The Value of One, The Power of All

Hosted by Ron Brown Scholar Program / Ray Pryor

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May 2026

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About the show

Since 1996, in honor of the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the Ron Brown Scholar Program has been cultivating and investing in the next generation of African American leaders, directly impacting thousands of students and professionals every year. This podcast highlights the stories of the people that make this network special. To learn more, visit www.ronbrown.org.

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39 recent

May 20, 2026Episode 337 min

Introducing our Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholars

Three 2023 Ron Brown Scholars—Kishanti Barmoh, Faith Buggs, and Aisha Makama—were selected as recipients of the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service, a prestigious national award recognizing students committed to creating positive change.In this episode, Ray Pryor (RBS '15) interviews them about their interests in public service, along with Makenna Turner (RBS '20) who was the 1st Ron Brown Scholar to be selected as an Obama-Chesky Scholar in the inaugural cohort.

May 12, 2026Episode 248 min

Introducing our MacArthur "Genius": Dr. William Tarpeh (RBS '08)

Dr. Ku McMahan (RBS 1999) moderated a fascinating fireside chat with Dr. William Tarpeh (RBS 2008), a 2025 MacArthur Genius Fellow. Their conversation explored how sustainable engineering can solve global challenges of equity and access. Miles Johnson (RBS 2004) was the emcee for the "Celebration of Excellence" dinner in Washington, DC during the 2026 Selection Weekend.

November 24, 2025Episode 119 min

Introducing our Rhodes Scholar: Florence Onyiuke (RBS '22)

Florence Onyiuke is a 2022 Ron Brown Scholar in the Huntsman Program studying International Relations and Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Florida representing U.S. District 7, she is the 1st Rhodes Scholar in program history.To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠⁠.

November 9, 2025Episode 440 min

Media & Medicine with Dr. Joel Bervell (RBC '13)

Dr. Joel Bervell is a 2013 Ron Brown Captain and a member of Ron Brown’s Advisory Board.Known as the "Medical Mythbuster", Joel's social media platforms (@joelbervell) have grown to over 1.5 million followers, 500 million+ impressions, and a monthly reach of more than 10 million people. His work has been featured by the White House, The New York Times, NPR, Good Morning America, FDA, TED, SXSW, Google, Microsoft, Meta, AMA, Forbes, TIME, and more.Joel's also the the host of The Dose, a podcast by The Commonwealth Fund, and he’s creator of The Doctor Is In, a mixed live action and animated TV series on YouTube for kids.He earned his bachelor's degree in cellular and molecular biology at Yale, master’s in Medical Clinical Sciences at Boston University, and MD at Washington State University.To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

November 9, 2025Episode 320 min

360° View on Healthcare with Dr. Diarra Lamar, MD, MBA (RBS '97)

Across his career as a consultant at McKinsey, director at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Partner at BCG, and now a Partner at Strategy&, Dr. Diarra Lamar⁠'s (RBS '97) clients have included providers, payers, service providers, pharma and tech companies, as well as investors across the healthcare space. He earned his bachelor's degree in Cognitive Neurosciences, MD, and MBA from Harvard University.To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

November 9, 2025Episode 21 hr 2 min

Longevity Medicine with Dr. Keon Pearson, MD, MBA (RBS '11)

Dr. Keon Pearson is a 2011 Ron Brown Scholar and Medical Director of Human Longevity where he works on the frontier of longevity medicine, a fast-emerging field of medicine aiming to extend lifespan and improve healthspan.Prior to that, he worked with healthcare startups as a Scout investor for Lightspeed Venture Partners.He studied Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University as an undergraduate and earned his MD and MBA from Stanford University.To learn more, visit ⁠⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠⁠.

November 9, 2025Episode 150 min

Public Health Leadership with Dr. Travis Gayles, MD, PhD (RBS '97)

Dr. Travis Gayles is a 1997 Ron Brown Scholar and is currently the CEO of Howard Brown Health, a nonprofit LGBTQ healthcare and social services provider with an annual budget of $145 million dollars that serves tens of thousands of patients in the Chicagoland area.Prior to joining Howard Brown Health, Travis was Chief Health Officer of Hazel Health, Chief of Public Health Services and Medical Officer for Montgomery County in Maryland, Chief Medical Officer for the DC Department of Health, and adjunct professor at the University of Illinois, Northwestern, DePaul, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, and NYU.He earned his MD and PhD from the University of Illinois, and BA in Public Policy and African/African American Studies from Duke University.To learn more, visit ⁠www.ronbrown.org⁠.

September 13, 2025Episode 1331 min

Building the NAACP's VC Fund: Jay Lundy (RBS '05) @ NAACP Capital

After years as an educator, management consultant, and impact investor for family offices, Jay Lundy (2005 Ron Brown Scholar and Managing Director of NAACP Capital) is building a $200M fund of funds platform that is combining the power of venture capital with the legacy and influence of the oldest civil rights organization in the United States to close gaps across health, education, climate, and economic opportunity.This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠⁠, that’s C-O.

June 25, 2025Episode 1243 min

Democratizing the data economy: Dr. Jay Cunningham (RBC '16) @ AmendLabs

A software engineer turned researcher and professor turned founder, Dr. Jay Cunningham (2016 Ron Brown Captain and the Co-Founder of AmendLabs) is building a new model for the data economy centered around consent, compensation, and trust. As a researcher trained in Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) that studies the intersection of equity and AI/ML technology, Jay also teaches Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and directs the Responsible AI Systems & Societal Experiences (RAISE) Lab at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co⁠⁠, that’s C-O.

June 25, 2025Episode 1336 min

The "Android" of EV Charging: Steve Leke (RBS '22) @ Zap-It

Tesla may have taken the "Apple" slot in the EV charging market, but Steve Leke (2022 Ron Brown Scholar and the Co-Founder of Zap-It) has his eyes set on being the "Android" of the market, the best option for everyone else. More than just a founder committed to executing successfully where larger energy companies have failed, Steve sees Zap-It as the first piece to solving America's inevitable energy crisis with the mass adoption of EVs and AI.This episode is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Ray Pryor, IV⁠⁠⁠ (2015 Ron Brown Scholar), presented by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Brown Venture Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spira Capital⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Spira Capital is your fractional C-Suite. Whether you’re a startup or a venture firm, a freelancer or a family office, Spira Capital gives you the scale, support, and stability to grow. Stop worrying about stuff like bookkeeping, accounting, FP&A, operations, HR, payroll & benefits, or your international workforce. Let Spira Capital run those for you so you can run your business. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠spiracapital.co, that's C-O.