Black Alumni Chapter

Communication alumna went from intern to CEO of national running organization

Shayla Brown — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 17:02:22 +0000

Communication alumna went from intern to CEO of national running organization Shayla Brown Wed, 10/23/2024 - 13:02

��AV alumna Jay Ell Alexander, BA Communication ’08, joined Black Girls RUN!, a national running organization, as a PR intern in 2012. In 2018, she bought the company and has been the owner for the last six years.

“I was looking for hands-on work after graduate school and really immersed myself in learning every end of the business,” said Alexander. “From merchandise and working with our local groups and sponsorships to understanding how to work with corporate partners and building relationships.”

Jay Ell Alexander at one of the Black Girls RUN! marathons. Photo provided.

She added, “The consistency and passion that you need to run a business does not happen overnight, and my time as an intern and contractor with Black Girls RUN! was planting those seeds for me to have what I need now.”

Black Girls RUN! aims to bring Black women to the pavement in terms of endurance, as well as raise awareness of the health disparities that they face.

“Black women are at the top of the charts for most chronic diseases and there’s a stigma that we just don’t care about our health, but we do. We’re trying to change that narrative and show that Black women can be healthy,” said Alexander, who is also a member of George Mason’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

“Working for entrepreneurs, you become a jack of all trades very quickly. George Mason and a dynamic group of communication professors really prepared me for that,” she said.

Her time at George Mason gave her a strong foundation for the tech savviness she would need to helm Black Girls RUN!

“I learned everything from writing code and how to build a website to going out and being a one woman show with a camera and mic,” explained Alexander, who received a Top 40 Under 40 Award from George Mason’s Black Alumni Chapter. “I didn’t have to pay for a new company website. I just do it myself because I have the skills from those classes at George Mason.”

Black Girls RUN! has roughly 248,000 members, 75 groups across the country in most of the major cities, and year-round national conferences. Members participate in national meetups and training for a 5K or a half marathon.

“These are races that we partner with across the country where you come out and meet Black Girls RUN members and we just create a community within the race that people want to come out and be a part of,” said Alexander.

Since 2021, Black Girls RUN! has been in a partnership with Saucony, the running shoes, clothing, gear, and accessory company, and produced a custom shoe, the Endorphin Speed 4 BGR, which has sold thousands of shoes. The shoes also come with a custom shoebox and key chain.

In 2020, Saucony reached out to the organization to make a donation to their Black Lives Matter movement.

“[Saucony] was really trying to make an effort to build up their initiative with supporting minorities. Those conversations we were having continued to happen and our relationships continued to blossom,” said Alexander.

Jay Ell Alexander at a shoe signing event. Photo provided.

“The shoe really has been the cherry on top of all the work that we've done over the last three years. This was [Saucony’s] first time doing a pink shoe.”

Black Girls RUN! and Saucony have a multi-year deal and another collaboratively designed shoe will be released in 2025.

“Jay Ell is a super leader. That was always a natural trait that she carried. She really brings people together; she's a facilitator, organizer, and very much so just had a strong suit in terms of operations,” said alumna LaShonda Wilson, BA Communications ’08, who was Alexander’s college roommate and is also godmother to Alexander’s children.

“All of us working together were able to create an organization that was foundationally sound and we all took turns in the various leadership roles,” said Wilson, who along with Alexander and their peers started Urbanknowlodgy 101, a hip-hop dance group at George Mason in 2005, which now has a spin-off nonprofit called Dance Foundation Inc. for alumni.

“My friends and I were those kids that used to stand in line all day to buy Jordans and now my shoe is sold out. Life has just come full circle for me and it’s kind of surreal,” said Alexander.

Topics

Communication Department

Black Alumni Chapter

Alumni

Women's Health

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Celebrating 20 years of Mason’s Black Alumni Chapter

Colleen Rich — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:15:32 +0000

Celebrating 20 years of Mason’s Black Alumni Chapter Colleen Rich Wed, 02/28/2024 - 13:15

In December, ��AV’s Black Alumni Chapter saluted its history while looking to the future at “A Toast to 20,” a gala celebration of the chapter’s 20th anniversary.

Mason's Black Alumni Chapter members gathered in December 2023 to celebrate 20 years. Photo by Tracey Waters-Taylor

The gathering included seven of the founding members: David C. Atkins, BS ’90; Ailsa Burnett, BS ’93, MA ’96, MPA ’08; Conaway Haskins III, BA ’99; Cynthia Porter Johnson, BA ’93, MS ’02; Jerod Parker, BS ’97; Tennille Smith Parker, BA ’97; and Uche Onwudiwe, BS ’95, MA ‘97, who traveled from Africa to celebrate the event.

“Acknowledging the dedication of past leadership is crucial,” said Chapter President Deion Maith, BA ’20. “Giving them their flowers while we can serves as a powerful motivator to elevate the chapter's growth and impact.”

The evening also included 10 past chapter presidents: in addition to Atkins, Johnson ,and Smith Parker, past presidents Deidra Bailey, BA ’09, MEd ’11; Chantée Christian, BA ’05; Timothy Cotman, BA ’06, MEd ’99; Janae Johnson, BS ’11, MAIS ’15; Melissa Bradby Lewis, BA ’04, MA ’09; Ryan Lowry, BS ’06; and Issac W. K. Thweatt, BM ’05, were also in attendance.

“Having been an extremely involved student at Mason, I was surprised how disconnected I felt from the university as a result of my primary collegiate community being almost invisible as it related to their involvement at Mason,” said Atkins. “So, it became important to me to help bring this community back together to begin creating pride and tradition that would strengthen the connection of Black alumni to the university, but also to each other.”

President Washington, Deion Maith, and David Atkins at the Toast to 20 event, which raised almost $40,000 to support the chapter's endowment. Photo by Tracey Waters-Taylor

Mason President Gregory Washington was on hand to recognize the success of the chapter and commend the gathering.

“Consider this, from 2010 to 2019, enrollment of Black undergraduates declined by 20% nationally. Declined by 20%. In comparison, Mason’s Black first-time undergraduate enrollment increased 73% during that period, placing Mason fourth nationally,” Washington said. “This group, for the support it provides and the supportive environment it helps foster, shares in that success.”

Founded in 2003, the chapter has established the Commitment to Diversity Book Award, championed the first Black Graduation Ceremony, and launched the Forty Under 40 celebration, held every three years to highlight the achievements and contributions of its members. In 2011, they became the first Mason alumni chapter to establish their own chapter-driven endowment.

Through the generosity of sponsors, donors, and pledge gifts, the chapter’s Toast to 20 raised nearly $40,000, making it the most successful fundraising event in chapter history.

Top sponsors and donors included Martin A. Taylor, Thweatt, Lowry, and Sodexo U.S., the company that handles dining and catering on Mason’s Fairfax Campus.

Maith credited Atkins’ leadership for the success of the event. “David has played a major role in the development of the chapter—as a founding member, the longest serving president of the chapter, champion of the chapter’s endowment, and 2017 Black Distinguished Alumni,” said Maith. “I approached David early in my presidency to ask him how we should celebrate the 20th anniversary of the chapter. He immediately saw the vision before we could even put pen to paper.”

“The 20th anniversary celebration allowed for this community to pause and reflect on the impact it has made since its founding and express public gratitude to those who have led this chapter over the years and often worked behind the scenes to ensure our Black alumni find reasons to stay involved with Mason,” Atkins said. “ It was personally rewarding to experience the joy and pride that exuded from alumni at this celebration.”

The loyalty and drive of the entire board contributed to the night’s strong success, Maith added. Because they believe in the vision of the Black Alumni chapter, they have set a firm foundation for the future.

The musical talents of DJ K.E.V. (aka Kevin Holmes, BA ’02, MA ’07) rounded out the evening, as the attendees danced into the chapter’s next 20 years. “I look forward to continuing the very first mission statement of the chapter,” said Maith. “We're everywhere you want to be—connecting, communicating, and educating!’”

The chapter’s next big event is the Black Alumni Weekend, coming on June 7–9, 2024, featuring a happy hour and cookout and offering members a time to reunite, reflect, and celebrate the community post-graduation.

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