“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today, January 15, 2024, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Beloit College faculty, staff, students and the greater Beloit community celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reinforce our commitment to “The Continued Fight for Human Rights.”
We invite you to join us in this virtual celebration, which includes a message from President Eric Boynton, Dean of Students and Chief Diversity Officer Cecil Youngblood, and keynote speaker Angela Russell’99. Angela is the chief diversity officer at TruStage and a member of the Beloit College Board of Trustees.
About the Speakers
Cecil Youngblood, Dean of Students and Chief Diversity Officer
Cecil Youngblood currently serves as Beloit College dean of students and chief diversity officer. Under his leadership are Residential Life and the Student Engagement and Leadership program (SEAL), the Powerhouse, the Learning Enrichment and Disability program (LEADS), the Office for Student Success, Equity, and Community (SSEC), Student Excellence and Leadership (SEL), and athletics. Cecil also served as the head men’s basketball coach and assistant dean of students.
Cecil earned a degree in biology from Augustana College and a master’s in educational administration from National Louis University.
Eric Boynton, President
Eric Boynton became Beloit’s president in 2023, following nearly four years of forward-thinking leadership as the Provost and Dean of the College, the college’s chief academic officer.
He holds a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion from Rice University and a B.A. from the University of Redlands in religion and art history. He came to Beloit College from Allegheny College, where he held the positions of chair and professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, director of Interdisciplinary Studies, director of the Honors Program, and chair of Black Studies.
Angela Russell’99, keynote speaker
Angela Russell is the chief diversity officer at TruStage and the vice president of the TruStageTM Foundation. In these roles, she provides strategic, enterprise-wide leadership to ensure that TruStage’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is reflected in the workplace, community partnerships, and marketplace through its products, processes and services.
In 2021, Russell received the inaugural DEI Trailblazer Award from the African American Credit Union Coalition. In 2018, she was named as one of the nation’s most powerful diversity executives by Black Enterprise Magazine.
Russell has 20 years of professional experience. Prior to joining TruStageTM, she worked in various roles in public health, including serving as a health equity coordinator for Public Health Madison Dane County. She was the community engagement lead for the National County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Population Health Institute.
Russell has also worked in a variety of roles in Wisconsin state government, including division administrator for the Division of Early Care and Education, assistant deputy secretary for the Department of Children and Families, and policy advisor to Governor Jim Doyle. She was formerly an epidemiologist with the Wisconsin AIDS/HIV and Hepatitis C Program at the Department of Health Services.
Russell serves on the Board of Directors for JustDane, which is focused on providing programing for individuals returning to the Dane County community after incarceration. In 2023, she also joined the Downtown Madison, Inc. board (DMI) that works through advocacy, research, planning, and community action to create and sustain a healthy and vibrant downtown Madison. She also hosts a Wisconsin-based podcast called Black Oxygen, which was awarded the 2021 Wisconsin Innovation Award.
Russell holds a Master of Science in Population Health from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Beloit College. In 2021, Angela was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science degree from Beloit College.
Angela has two children that are the loves of her life and are a regular source of feedback (the good, bad and often very funny).
Thank you for sharing in this celebration with us. Support your local community by volunteering or performing acts of kindness. We ask the Beloit College community to share your service with the Student Success, Equity & Community (SSEC) office at bradleyg@beloit.edu.
January 15, 2024
