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Benjamin Akande, Stifel Financial Corporation Global Human Resource Enterprise senior vice president, will deliver the 86th Annual St. Louis County NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner keynote address at 7 p.m. Monday June 19, 2023, at the St. Louis Marriott Gran Hotel, 800 Washington Avenue.
Akande also serves as Stifel’s Diversity and Inclusion head and Environmental Sustainability and Governance leader.
“A results-oriented leader consistently demonstrates the ability to establish rapport and connect with diverse constituencies at all levels,” Akande shares on his website.
“Find meaning in every conversation – it’s not how long the conversation lasts; it’s how good it is.”
The St. Louis County Freedom Fund Dinner will be held on the 2nd recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. It also falls just as the state NAACP chapter emphasized that a travel advisory is still in effect in Missouri.
Last week, statistics from the Attorney General’s office showed for the 23rd consecutive year Black motorists are stopped for traffic violations at a much higher rate than white motorists. Black drivers are also subjected to more vehicle searches – even though statistics prove they are less likely to have anything illegal in their vehicles than white drivers.
On Tuesday June 13, both the St. Louis and County NAACP chapters held a town hall meeting on police pursuits.
“Some crimes raise to a higher level of urgency, of course, but we still need to make sure that the training is being adhered to or the policies are being adhered to, and when a chase is called off, it’s called off,” Bowman told KMOV.
“Using technology, we believe we can do this in a more sensible, less harmful way,” said Bowman.
Bowman said an “amber alert” system could be used to help notify people when and where police are conducting a pursuit.
“We are excited to have the renowned Dr. Benjamin Akande as keynote speaker as we honor seven distinguished leaders who have made an amazing difference in our community,” Bowman said of the Freedom Fund Dinner.
The 2023 Honorees of the St. Louis County 86th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner are Dr. Dwayne Proctor, Missouri Foundation for Health president and CEO; Dr. Steven Player, BJC Healthcare vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Cheryl Adelstein, Jewish Community Relations Council deputy director; Deaun Flowers, Lou Fusz Automotive Network; Laraine Davis, Maryville University vice president, Community and Government Relations, Donor and Alumni Relations; Jose Gomez; Laborers Union Local 110 vice president; and a posthumous award to the late-Demetrious Johnson, St. Louis philanthropist and humanitarian.
Akande served as the ninth president of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont and during his tenure undergraduate applications doubled, institutional fundraising increased as did the college’s commitment and actions involving diversity and inclusion.
A Nigerian native, Akande also served as Washington University St. Louis International Programs-Africa assistant vice chancellor, was director of the African Initiative, and associate director of the Global Health Center. He also chaired Washington University’s International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC).
Akande served as the 21st president of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri from 2015-2017, being the first person of color to lead the 172-year-old institution.
As tenured Professor of Economics and Dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis from 2000-2015, Dr. Akande is credited with enhancing the school’s reputation, and positioning it as a globally relevant business school.
Akande holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oklahoma and completed post-doctoral studies at JFK School of Government at Harvard University and Saïd Business School at Oxford University.
All net proceeds raised during the Freedom Fund Leadership campaign and dinner support the local programs of the St. Louis County NAACP, including adult and financial literacy, voter and civic engagement, environmental justice, economic equity, diverse hiring and procurement, and education.
Tickets and sponsorships may be purchased online at naacpstlouiscounty.org.
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