Dennis Dowdell On Mentoring

Businessman Dennis Dowdell, Jr. mentors both on and off the job in his quest to help young African Americans succeed. From inner city teens to corporate newcomers, Dowdell makes time to give back to others. Livelyhood spoke to Dowdell about what motivates him, and where his inspiration comes from.

Where did you develop your sense of mentoring?

Well, my father was in the Urban League movement and really started five Urban Leagues. I think it's a question not necessarily of mentoring initially, but it was a question of involving oneself in the communities in which one lived and worked, and I think that's a fundamental premise. I think that people who mentor have broader vision than just the individual. They're looking at helping societies, and helping people, and that's basically how I evolved. Secondly, the university that I attended, Central State University, which is one of the historically black colleges, required before it even became fashionable that you helped society both during and following your graduation.

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