The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and its Board of Directors recently hosted a CEO Impact Awards event in Charlotte for the second time in two years to honor the influence and actions of an outstanding role model to students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Nearly $500,000 was raised during the event, thanks in part to a verbal committee by the evening’s honoree.
The event honored Eugene A. Woods, chief executive officer of Advocate Health, for his dedication to HBCUs and their students.
“We’re so grateful for Gene’s leadership, impact and generosity,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said. “So many lives have benefited from his commitment.”
In his remarks, Woods delivered a message of hope and drew inspiration from TMCF’s namesake, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
“A lesson to be drawn from Justice Marshall is that hope, in and of itself, is necessary but insufficient. Hope needs not just our hearts, but the action of our hands and unwavering courage —to convert it into meaningful, sustainable progress,” he said. “Justice Marshall believed in the right of every American— to receive a quality education, and he turned that hope into reality with his action, in successfully litigating Brown v. Board of Education at the Supreme Court.”
Woods also said he was extending an internship offer to one of the event’s student speakers, TaRetta Bright, a junior health services management major at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
The event was co-chaired by Robert A. Engel, chairman of Banking for Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Bank; Jeffrey J. “JB” Brown, president of Hendrick Automotive Group; and the Honorable Harvey B. Gantt, former mayor of Charlotte. Host committee members included Andres Alvarado (Marand Builders), John Anton (Momentec Brands), Cathy Bessant (Foundation For The Carolinas), Christopher Bylone van Sandwyk (Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation), Malcomb Coley (Ernst & Young), Toya Everett (CBRE), Rob Harrington (Robinson Bradshaw), Russ Hutchison (Ally), Ju-Don Marshall (WFAE), Machell W. Mims (Lowe’s Companies), Kimberly Moore-Wright (Truist), Munya Muvezwa (McKinsey & Company), Brandi Newman (Advocate Health) and Deidra Parrish Williams (Trane Technologies). Representatives from the Honorable Alma Adams’ office and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles were also in attendance.
The CEO Impact Awards began in 2024 at an event in Charlotte and returned this year to honor the contributions of another chief executive officer in the Queen City. A digital program from the event is available for online viewing. More CEO Impact Award regional events are forthcoming in 2025.
Event sponsors included Advocate Health; Ally; Bank of America; the Charlotte Hornets; Coca Cola Consolidated; Hendrick Automotive Group; Honeywell; Huntington Bank; Lowe’s; Robinson Bradshaw; Trane Technologies; the Carolina Panthers; CBI Workplace Solutions; CBRE; Charlotte Regional Business Alliance; Domtar; DPR Construction; RJ Leeper Construction; Rodgers; Krispy Kreme; Marand Builders; McKinsey & Company; Momentec Brands; Moore & VanAllen; PwC; USAA; Wells Fargo; WFAE; Truist; Whiting Turner; Duke Energy Foundation; Ric Elias; Diversified Maintenance; Ernst & Young LLP; and SteelFab.
