The 2016 PRT Scholarship Gala Celebrates Black Business Wealth

The Presidents’ RoundTable honored some of the region’s most prominent African American entrepreneurs and corporate executives and awarded scholarships to future student entrepreneurs at five historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) at its annual Scholarship Awards Gala on Nov. 5.

In addition, outgoing Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlins-Blake received the PRT’s “Special Recognition” Trailblazer Award in a special presentation by Mayor Elect Sen. Catherine Pugh. The 2016 Gala, “Celebrating Black Business Wealth: A Tribute to Family Legacy,” was hosted by Maureen Bunyan, news anchor at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.

The Presidents’ RoundTable (PRT), based in Columbia, MD., is an organization of 20 African American entrepreneurs in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. region. The members oversee and control assets exceeding $1.1 billion and employ more than 1,700 workers.

Entrepreneurs and corporate executives honored at the gala included Valencia McClure, vice president, governmental and external affairs at Baltimore Gas and Electric; Rupert R. Warner, Jr., program manager, supplier diversity at the U.S. Postal Service; Thomas Moorehead, president and CEO of Sterling (Va.) Motor Cars and Moorehead Properties; and Charlie Partridge, manager, diverse business empowerment at Pepco Holdings in Washington, D.C.

The PRT Reach Foundation awarded five (5) $5,000 scholarships to aspiring entrepreneurs enrolled at Coppin State University, the University of the District of Columbia, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University and Howard University. PRT, in conjunction with the PRT Reach Foundation, has awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships over the past three years to students at HBCUs who are in need and enrolled in entrepreneurial studies.

“We applaud our award winners for their tremendous achievements and accomplishments that stimulate growth in the economy through innovation, job and wealth creation,” says PRT Chair Dr. Sheila Brooks, founder and CEO of SRB Communications in Washington, D.C. “They are true champions of Black wealth and affluence who exemplify the values of hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.”