Meet Our Advisory board
The mission of the Division of Business and Economics Advisory Board is to advise the Division regarding its progress and interactions with individuals, corporations, and agencies external to Morehouse and to develop, plan, and facilitate specific targeted activities that advance the Division’s goals through outreach to them.
Keith Burks, Chairperson
Dr. SherRhonda “Sher” Gibbs
became dean of the Division of Business and Economics at on July 1, 2022. Previously, she served as Dean of the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO). Prior to joining UNC, Dr. Gibbs was associate dean of accreditation and analytics, and interim director of the University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) School of Management, the largest school in the College of Business. During her 12-year tenure at USM, she held the Alvin Williams Endowed Chair of Minority Entrepreneurship, was promoted and tenured. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all sherrhonda gibbs >
SherRhonda Gibbs
Board Chair/
Dean Chair
Keith Burks is a McKinsey & Company and GE Capital experienced Chief Financial Officer, P&L leader and Chief Marketing & Analytics Officer. He is a Partner of Burks Investment Group, which makes private investments to, in turn, provide scholarships for students to attend college, improve healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, and provide meals for hungry children in the world. Following its leaders’ backgrounds in financial services and retail finance, Burks Investment Group focuses on financial and online retail investments. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all keith burks >
Keith Burks
Chairperson of the Board
Darla Pires DeGrace is the
Global Head of Diversity Talent Acquisition for
Morgan Stanley. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all darla pires degrace >
Darla Pires DeGrace
Board Member
Elicia was named chief marketing officer for the American Family enterprise in July 2021. In this role, she leads the marketing and customer functions across the American Family operating companies. Elicia studied marketing at The Ohio State University and earned the Pace Setters Award from the Fisher College of Business in 2005 and 2021. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all elicia azali >
Elicia Azali
Board Member
Cassius F. Butts
has worked alongside domestic and international heads of state, presidents, and CEOs for the past 30 years. He founded Capital Fortitude Business Advisors consulting firm and currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Partner with Global Leader Group. In 2021, Cassius was appointed as the national co-chair of the General Services Administration’s Policy Acquisition Committee. He was also appointed to serve on the Biden-Harris Agency Transition Team. In 2020, he was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to serve on the Georgia Economic Development Board. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all cassius f. butts >
Cassius F. Butts
Board Member
Jason R. Crain
is the President of Slutty Vegan, Inc. which includes 3 vegan concepts: Slutty Vegan Atl, Dinkies and Bar Vegan Atl. Previously, he was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Amazon.com, where he built innovative visual search and augmented reality products for mobile online shopping. Jason also Co-founded & served as Chief Operating Officer of Partpic, Inc., a VC backed visual search and machine learning startup focused on the MRO/hardware industry. In 2016 it was successfully acquired by Amazon.com. He also held leadership roles at Shazam, which was acquired by Apple, and Google, Inc. in NYC. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all jason r. crain >
Jason R. Crain
Board Member
Craig Huffman
Board Member
Ray Lawal
graduated cum laude with a BA in Economics from and received his MA from The School of Oriental and African Studies, London (SOAS). Mr. Lawal has since held senior sales and commercial positions at IBM, SAP & Zendesk, and was also Director of Global Assessment Certificate program in Zhengzhou, China where he oversaw a team of education leads and development specialists. He joined Apple in 2016 and is currently the Country Sales Manager for Nigeria. He and his family reside in Lagos, Nigeria. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all ray lawal >
Ray Lawal
Board Member
Kalu Nchege
, a cum laude graduate of , is in the early stages of his career as a Lead Analyst with the National Football League (NFL) through their prestigious Rotational Program. In just a year and a half, he’s made impactful contributions as an Event Strategist, Club & Labor Finance Analyst, and currently serves as a Social & Influencer Marketing Producer. During his tenure, Nchege has helped develop future tentpole (Super Bowl & Draft) location bid strategies, conceptualize content for @NFL channels while managing the day-to-day relationships with league partners, and tackle complex business issues, including revenue sharing and player costs, crucial to calculating the NFL’s Salary Cap. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all kalu nchege >
Kalu Nchege
Board Member
Ian Niemeyer
is an Associate at Corlex Capital, an Atlanta-based independent sponsor. Prior to Corlex, Ian was an Associate at an Austin-based private equity firm focused on technology enabled services businesses. Ian graduated with a BA in Economics, summa cum laude, from . data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all ian niemeyer >
Ian Niemeyer
Board Member
Bryan Rand
Board Member
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Ron Redd
Board Member
Kerstin Resch
Board Member
Courtney has over 25 years of experience with PwC in providing business advice to clients. His experience within the healthcare industry is focused primarily on hospitals, academic medical centers and physician practices. Courtney is a Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Consulting Solutions practice, focused on healthcare transactions/deals and operations transformation. data-bio-link= class= card resource-card mix all courtney showell, sr. >
Courtney Showell, Sr.
Board Member
David A. Thomas, Ph.D.
David A. Thomas, Ph.D.
Emeritus President,
John E. Williams
Ex-Officio Board Member