♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> We welcome to "The Chavis Chronicles" Inga Willis, a sister who's helping to make a difference today, next on "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, diverse representation and perspectives, equity, and inclusion is critical to meeting the needs of our colleagues, customers, and communities.

We are focused on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both inside our company and in the communities where we live and work.

Together, we want to make a tangible difference in people's lives and in our communities.

Wells Fargo -- the bank of doing.

American Petroleum Institute.

Through API's Energy Excellence Program, our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural-gas and oil industry around the world.

Learn more at api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American, dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against racism and discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to ensuring your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> We welcome to "The Chavis Chronicles" Inga Willis.

Tell us, Inga, about your social setting.

Weren't you were born in Georgia?

>> Born in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia.

Born and raised.

My mother's from Savannah, my father from Louisville, Kentucky.

And I was born and raised in Atlanta.

Fourth-generation HBCU graduate.

Growing up in Atlanta, you're surrounded by godmothers and godfathers who attended HBCUs and helped to raise you.

Some of us are private-school kids, some of us attend Atlanta public schools, but most of us have parents who are alums of HBCUs.

So it becomes a part of what we measure our achievement by, and for me, the trajectory of my career, I spent 15 years professionally in the music business.

I'm an elected official in the city of Atlanta.

I am the fruit of HBCU excellence.

So Propel has been created to service all HBCUs.

>> So I was reading up on Propel.

You have a collaboration with Apple.

>> Yes.

>> And the Southern... >> Southern Company.

>> Southern Company.

Tell us about this collaboration, because Apple's a big tech company.

>> Apple's a big deal and a pleasure to work with.

Apple is, you know, a global technology force.

It was during the pandemic we pitched Apple on Zoom, in those little boxes.

George Floyd was bubbling, but Apple has been committed to HBCUs before that case.

Southern Company also has roots in the space.

So one of the things that attracted us to our founding partners was that they weren't reactive to what was on television, it's that they had already planted seeds of servicing students in the ecosystem.

So what we were looking for was founding partners that we could have synergy with that would help us build resources around first generation.

>> So what is the age range of the students that you help?

>> No particular classification.

We call them on-ramps, you know?

So students can join Propel as freshmen.

We've done almost $5 million in grants to partnering institutions.

We have summer programs, internships, mentorships, and things of that nature.

So really just designing for the solve of what each student needs and preparing them for the workforce of the future.

That's what we're focused on.

>> How do people find out information about the app?

>> So the app is brand-new.

We are multidimensional.

So we are eventually building a physical structure within the Atlanta University Center.

But the pandemic showed all of us, and I'm sure you, as well, that we have to be adaptive to things that we can't predict.

And so online opportunities for our students were critical.

And I was just imagining, as well as the experts that we have working with us, if I was a Howard student then and I was able to work with a student at Saint Aug, to problem-solve on a project, if we could cross-pollinate and ideate in think tanks together, that's the way that we've designed our programming at Propel.

The app is our newest offering, and it allows HBCU students to take courses with masters of space, Emmy Award winners, et cetera.

Finding your superpowers, screenwriting, things that may not be in the curriculum at the student's institution, but they'll have access to, at no cost to the institution, nor any cost to the student on our app.

So we're designing to bring the ecosystem inward, to work together toward the future and making sure our students are ready.

>> What's been the response to some of the leadership of some of the HBCUs with this opportunity?

>> It's been phenomenal, you know?

But it's also been a process of education.

>> Also probably challenging.

>> To be quite candid, yes.

>> Yeah, the reason why I know, because I've worked with HBCUs.

And, you know, sometimes the president of the institution is one way, the board is at another place.

And sometimes innovation can -- It's an opportunity, but it's also a challenge.

>> Well said.

It has been a challenge to almost convince leadership at HBCUs sometimes that we have something to offer that won't cost them anything.

Our institutions are very accustomed to being taken advantage of.

They're accustomed to being underfunded and systemically -- >> Underfunded, underserved... >> All the things.

>> ...under-valuated.

>> Under-amplified.

>> Although they do a critical contribution to our society.

>> Sure.

>> Most successful and professional African Americans still graduate from HBCUs.

>> Agreed.

So I think that with that critical pipeline that we know to be true, HBCUs produce the majority of Black doctors, Black attorneys, Black teachers, Black judges.

>> You work in this space.

What has been the response of corporate America?

>> I think that there was a knee-jerk reaction for a lot of corporations.

I think that diversity and inclusion for many -- for many companies, many firms across industry is a box that people like to check.

But it doesn't necessarily mean that corporations know how to recruit nor retain people of color.

And in order to recruit and retain, you have to go to more than the schools that you're familiar with.

I'm a Howard woman.

We're heavily recruited, right?

Spelman is gonna be okay.

Morehouse is going to get great looks from industry.

But we have talented students at Benedict College.

We were designing ourselves -- One of the things I remember saying in the pitch to Apple was, "Use us as your Waze locator for Black talent, for the Black-talent pipeline, so we can tell you that there's an animation program at Bowie State, or that Morgan State University is doing incredible things."

>> Yeah, Bowie State and Morgan in Maryland.

>> Yes, Maryland -- that there's incredible things happening in engineering at Morgan, where the architecture programs are, that the med schools are, you know, seeing an increase in pipelining Black doctors.

But corporations need Propel so that they can have access to the entire ecosystem of students instead of just recruiting at one or two schools.

We create a pool of students equipped to step into a corporation building, fully prepared to execute and be retained.

>> Are students responding to the opportunities at Propel?

>> It's been overwhelmingly beautiful, students saying that they've never left their town or their city, and that because of a program we've offered, they've been able to do a summer internship with the Oscars and go to Los Angeles, California, or New York City or Atlanta, Georgia.

And for a first-generation college student that has never been on an airplane, that is game-changing.

And so when you take a student and give them that type of opportunity, you have to meet them on the other side with mentorship and ongoing support, because it, too, can be overwhelming.

But we are changing lives one student at a time, but also amplifying the importance of faculty in the matrix, as well.

Because without faculty, our students have nothing to feed them.

So we're drafting talent from within the ecosystem but also creating opportunities for faculty fellows where we can support and stipend faculty to participate with us.

So being able to identify all the stakeholders, the student population, our faculty, our leadership at our institutions, and also being the bridge and plug to the industry for a rotation of opportunity and upskilling for our students is our design.

But faculty specifically having more to offer at a campus, getting a grant, you know, for $100,000, being able to tell our stories through our institutions, by training our students and partnering them with the industry professionals is probably the most fulfilling work I've done to date.

>> When I have special guests like you, I always ask this question.

Inga Willis, what gives you your greatest hope for the future?

>> My greatest hope for the future is to look in these students' eyes and their drive.

With so much that they're facing -- affirmative action, you see fear.

We saw what happened in Montgomery.

>> Particularly, the latest Supreme Court ruling.

>> Which is a direct reflection of why it's important to participate in our process because those Supreme Court appointments are for a lifetime.

These students are seeing the connectivity between civic engagement, social justice.

They watch what happens in Montgomery.

You know, where that young man jumped in that water and swam across that bridge to come to the aid of his colleague.

You couple that with the -- >> 16 years old.

>> Aquaman.

My hero.

I called the Howard swim coach and said, "Listen, please call these people and get this boy to college."

But I think that what gives me hope is doing what you do, speaking with people, having intimate conversations, and seeing that passion for contributing to the legacy of excellence that some of us are deeply privileged to come from.

But those of us who come from it are obligated to service those who have not.

So my first-generation students, all of this work is for them.

All of it.

>> We wish your colleagues at Propel all the best.

>> Thank you.

>> Inga Willis, thank you for joining "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Thank you.

♪♪ >> We are honored to have one of our nation's foremost leaders in business.

Craig, you're a Harvard grad.

You're an MIT grad.

So how did you get into the business entrepreneur perspective?

>> First and foremost, let's set the record clear.

I'm carrying your luggage.

This is an icon, a legend, a role model for me.

And so it is my honor to be able to sit here and have a conversation with you.

So thank you for having me.

>> I believe in success stories, and I don't think the media covers enough about these journeys that really make a difference in the lives of people.

>> You know, listen, I think it's so important that, you know, our young brothers and sisters growing up know that there's so many ways in which, you know, you can lean into your strengths, make a difference, have a life that's fulfilling.

And for me, that was business.

And like you said, we didn't really grow up knowing what that meant.

You were either an engineer or a doctor or a lawyer or a civil-rights leader.

>> Yes.

>> If you were so lucky.

You know, but it -- it has been just really a blessing that, over the time I've came to read books like Reginald Lewis's >> Reginald Lewis, yes, yes.

>> Yes, absolutely.

You began to realize that, you know, people like you and I, we can do great things in the business field.

And, in fact, many of the great strides in the civil rights movement, as you know, were financed and supported and made possible by -- >> Were there other entrepreneurs in your family?

>> Well, you know, the interesting thing is, you and I were just talking about before, my great-great-great-grandfather, George Washington Gholston, was born in 1860, a slave in Doraville, Georgia, and many years later, were going to have his own farm.

He started church.

And so, although that wasn't the case for everyone in my family, you know, this idea of Black entrepreneurship, innovation, business leadership, this isn't a new thing.

This isn't some thing that just started happening in the '80s and '90s.

We've been doing this for as long as we've had the ability to have access to capital.

We've been innovating, whether or not we profited off our innovation or not.

And so we've been entrepreneurs, you know?

We didn't have the luxury of working for corporations, as you know.

And so, in many ways, I -- you know, the inspiration may not have always been literal, but I think in my subconscious, I always knew that these things were possible.

So, you know, I went to MIT thinking I was going to be an engineer, and I came out and began to quickly realize that there was folks out there doing things on Wall Street and consulting firms, building businesses, leading businesses, and I thought that this was something that, you know, could be a great path for me.

>> Well, it takes a lot of courage to sort of break out into some venues where there's not a lot of representation... >> That's right.

>> ...of persons of color.

>> And still it's the case, yeah.

>> I'm sure your great-great-great-grandfather would be very pleased to see what has happened generations later with your leadership.

I wanted to ask you about the intersection of technology and business.

You know, some people are fearful of A.I., artificial intelligence.

Some people are fearful of innovations in technology.

But tell us, from your informed perspective, how you see alignment between business opportunities and technological innovation.

>> Innovation and technology, for that matter, has always been a scary thing for the status quo.

When, you know, you were farming with your mule, and we -- you know, we have a plow or the cotton gin or whatever innovation at that time -- computer processing -- it always threatened to, if not disrupt, certainly change the way we lived and the way we worked, and so it always has the potential to be scary.

The future is scary.

Humans are horrible predictors of the future.

We tend to assume the worst.

But we've also just seen, in every, you know, kind of major innovation shift and transformation in our society that opportunities are created, life expectancies are extended.

The average, you know, standard of living, at least for some -- this is definitely not the case for all, as we know -- and oftentimes innovation tends to be a net contributor to good.

Now, the truth of the matter is, has the heart of the man changed?

Has the human condition changed?

Has what we tend to do with tools and innovation, does that lean towards doing something good or doing something harmful?

I would argue that the heart of humanity has not changed as much as I'd love for it, even though our advances have continued to do amazing things and I'm sure will.

Today, people are having really robust debates around A.I.

>> Yes.

>> And what is the role of A.I.

It will disrupt many jobs, it will replace jobs, it will create jobs.

But ultimately, I think the fear is, how will this encroach upon civil liberties?

How will this encroach upon my privacy?

How will this ultimately, if you're a fan of sci-fi like I am, are we going to be fighting robots in the field one day and hiding in caves?

People have these these fears.

And the truth of the matter is, we just do not know.

I think it really is up to our public institutions to make sure that we've got great governance, that we're being thoughtful, we're being intentional about the applications, who controls it.

At this point, this is a little bit of game theory and prisoner's dilemma in the sense of, you have other nation-states that are also working to develop this technology.

And so in as much as we want to slow down, to be really rational and thoughtful, and I think we should, at the same time, there's also this sense of urgency to make sure that we really are in the driver's seat and really at the table as architects of the innovation of the next generation.

>> What advice would you have for young people today who may be considering getting into a pathway toward business ownership, business development, but also may choose the path of technology innovation?

>> There's perhaps never been a better chance to really not only be a participant, get in the game, play the game, win the game, but to change the game in the area of business and technology.

Why do I say that?

The incumbents, the institutions, those who have, for hundreds of years, been the dominant players, who've set the rules in the game, are being disrupted.

I work in the commercial real-estate industry and have for a number of years, and we have just overnight seen the way people consume goods and services online decimate retail owners and retail values.

We have seen just overnight, post-pandemic, you know, people who've owned office buildings and families who own office buildings and people who set the rules that made those office buildings really valuable -- >> It's something called "the future of work."

>> The future of work, which is still evolving.

And so with so much disruption around how we're consuming goods and services and products, the table is wobbling now, and that's a really good opportunity to come in and, you know, reset it in a way that works for the next generation, meaning being, you know, having gray hair, being of one color, being of one gender has really benefited many of the players in prior games, but this next game coming up, it's really going to favor people who are really quick to adopt and adapt, embrace, innovate, take risk.

And I think our young people who are growing up with a mind to do that, more so than perhaps me, maybe you, but certainly me, they have an opportunity to be not only players but, I think, winners and game-changers in this next season of business and innovation.

There is no incumbent.

>> Because of your real-estate background and other business prowess, you serve on a number of boards.

>> I do.

>> Tell us how important it is to have persons of color on major corporate boards.

>> Listen, there is so much research that, you know, academics and other fact-based institutions have done to show that whenever organizations have diverse leadership, diverse, you know, compositions and diverse governance and think about the board is really about anticipating risk, It's about seeing over the horizon, and your ability to see over the horizon and anticipate different risks and understand different, you know, kind of markets and communities really requires you to have, you know, kind of eyes and ears and sensitivities to that.

And if your board is of only one community, you are strategically going to blindside your company to their big opportunities and the big risks.

but we also know that just organizations that are diverse perform better.

They outperform their peer groups.

And so this is just good kind of economic sense.

But, you know, listen, a few summers ago, after George Floyd was murdered... >> Yes.

>> ...there was a rally, and, you know, rightfully so, to see -- >> All of a sudden, there was a priority on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

>> "All of a sudden."

>> All of a sudden.

>> There have been many people of color for many years who were board-ready and had the ability to serve on boards, but it's a very murky, difficult process.

How do you find yourself on a board?

Which for your audience is the group of people who are the C.E.O.

of a company reports into?

They are ultimately responsible for the shareholders that, you know, invest in that company.

So this is the top of the company.

How do you find yourself as a person of color into those rooms to even be considered?

It's difficult.

But I'll tell you, that summer, there was a lot of pressure on corporations to kind of go out and say, "Okay, we get it.

We need to diversify our boards.

We need to diversify our C-suites.

We need to diversify our organizations."

They tend to be more diverse at the bottom, and as you move up to the top of the pyramid, it becomes less diverse.

And people felt the pressure.

But, you know, unfortunately, it was a moment and not a movement.

There was a lot of fanfare, a lot of energy around doing that.

And I think a lot of us who have been board-ready felt like, you know, there hasn't been that ongoing kind of persistence.

My sense is, you know, there are some things now that are going to renew and reignite some of that interest.

I mean, some of the things we're seeing in ESG, some of the companies who, you know, their bankers are saying, "We're not gonna even take you public unless you have diversity on your board."

Some states you can't.

So, listen, I think people, consumers, customers, investors, they want to see that a company is thinking more broadly about their stakeholders, not just their shareholders.

And if they're doing that, they're going to diversify their boards, their C-suites, gender, ethnicity, beliefs, values, and experiences.

>> Yeah, I think a lot of business leaders I know now would say that diversity is good for business.

>> Yeah.

>> It's just not good for charity, it's good for business.

>> Good for business.

>> And our nation is much more diverse now than 60, 50, 30, even 20 years ago.

So it seems to me that there should be more opportunities today than less.

>> But you and I have an abundance mindset.

We assume that the pie is growing, and we are participants in that.

And we are, you know, enabling that, inducing that, and everyone's a net benefit of that.

But there's some people who have a scarcity mindset, and they are fearful that they're looking over and seeing some part of the pie growing for someone else, and assuming it's coming at the cost and expense of theirs.

Here in Georgia, you know -- you know, we saw voter suppression laws and tactics.

They were enacted just after we saw people like Stacey Abrams and others almost rise to the -- you know, to the chair of governor.

And this is a state that, you know, President Biden won, you know, easily.

And -- and yet, even with so much progress, we saw, you know, kind of these, you know, opposite but equal, if not actually more than equal reactions to that.

And we are -- For as much progress, the fight continues.

It's one of the reasons why, you know, a number of us started an organization called the Leadership Now Project, which is, you know, kind of a rallying cry, a creation of safe space for business leaders to get involved in a way that's thoughtful.

But we have ideas, we lead organizations, we have influence, we have voices, we have platforms.

And a number of Harvard Business School alumni initially came together and said, "Let's do something.

Let's start to do things to, you know, promote democracy, protect democracy, and, in many cases, restore it using our business platforms," not in the way that was outside of the boundaries of business, but in a way that we thought was beyond just writing a check.

And since then, we've grown to have over 300 members of business leaders.

We've done many impressive things.

We recently wrote an amicus brief in the Disney-DeSantis case in Florida.

We're saying, "Hey, this is scary, and this is a red flag.

We need to be careful, as business leaders, that this is not just a political instability."

Political retribution is something that's going to undermine our business environment.

It's gonna undermine our capitalism.

It's going to undermine your ability to lead and run a thriving business.

Voter suppression in Georgia.

Ed Bastian, the C.E.O.

of Delta, he was right to come out and say that, "This is not good.

This is not good for the people who fly my planes.

It's not good for the people who load baggages on our planes.

And we, Delta, have a responsibility to say something."

>> Well, it's a great news story, a great development story, great resilience.

And, Craig, generations of Black excellence, generations of making a difference.

Thank you for joining "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> No, thank you for your leadership, your service, for being an example to people like me.

It's been an honor.

>> For more information about "The Chavis Chronicles" and our guests, please visit our website at TheChavisChronicles.com.

Also follow us on Facebook, X -- formerly known as Twitter -- LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, diverse representation and perspectives, equity, and inclusion is critical to meeting the needs of our colleagues, customers, and communities.

We are focused on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both inside our company and in the communities where we live and work.

Together, we want to make a tangible difference in people's lives and in our communities.

Wells Fargo -- the bank of doing.

American Petroleum Institute.

Through API's Energy Excellence Program, our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural-gas and oil industry around the world.

Learn more at api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American, dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against racism and discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to ensuring your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do.

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