The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and its Board of Directors recently hosted a CEO Impact Awards event in New York City in front of a capacity crowd to honor the influence and actions of outstanding role models to students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The event raised $500,000.
The dinner honored Bayo Ogunlesi, founding partner, chairman and chief executive officer of Global Infrastructure Partners and a senior managing director of BlackRock, for his dedication to HBCUs.
“Bayo has made a tremendous impact on the institutions and students we serve,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said. “TMCF and our constituents collectively have benefited from his commitment.”
Racquel Oden, chair of TMCF’s Board of Directors, provided remarks throughout the evening and hosted a fireside chat with Ogunlesi.
“The CEO Impact Award is a national honor that recognizes the noteworthy and significant accomplishments of a CEO as a role model for students attending HBCUs,” Oden said. “Mr. Bayo Ogunlesi embodies the purpose of this award.”
Oden and Ogunlesi discussed his tenure as a legal clerk for the TMCF namesake, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and his career transition from law to finance.
“From legal, to finance, to creating and owning GIP, and now your company is part of BlackRock, your career has spanned numerous professional accomplishments,” Oden said. “You are a man of impact and I hope our audience will learn a bit beyond your bio during this discussion.”
The inaugural Legacy of Impact Award was accepted on behalf of Equitable Holdings by its chief operating officer, Jeffrey J. Hurd, in recognition of the company’s decade-long partnership with TMCF, leveraging its systems to provide pathways for students to get to and through college and supports K-12 educators with enhanced instructional and leadership skills.
Nya Anderson, a Howard University alumna, shared her story and how TMCF impacted her academic career.
“When I hit what I thought was a wall, it turned out to be simply a door in the dark that started my journey with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It began with scholarships and turned into something bigger,” Anderson said. “While my HBCU developed my technical skills, the soft ones were forged, shaped and sharpened in my first role that has paved the way for every other I’ve held since as a Thurgood Marshall College Fund scholar.”
The event was co-chaired by Oden and Rich Kushel, senior managing director, head of the portfolio management group at BlackRock.
A digital program from the event is available for online viewing. More CEO Impact Award regional events are forthcoming in 2025. Event sponsors included BlackRock; HPS Investment Partners; HSBC; Equitable Holdings; AllianceBernstein; the NHL; Willkie Farr & Gallagher; DoubleVerify; MetLife and WNS.
