Washington, DC (November 13, 2015) – The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) will hold its 27th Annual Awards Gala on November 16, 2015 featuring two well-known names from ABC Television – Robin Roberts, award-winning journalist and ABC’s “Good Morning America” (GMA) co-Anchor and Daymond John, Shark on ABC’s Emmy Award winning series, Shark Tank and founder of FUBU. Roberts will serve as the Gala’s Host and John will be honored with the Breaking Barriers Award.
“We are looking forward to an amazing evening next week with Ms. Roberts and Mr. John as we salute our 47 publicly-supported historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)and their students,” said TMCF President & CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. “We will be honoring five remarkable awardees who are some of our country’s foremost visionaries. These leaders have used their status to support education and positively impact the lives of HBCU students.”
Alongside John, four other distinguished leaders will also be honored at TMCF’s premier black-tie event including John O. Brennan, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Samuel R. Allen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Deere & Company; Dr. David Hall, President of the University of the Virgin Islands; and, Thomas A. Cole, Partner and Former Chair of the Executive Committee of Sidley Austin LLP.
Recently named one of DC’s 2015 Top100 Events, TMCF’s sold-out Gala will bring together more than 1,500 of the nation’s business leaders, philanthropists, Members of Congress, DC socialites, and more than 400 star students from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominately Black Colleges (PBIs). The black-tie event, which raised $4.1 million last year, aims to raise over $5 million this year.
“Our annual Gala is critical to furthering our mission to prepare our brightest students in STEM, business, and international studies,” said TMCF Founder Joyce Payne. “It is TMCF’s ultimate goal to reach as many HBCU students as we can and prepare them to compete globally.”
For more information on the TMCF 27th Annual Awards Gala or to make a donation to TMCF, visit tmcf.org.
Note: Members of the working press, who wish to cover this event, will need advance press credentials.
Media Contact:
Tangie Newborn,
tangie.newborn@tmcf.org
202.888.0039 (o) 301.526.9017 (c)
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ABOUT THE THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE FUND (TMCF)
TMCF is named for the U.S. Supreme Court’s first African-American Justice. Established in 1987, TMCF supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending its 47 member-schools that include publicly supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), medical schools and law schools. Through its scholarships and programs, TMCF plays a key role in preparing the leaders of tomorrow. For more information on TMCF, visit tmcf.org.
