AAAC Launches Distinguished Alumnus Speakers Program

The University of Pittsburgh African American Alumni Council (AAAC) of the Pitt Alumni Association is launching the Inaugural AAAC Distinguished Alumnus Speakers Program during this weekend’s Sankofa Homecoming activities. Hosted by their respective Pitt schools, colleges, or affinity organizations, several recipients of the 2012 AAAC Distinguished Alumnus Award will deliver talks or participate in panel discussions on campus on Oct. 12.

“Beginning this year, the AAAC, with the help of the University’s Office of Public Affairs, has invited the Distinguished Alumnus Award honorees to participate in a variety of speaking engagements and workshops with students and faculty. “This initiative can best be described as ‘giving back and giving forward,’” said Pitt AAAC President Tony Fountain (A&S ’70).

“These distinguished alumni are giving back by voluntarily participating in addressing Pitt audiences about the keys to their own professional success as well as discussing issues in their respective fields. But they are giving forward because they have the opportunity to inspire and motivate future distinguished Pitt alumni with advice and personal stories about the challenges ahead,” Fountain added.

“As we celebrate Pitt’s 225 years of Building Better Lives, I can think of no better time for the AAAC to initiate this regular program of alumni engagement,” he added.

All of the Oct. 12 lectures are free and open to the public. Information about each of the AAAC Distinguished Alumnus Award honorees’ speaking engagements follows. 

Linda Wharton Boyd (A&S ’72, ’75G, ’79G), founder of the Wharton Group, Inc., a communications consulting firm based in Washington D.C., will deliver the lecture, “Words on Fire: An Inside Look at the Dynamics of Crisis Communications in Political Settings,” at 3 p.m., Room 204, Cathedral of Learning. The lecture is sponsored by Pitt’s Department of Communication within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.

Lucille Adams-Campbell (GSPH ’83), a professor of oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, will deliver the lecture “Obesity and Breast Cancer Survivors” at noon, Lecture Room 3,  Scaife Hall. The lecture is sponsored by Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health. 

Arnold Sowell (BUS ’57), a competitor in the 800-meter event during the 1956 Olympics, will give an informal talk to Pitt’s track and field team at 3 p.m. in the Interview Room of the Petersen Events Center. The lecture is sponsored by Pitt’s Athletic Program. 

Lois Dougan Tretiak (A&S ’61), an expert on Chinese politics and economics, will address Pitt faculty and students at a forum titled “Doing Business in China” at 3 p.m., Room 2500, Sennott Square. The forum is sponsored by Pitt’s Asian Studies Center, International Business Center, and the College of Business Administration. 

David B. Washington (A&S ’57, LAW ’60), an administrative law judge in the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in Minneapolis, Minn., will participate in the panel discussion “Where Should I Live and Practice Law?” at noon in the Barco Law Building’s Teplitz Memorial Courtroom. The discussion is sponsored by Pitt’s Law Academy.