On October 30th, NAACP National Chairman Roslyn McCallister Brock will address the Wichita Branch NAACP's 90th Anniversary Legacy Awards Banquet. This is the first time a sitting NAACP Chairman has visited our city in the 90 year history of the Branch.
Roslyn M. Brock made history in February 2010 when she became the youngest ever and fourth woman to serve as Chairman of the National Board of Directors.
Over the past twenty five years, Brock has served the NAACP in several leadership roles. She is a Diamond Life Member of NAACP and joined the Association as a freshman at Virginia Union University where she was elected President of the Youth and College Division from the Commonwealth of Virginia. One year later, she was elected as a Youth Board Member from Region 7 - representing the District of Columbia, Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. During her tenure as a Youth Board Member and Vice Chairman of the NAACP Board Health Committee, Brock led the policy debate to recognize access to quality health care as a civil rights issue that resulted in the National Board's ratification and inclusion of a Health Committee as a Standing Committee in its Constitution.
In 1989, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks, Brock wrote her Master's Thesis on "Developing a NAACP Health Outreach Program for Minorities." Brock is a skilled grant writer and has secured more than $2.7 million dollars in grants since 1991 for NAACP programs that initiated the Health Symposiums held annually at NAACP National Conventions; publication of more than 200,000 copies of "HIV/AIDS and You" educational materials distributed to NAACP Units; research and media work associated with documenting the history of the NAACP; support for ACT-SO and the NAACP Law Fellows programs; and commissioned the 2007 NAACP Perceptions Survey just to name a few.
In 1999, Brock was appointed Chair of the Board Convention Planning Committee. In this role, she led the Committee to institute fiscal policies that resulted in the Convention becoming a profit center for the Association with average net revenues of $1 million dollars a year.
In 2005, Brock created the Leadership 500 Summit with several other young adult members of the NAACP. The Summit's goal is to recruit, train and retain a new generation of civil rights leaders aged 30 - 50 to the NAACP. Since its inception, Leadership 500 has contributed more than $650,000 to the NAACP National Treasury to support 2009 Centennial activities.
As Chairman of the Board Centennial Committee, Brock provides oversight for publication of Centennial calendars and paraphernalia; commission of Centennial artwork; and creation of the Centennial logo and theme for marketing and public relations.
Brock is member of the Board of Trustees for the Catholic Health Association of the United States of America and the NAACP Special Contributions Fund Board of Trustees. She's served on the boards of community mental health; family and children's services; senior services and faith based community ministries. She's also a member of several professional and civic organizations including the American Public Health Association; American College of Health Services Executives; American Hospital Association's Disparities in Healthcare Task group; Association of Healthcare Philanthropy; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and The LINKS, Inc.
A recipient of numerous healthcare, community service and leadership awards, Brock's leadership skills have been recognized by several national publications and organizations. In April 2008, Brock participated in the United States Department of Defense's 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) reserved for American leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense. She toured U.S. Southern Command, responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean, Cuba and the Bahamas, and their territorial waters.
She was a guest lecturer on "Alleviating Global Poverty" in Rome, Italy at the 2007 Martin Luther King, Jr. Conflict Resolution Conference co-sponsored by the Lott Carey Foreign Missions and the Baptist Union of Italy.
From 2003-2005, Brock served as a Young Leaders Fellow for the National Committee on U.S. - China Relations to build cross-cultural understanding and professional networks with young Chinese leaders while exploring substantive issues and developing enduring friendships.
Other highlights include: Wrote the Foreword for the 2008 Edition of Who's Who Among African-Americans Directory; Featured in December 2007 Forbes Magazine article on Diversity and Economic Parity for African Americans; Recipient of the Network Journal's "40 Under Forty Achievement Award"; Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal for Human Rights, the George Washington University; Outstanding Alumna, Virginia Union University; Honorary Chairperson, National Black Family Summit; Ebony magazine's "Future Leader Award"; and Good Housekeeping's "100 Young Women of Promise."
Brock is employed as Vice President, Advocacy and Government Relations for Bon Secours Health System, Inc., in Marriottsville, Maryland. Prior to working at Bon Secours, Brock worked 10 years in Health Programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan.
She graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Union University; earned a master's degree in health services administration from George Washington University, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Theology at Virginia Union University.
Brock's goal in life is embodied in an African proverb "Care more than others think is wise, Risk more than others think is safe, Dream more than others think is practical and Expect more than others think is possible."
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This morning, Lavonta Williams, who currently serves as the City Councilwoman for Wichita District 1, the Vice President of the Wichita Branch NAACP, the Secretary for the Kansas State Conference of the NAACP, and a host of other positions, was elected to her newest post. By a unanimous 7-0 vote, Lavonta Williams was elected to serve as the Vice Mayor for the City of Wichita! Her election was historic; already the first African American Woman elected to the City Council, she is now the first African American Woman to serve as Vice Mayor for the City. What's next for Vice Mayor Williams??? We'll keep you posted!
