Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Illustrious Entrepreneur par Excellence of the Highest Order



Dale LeFebvre

Dale LeFebvre is the founder and Chairman of 3.5.7.11, a holding company that creates value for technology driven companies through a proprietary methodology of Transformational Investing™.

LeFebvre began his career as an intern for Senator Edward Kennedy and as a Bell Laboratories fellow. He then went on to develop strategic management experience working at several Wall Street merger and acquisition firms and the global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company.

After McKinsey, LeFebvre became the Managing Partner for Pharos Capital Group, one of the largest minority private equity firms and served as Managing Partner for AIC Caribbean Fund, the largest Caribbean-focused private equity firm.

LeFebvre holds a BS in Electrical & Electronic Engineering (1993) from MIT, an MBA from Harvard Business School (1999), a JD from Harvard Law School (1999), and a MFA in Literature and Poetry from American University (2016). LeFebvre is also the holder of a software patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Patent # 8321271.

Dale has managed and raised more than $1 billion in institutional capital. The current portfolio generates more than $300 million with operations in 11 states and territories, and now employs more than 1600. He is an alum of McKinsey and Company and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including a Bell Labs Fellowship, a Harvard Law Traphagen, and the 2006 Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellowship. He also holds multiple patents.

An engaged participant in his community, Dale serves on several Boards, including the Abraham Lincoln National Council of Ford's Theater Society, the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the University of the Virgin Islands Foundation where he has endowed a fellowship. He is also an Emeritus Board Member of the National Urban League. In 2015, Dale was appointed Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s National Finance Committee and is a member of YPO.

A passionate foodie, Dale has cooked for various restaurateurs, oenophiles, celebrities and the President of the United States. He is a native of Beaumont, Texas and a resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands who currently splits his time between the Virgin Islands and Washington D.C. Dale is a 2006 Henry Crown Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Images courtesy of Black Enterprise and Dale LeFebvre




Saturday, September 17, 2016

An Enduring Legacy for Youth in STEM


Karl W. Reid, Ed.D. - Executive Director - NSBE


Dr. Karl Reid is the Executive Director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), a 30,000 plus student-governed association in Alexandria, VA whose mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the global community.

On June 2, 2014, Dr. Reid was named Executive Director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the world’s largest student-run engineering organization. Prior to joining NSBE, Dr. Reid was Senior Vice President of Research, Innovation and Member College Engagement at UNCF. In this capacity, he developed and implemented educational, research and capacity-building programs for UNCF’s 37 member historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Dr. Reid arrived at UNCF from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after serving as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (DUE), Assistant to the Chancellor for Diversity and Director of the Office of Minority Education. He lectures on race, identity, and achievement and blogs about student success in college.

Prior to his previous appointments, Dr. Reid served as the Executive Director of Engineering Outreach Programs (OEOP) for MIT’s School of Engineering, where he directed the nationally recognized Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) Program, a residential summer program for talented high school seniors.

During his tenure at MIT, he also founded the Saturday Engineering Enrichment and Discovery (SEED) Academy, and the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Program, both of which are year-round academic and mentoring programs for local high school and middle school students.

Dr. Reid began his career in the computer industry in product management, marketing, sales and consulting for several companies, including six years with IBM. Dr Reid earned both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and his Doctorate of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. From his dissertation research on African American male achievement in college, he conducted workshops and seminars to high school and university faculty audiences.  Reid is now supporting NSBE’s National Executive Board and the Society’s 31,000 members in reaching the main goal of NSBE’s 10-year Strategic Plan: to move black students and professionals from underrepresentation to overrepresentation in engineering within the U.S., by producing 10,000 Black Engineers annually in the country, by 2025.

Dr. Reid is a member of the DC STEM Network Advisory Council and the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers’ “Dream Big” IMAX Movie Technical Advisory Council.

Image Credit and Excerpts from LinkedIn and NSBE

Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Ed.D., Racial Identity, Self-Efficacy, Achievement
2001 – 2007

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S., Materials Science and Engineering
1984 – 1985

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering
1980 – 1984




Friday, September 9, 2016

Outstanding Dynamics and Creativity of a Visionary Couple



Diane J. Hoskins
FAIA
Co-CEO, Gensler

Diane is one of two Gensler Co-CEOs, whose collaborative leadership model sets itself apart in the marketplace as a leading global design firm. For her innovative leadership, she and Co-CEO Andy Cohen rank on Business Insider’s elite “Creators” list, a who’s who of the world’s 100 top creative visionaries. 

A hands-on leader, Diane oversees Gensler’s global platform and its day-to-day operations, some 5,000+ people networked across 46 offices, serving clients in 120+ countries. Diane is focused on Gensler’s global talent strategies, performance and organizational development to ensure that we serve our clients with the world’s top talent. She is Vice Chair of Gensler’s Board of Directors and the catalyst for Gensler’s Research program, for which Diane is committed to delivering value to clients through strategies and innovations like Gensler’s Workplace Performance Index® (WPI). 

A Registered Architect, she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (SB '79) Architecture + Planning and holds an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA (MBA '87). Diane received an Outstanding Impact Award from the Council of Real Estate Women and is both a Regent of the American Architectural Foundation and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Her insights have appeared in the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post and The Economist; and she was a featured speaker at Bloomberg Businessweek’s CEO Conference. In her role as Co-CEO, Diane is one of the key contributors to what is acknowledged, by its peers, to be the most admired and largest architecture firm in the world, pioneering project types and design innovation strategies for the next century.

As shared from Gensler.com



Victor Hoskins
Director
Arlington County Economic Development (AED)

Victor was appointed director of economic development for Arlington County Virginia in January 2015. He brings more than 25 years of experience in economic development and executive leadership. Hoskins comes to Arlington after serving as Prince George’s County, MD.’s deputy chief administrative officer for Economic Development and Public Infrastructure (2014). Before working for Prince George’s, he was Washington, DC deputy mayor for planning and economic development since 2011. “Victor will bring a wealth of experience, creativity and dynamism to our team. He will be leading AED at a time of increased challenges and opportunities for Arlington,” County Manager Barbara Donnellan said in a press release. 

Hoskins has a long track record of working in DC and Maryland in both housing and economic development, serving as former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s cabinet secretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development. From 2009-2011, he was the Vice President of Quadel Consulting, a District-based affordable housing consulting and training firm.

“I’m excited to join the Arlington team, and look forward to marketing a county known across the nation as a leader in transit-oriented, sustainable development,” Hoskins said in a statement. “I can’t wait to be a part of this innovative government that holds itself to the highest ethical standards and promotes a healthy work-life balance.”

During his tenure with Prince George's County he led efforts to bring a $123 million conference center and hotel at University of Maryland College Park, and attracted the first foreign directed investment from China to build a $63.5 million mixed use project in College Park for professors and graduate students.  As deputy mayor for Washington, DC his achievements included the creation of 52,600 jobs through public private partnership projects and the groundbreaking and/or completion of 87 commercial/retail/hotel/residential projects totaling $7.5 billion in 3 years, including the Southwest Waterfront project and City Center project. He also initiated the transformation of the city’s Tech Ecosystem with the attraction of accelerator Fortify VC, expansion of Tech Tax Credits, and the establishment of tech startup co-working space 1776. He also held leadership roles with Urban America LP, and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Mr. Hoskins holds a Master’s degree (MCP '81) in City Planning: Real Estate Finance/ Economic Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Bachelor of Arts ('79), Cum Laude: Psychology/Urban Studies from Dartmouth College. He also studied Development Finance at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.


Images courtesy of Gensler and Arlington County respectively