speak of the spirit of the Spratlen Award, we celebrate pioneering curiosity of an individual fully committed to academia,” continued Hill. “It’s clear that Rohan — through his research, leadership and administration — fully embodies the values of the late Dr. Spratlen.”

The Spratlen Award honors educators who achieve profound impact within academia and/or higher education.

“When I think of Ohio State and Fisher College of Business, I think of coming back to my family,” said Williamson. “This here — Ohio State and Fisher — this is home and it is special to receive this award from family.”

The Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award Recipient

The Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award seeks to honor educators who continue in the trailblazing footsteps of our award namesake, achieving great impact within academia and/or higher education.

Earlier in the day, a trio of young alumni were honored with Alumni of Color Emerging Leader Awards and participated in a panel discussion. The recipients — Amjed Osman (BSBA ’16), Mariah Scott (BSBA ’15, MAcc ’16) and Aubrey Yuzer (BA ’05, MBA ’09) — shared with alumni and Fisher students their early career challenges and successes, the importance of networking and mentorship, how they managed uncertainty and unfamiliarity during and after the pandemic and their continuing support of their alma mater.

“The Emerging Leader Awards recognize the contributions of early career Fisher alumni who have made a difference as professionals, in their communities and here at Fisher and Ohio State,” said Cynthia Turner, assistant dean and chief diversity officer at Fisher. “We are proud to uplift these three honorees as examples of the impact of our young alumni. Each one of them represents the very best in what our young alumni have to offer — as professionals and as servants to their communities.”

Alumni of Color Emerging Leader Award Recipients

The Alumni of Color Emerging Leader Award celebrates Fisher alumni of color of the last 15 years who have made early yet meaningful contributions to their profession and their alma mater, and their respective Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities.

“The foundation of my success has been not only my wife, but the education I received at Fisher College of Business.”

Steven R. BrandBSBA '98, BA '98