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Dwayne Tucker’s leadership is steering Tennessee State University (TSU) in a positive direction. Tucker is an alum of the school, having earned a bachelor’s in business management in 1980, according to a press release. He assumed the role of interim president at the university in December 2024, succeeding Ronald Johnson, who was forced to resign. WKRN News 2 reports he also previously led a network of charter schools in the metropolitan area. Tucker brings experience in human resources and profit and loss for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, notes the press release. He has also established board of director and compensation committee strategy, governance, and compliance-related programs. “It’s my pleasure to accept appointment of interim president for our beloved Tennessee State University,” Tucker expressed in the news release. “I also want to thank our board of trustees for their confidence in me as well as the bigger big blue community in terms of their support and...
Gary Eave has honored his former baseball coach’s wishes to “finish strong.” According to Grambling State News, Eave enrolled at Grambling State University in 1981. The opportunity was made possible through a scholarship presented to him by Coach Wilbert Ellis, who discovered him while he was attending the Baptist Youth Encampments on campus. “I kept looking at him and said, ‘that guy’s a ball player,’” Ellis said, according to the outlet. “But beyond talent, Gary had character. He came from a strong, spiritual family. Grambling was the place he needed to be.” The greatness that Ellis recognized did materialize. Eave became an All-American pitcher and secured three SWAC championships for the Historically Black College and University (HBCU). He went on to Major League Baseball in 1985, drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 12th round, according to Baseball Reference. He later represented the Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants. While this was rewarding, he still felt called...
Beyoncé has officially reached billionaire status. The Houston-born entertainer and businesswoman has been working professionally since she was a child as a member of Girls Tyme, which later became Destiny’s Child. The group was managed by her father, Mathew Knowles. Parkwood Entertainment Beyoncé has taken greater agency in her career through a slew of moves. In 2010, she launched Parkwood Entertainment, formerly Parkwood Pictures, which is responsible for her music and video production, management, marketing, digital, creative, philanthropy, and record label, Parkwood Music, according to its LinkedIn page. “When I decided to manage myself, it was important that I didn’t go to some big management company,” Beyoncé explained at a Q&A held during a SVA Directors Screening in 2013. “I felt like I wanted to follow the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire and show other women when you get to this point in your career, you don’t have to go sign with someone...
Dr. Jaha Howard isn’t your average dentist. The Atlanta native is a Howard University alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, according to information on his LinkedIn profile. His website states that he graduated at the top of his class and went on to earn a doctorate in dental surgery in 2007. Later transitioning to the University of Illinois, he obtained a master’s degree in oral science and became a specialist in pediatric dentistry . Dr. Howard currently owns his own practice, A+ Pediatric Dentistry of Atlanta, which offers children’s dental care and orthodontics. In addition to not requiring patients to have insurance, it provides preventive care through an affordable monthly subscription tier. Beyond health care, he is passionate about education, small business, and politics, as reflected in his steadfast public service. Dr. Howard, who was victorious in Georgia’s Senate District 35 special election on Dec. 16, CBS News reports, previously served on the Cobb County...
Aliko Dangote, the wealthiest Black man in the world, is making a financial commitment to Nigeria’s education system through a philanthropic initiative. The Aliko Dangote Foundation announced it will invest 1 trillion naira, approximately $688 million USD, over the next 10 years to support education initiatives across the country, according to Business Insider Africa. The pledge is one of the largest private investments in Nigeria’s education sector and aims to expand access to schooling while strengthening academic outcomes nationwide. The program is set to begin in 2026 with support for 45,000 students, eventually reaching around 1.33 million over a decade, notes the outlet. The foundation said the initiative will focus on students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as girls’ education and teacher training. Dangote, who serves as chairman of the foundation, said the initiative is intended to address financial barriers that prevent many Nigerian...
Omar Shaheed III stepped into unfamiliar territory in technology, and now he is setting an example after accomplishing a historical first. The 23-year-old graduated from Berkeley High School in 2020 and was offered an opportunity to apply to South Carolina State University’s mechatronics engineering program by Dr. Hasanul Basher, a professor and chairman of SC State’s Department of Engineering Technology, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™. The program was in its infancy, and Shaheed was its first student. The program is geared toward equipping students in electronics, control systems, robotics, communications, computer technology, and power systems to work at companies such as Boeing, BMW, Eli Lilly, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, according to information on the program’s website. When Dr. Basher approached Shaheed, the program was still in development at the Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Shaheed admitted he was...
These two Black women leading autonomous vehicle companies are leaders to watch out for in 2026, according to Forbes. Aicha Evans Aicha Evans, who has led Zoox as CEO since 2019, oversaw a major industry milestone when Amazon acquired the self-driving auto startup in 2020 for about $1.2 billion, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The acquisition aimed to advance ride-hailing while keeping Zoox as a standalone business under Amazon. Evans said the deal “solidifies Zoox’s impact on the industry” and expands opportunities to develop fully driverless vehicles. Before joining Zoox, Evans spent more than a decade at Intel in senior engineering and strategy roles, bringing extensive tech and operational experience to her leadership at the startup. In an interview with Bloomberg, Evans discussed the recent launch of Zoox’s self-driving shuttles in Las Vegas, calling it “more than a decade in the making.” “We finally launched it essentially to the public, which is really nice,” she said. “If...
Dr. Carlotta A. Berry’s journey with engineering is anything but ordinary. From her early days at Spelman College to her current role as a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Berry has consistently challenged the norms of STEM education. Alongside her work in mobile robotics and human-robot interaction, she is a mentor, author, and advocate dedicated to diversifying technology and empowering historically marginalized communities. Early Roots Berry’s STEM foundation began at Spelman College, where she earned a mathematics degree in 1992, then continued at Georgia Institute of Technology ( Georgia Tech ), earning a bachelor’s in electrical engineering through a dual-degree program in 1993, according to her LinkedIn. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Vanderbilt University in 2003, focusing on human-robot interfaces for mobile robots. “Going from Spelman to Georgia Tech was like night and day. I...
Coco Gauff, the American tennis player and two-time Grand Slam champion, remains a leading figure in sports and business in 2025. For the third consecutive year, she has been recognized as the highest-paid female athlete, according to Sportico. Gauff, who won her second Grand Slam in women’s singles during this year’s French Open, tops the 2025 ranking with an estimated $31 million in total earnings, ahead of rival tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, who earned $30 million. She is also one of only four women to surpass $30 million in a single year, named alongside Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and Serena Williams, per the outlet. The annual list reflects continued growth in women’s sports. All 15 athletes on the list, which included Caitlin Clark, Osaka, Simone Biles, and Venus Williams, earned at least $10 million, compared to 11 in 2024 and six in 2023, notes Sportico. Tennis continues to dominate, with 10 of the top 15 earners coming from the sport. As the outlet notes, Gauff’s total...
Grambling State University (GSU) criminal justice major Janiah Tims graduated on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, with a decorated resume — and a graduation cap to match. With a 3.94 GPA, Tims graduated as valedictorian and the highest-ranking student of GSU’s Fall 2025 class, Grambling State News reports . She completed her degree in just two and a half years, having entered college with 21 dual-enrollment credits earned while attending Bastrop High School in Bastrop, LA. Although the curriculum was “pretty hard,” Tims said it helped prepare her for success as she arrived at the Historically Black College and University, per the outlet. “I was really doing the same kind of work in the dual enrollment courses that I ended up doing in college,” Tims told Grambling State News. “So there really wasn’t a big difference.” Tims said she completed most of her core college requirements through dual enrollment, including English 101 and 102, History 101 and 102, Music Appreciation, and Psychology 102....
Avante Price and Eli Taylor-Lemire are finding great success with their live events platform, POSH. The pair were students at New York University (NYU) and met while working at events. Price was a DJ, and Taylor-Lemire was a photographer. During an interview with Forbes, Price shared that the pair initially worked with other event brands geared towards college students, who he claims were missing the mark. POSH The founders believed they could create a solution that would provide a better overall event experience for students and organizers, which led to the formation of the live events platform POSH. Though the platform was initially built in 2019 as a software product to benefit the pair directly, it launched to the public in 2023 along with a mobile app. “POSH at the onset was just an IRL events company for NYU and Columbia kids to have a posh upscale experience,” Price told Forbes. “We got a lot of different experience with Eventbrite or these other products that existed at the...
The gift that keeps on giving, MacKenzie Scott, has made another contribution to an HBCU. As previously reported by AFROTECH™ , the philanthropist, who acquired the vast majority of her $35 billion net worth following a divorce from Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, has donated millions to various Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She was inspired to give to others by the late author Toni Morrison, who was her teacher and mentor. After Scott became a billionaire, she pledged to give half her wealth away and signed The Giving Pledge. Some of her investments in higher education this year alone include: Voorhees University ($19 million) Howard University ($80 million) Spelman College ($38 million) Morgan State University ($63 million) Norfolk State University ($50 million) Winston-Salem State University ($50 million) North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University ($63 million) Prairie View A&M University ($63 million) Dillard University ($19 million) “This gift is more...
Tyler, the Creator was recognized in Hollywood on Dec. 6 as Variety presented him with its Innovator of the Decade award during the publication’s annual Hitmakers event. The honor marked a moment of reflection for the artist, who spoke about his 15-year career while accepting the award. According to Variety, he was surprised when he was informed he had been selected and noted that the news made him think about the artists he has long considered innovators, including Stevie Wonder, Missy Elliott, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams. “It made me think like, ‘Yo, I don’t take the time out to look back at what I’ve done, for me, the folks around me, for the last 15 years. For me, always looking forward, me always wondering what the next thing is — that’s where I sit comfortable at,” he told attendees, per the outlet. André 3000 presented the Innovator of the Decade award and highlighted Tyler, the Creator’s influence across multiple creative fields. He noted Tyler, the Creator’s...
Louis Carr is the new president of BET. According to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, Paramount announced that Carr will step into the role after nearly four decades at the company. He is credited for his efforts in the multicultural advertising landscape and for bridging the gap between global corporations and Black and Brown communities. Under his leadership, BET has secured partnerships with Procter & Gamble, Walmart, Unilever, McDonald’s, Meta, and Toyota, among others. Carr’s impact at BET led to billions in advertising sales and investments in diverse communities. “Louis’ leadership has been integral to BET’s success for nearly four decades,” said Paramount TV Media Chair George Cheeks, to whom Carr will report in his newly appointed role, according to the release. “His vision for the future will drive innovation, deepen BET’s cultural impact, and position the brand for continued growth.” Carr will be tasked with carrying forward BET’s foundation of strengthening its...
Kayla Rowe turned pain into a business empire that is helping countless women and raking in major revenue. Rowe is a University of South Florida alum with a degree in public health , which she obtained in 2015, according to information on her LinkedIn. Her mother also planted the seed for her interest in health as a certified nursing assistant, Ebony reports. However, the catalyst for Rowe becoming a founder came after experiencing a miscarriage when she was five months pregnant in 2021. “That was very hard for me,” she told Ebony. “After that happened, I became more aware of everything, what I was eating, putting on my body, [and] I just became more cognizant and aware of health.” Her Fantasy Box A year later, Rowe launched Her Fantasy Box, a plant-based feminine hygiene and wellness brand. With a focus on transparency, safety, and women’s wellness, Rowe shared that it was important for ingredients to be nontoxic and not include parabens, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals...