Lowell Hawthorne Foundation to honour four at first gala

New York:

Four members of the diaspora are to be honoured by the Lowell Hawthorne Foundation at its first gala to be held on January 19.

Those to be recognised are former New York City councilwoman, Una Clarke; president of Howard University, Dr. Wayne Frederick; head of McKissack&McKissack Construction Company, Cheryl McKissack Daniel; and Golden Krust franchisee, Sandra Pitter Bryan.

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick was appointed the 17th president of Howard University in 2014. He previously served as provost and chief academic officer. Under Dr. Frederick’s leadership, Howard University is now ranked as a Tier 1 national university by U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Frederick currently serves at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore branch and was appointed by President Barack H. Obama to the board of advisers for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Una S. T. Clarke, is recognised as the first Caribbean-born woman elected to the New York City legislature. Born in the parish of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Dr. Clarke migrated to the United States as a foreign student in 1958.

She was elected in 1991 and during her 10-year tenure she sponsored more than 300 pieces of legislation on a wide range of issues including child welfare, education, health and mental health issues, economic development, public safety and transportation. An educator by profession, she has leveraged millions of dollars to upgrade schools in her district, and have made them technologically ready for the 21st century. Dr. Clarke also fought to expand services for the elderly, rebuild parks and playgrounds and increase good-quality childcare programmes.

Dr. Clarke is the first Caribbean-born woman to receive the prestigious 2001 Ellis Island Medal of Honour.

PROMOTE EDUCATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Cheryl McKissack Daniel, represents the fifth generation of the McKissack family’s century old business, McKissack&McKissack, the oldest minority and woman-owned design and construction firm in the nation.

A civil engineer, she has more than 25 years of experience in all phases of the design and construction industry, including major project work in the commercial, healthcare, education and transportation sectors.

McKissack is involved with some of New York’s largest projects, including JFK Terminal One,LGA Central Terminal Building Redevelopment, Coney Island Hospital Redevelopment, Harlem Hospital Centre Modernisation, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, Hunts Point Cooperative Market and Fulton Fish Market

Sandra Pitter Bryan attended Dinthill Technical High School in St. Catherine where she specialised in business. After leaving school, she was employed as a cashier at Honeycrust Bakery owned by Bruce Golding, former prime minister of Jamaica, and his wife Lorna. She spent 10 years at Honeycrust before migrating to the United States in 1992. Her first job opportunity in the United States was at the Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill located at 1381 E. Gun Hill Rd.

After six years in that position the opportunity to purchase a Golden Krust franchise arose and with the financial support of Lowell Hawthorne, president and CEO of Golden Krust, she became the franchise owner of 67 South 4th Avenue in Mount Vernon, NY. Her dedication was noted in 2017 when she was honoured as Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association.

Funds raised from the awards ceremony will go towards the mission of the Lowell F. Hawthorne Foundation, to promote education advancement for exemplary minority students studying business development or entrepreneurship in under served communities.

Founded in 2018, its targeted beneficiaries are educational institutions in the United States and the Caribbean. The foundation aims to cultivate a relationship with donors, organisations and educational institutions, and will fund eight to 10 scholarships over the next five years.