The 36th Annual Wharton Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Conference

Jonathan P. Hicks

Jonathan P. Hicks is an award winning writer and journalist with 30 years of experience covering politics, business, industry and the role of people of color in the world of business. Mr. Hicks is a senior fellow at the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

For 24 years, he worked for The New York Times, where he covered the politics of New York State and New York City. During that time, he developed a reputation as one of the foremost authorities on the inner workings of the political culture in New York City and New York State. He was also the editor of the book, From Disaster to Diversity: What’s Next For New York City’s Economy. It was a collection of essays by a number of prominent New Yorkers, offering ideas and arguments, proposals and prescriptions on how to make New York City stronger and healthier than ever.

Mr. Hicks also hosts Urban Focus, a weekly radio program that brings together politicians, policy makers, industry practitioners, scholars and expert analysts. Urban Focus explores a range of issues that affect underserved areas and communities of color from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to Cape Town, South Africa. More recently, he served as the script writer on Backdoor Channels: The Price of Peace, a documentary about the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel during the presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Outside of writing and journalism, Mr. Hicks remains involved in a number of philanthropic issues. He served for four years as chairman of the Kappa Alpha Psi New York Foundation, a role in which he helped raise $250,000 for scholarships for college-bound students in New York City.

Mr. Hicks has been recognized for his contribution receiving: the New York Times’ Publishers Award; the New York Association of Black Journalists public service writing award; and the New York Chapter of the National Black MBA Association awards for excellence in journalism.

Dr. B. Kembrel Jones

Dr. B. Kembrel Jones is Deputy Vice Dean for Student Life at The Wharton School where he works with the student body on all issues outside the academic realm. He advises the Wharton Graduate Association, the Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Committee, and the Student Life Advisory Board. In addition to this role, he serves on the Wharton communication program’s faculty. Prior to joining Wharton, Dr. Jones was Associate Dean for the full-time MBA Program at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta where he was responsible for leading the MBA program and serving as a member of the marketing and communication program’s faculty. Dr. Jones has both a master’s degree and doctoral degree from Harvard University and his MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory.

Pamela Jolly

Founder & CEO, Torch Enterprises

Pamela brings more than 15 years of proven leadership and strategic management expertise in financial services, real estate, education, media, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. In 2004 Pamela launched Torch Enterprises and for the past six years she has advised minority businesses, underserved communities, Pastors, and faith based organizations on how to best transform their communities using a methodology she created that incorporates shared community visions with alternative investments and unique fundraising methods. Torch is firm focused on creating, sustaining and increasing wealth for minority owned businesses and our inner city communities. The firm works to overcome financial oppression by working together with sources of financial and social capital to form closed loop communities. Since 2005 Pamela has concentrated her efforts on the rebuilding effort in New Orleans and thus has become very well versed in investment strategies that incorporate both the social and financial returns desired by private, corporate and community investors. In 2006 she launched OneTorch, a Louisiana faith based 501c(3) focused on building coalitions to pave the way home for residents currently still displaced across the country.

In spring of 2009 Pamela graduated from Boston University's School of Theology with MTs in Systematic Theology. Pamela also holds an MBA with a major in Strategic Management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, a B.S in Marketing from Hampton University and she is currently pursuing her Ed.D from the Graduate Theological Foundation. She is Founder of the Wharton African American Alumni Association and speaks across the country on wealth building opportunities highlighting investments in underserved communities.

Mike Muse

CEO &Co-Founder, Muse Recordings

Mike Muse, a former industrial engineer serves, is the co-founder of Detroit based Muse Recordings, overseeing the satellite office in New York City. With several artists already signed, the label has, in less than two years, released their debut album, Marc’s Project. The instant buzz that surrounded the album allowed Muse Recordings to establish partnerships with the NFL (Super Bowl), NBA (summer tour), McDonalds (commercial, jingle, promotion), Starbucks (partner, acoustic tour), and Chrysler. Muse Recordings has also partnered with Sean “Diddy” Combs and rap artist, Nelly on social awareness projects, as well as the United Nations “Standup” concert in New York’s Time Square. As part of the NBA’s Rhythm n Rims Tour, Muse Recordings’ artists shared the stage with music superstars Keyshia Cole and Jagged Edge.

In addition to running Muse Recordings, Mike is currently producing a Broadway play that will make its debut next spring. He can be heard as a guest commentator on the business of music and politics at the highest rated urban radio stations in the country; 107.5 WGCI, in Chicago, Detroit’s WJLB FM98, and NY’s Hot 97. He is a guest lecturer on various topics dealing with the business of music at Berklee College of Music, Wharton School of Business, Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at New York University, Stern School of Business, and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He also created and was co-Lecturer of Jermaine Dupri’s College Book/Speaking Tour; “The Making of a Music Mogul.” In addition, he has been a BET on air “Word” commentator and a BET “Year End Review” commentator.

Mike was named a Distinguished Fellow from the National Association of Television Programming Executives, Kappa Alpha Psi Achievement Award recipient, the Gillette “Man of Style” Award for Style and Substance, YGB Entrepreneurial Award, and recipient of the “5 Under 10” Award, a recognition given to five distinguished University of Michigan young alumni. He served as member of President Barack Obama’s tri-state area finance committee and was a fundraiser for the Presidential Inaugural Committee for President Obama. In addition, Mike is a member of the Democratic National Committee National Finance Committee and National Advisory board and was a part of Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg’s campaign committee. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Brooklyn Child and Family Services, and has been featured twice on the cover of Crain’s magazine, the preeminent destination for business news in New York as well as on the cover of NV Magazine’s “Movers and Shakers” issue.

Americus Reed, II

Americus Reed, II is the Whitney M. Young Jr., Associate Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he has served on faculty since 2000. He received a Ph.D. (Consumer Behavior and Social Psychology) from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business after receiving two master’s degrees (Organizational Behavior and Market Research Methods) and a B.B.A (Strategy) from Georgia State University. Professor Reed’s primary research and consulting areas are in brand equity and specifically identity driven marketing – the study of creating and fostering “brand communities” that transcend the utilitarian aspects of products; connect to deep levels of emotional and social affiliation, and cultivate lifelong loyalty with consumers. In 2005, his academic work in this area received honorable mention for the prestigious Robert Ferber Award for academic impact in the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) and in 2009 he received JCR’s Best Paper Award. Professor Reed has authored more than 25 articles and book chapters on the topic. He teaches courses in customer analysis, branding and consumer psychology to undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and executive students. He is also the course head for the core MBA marketing strategy course.