Dillard People of 2020: #6 Big Timers You Might Not Know (Until Now)
--
Like all colleges and universities, Dillard has its fair share of notable alumni. We all love to take credit for their accomplishments, and while we play a role, most bring something with them to our institutions that hopefully build on.
Dillard has more than its fair share of notable alumni, many of them household names. These include Garrett Morris, the first Black cast member on Saturday Night Live and also known for The Jamie Foxx Show and Martin. Dr. Ruth Simmons, the first Black president of an Ivy League university and the only person to serve as president of an Ivy League university, an all women’s college, and an HBCU. The late Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the world famous Marsalis jazz family.
But in 2020 Dillard alumni had a number of significant achievements. A Pulitzer Prize. A college president. A Disney executive vice president. First Black Federal Elections commissioner. A new generation of alumni are making their mark. Here are a few of them that are notable for 2020.
Jericho Brown ‘98, Pulitzer Prize Winner
Dr. Berenecea Johnson Eanes ’88, York College CUNY
Ayo Davis ‘98, Disney
Keith Woods ‘80, NPR
Shana Broussard ‘91, Federal Election Commission
Nicole Tinson ’14, HBCU 20X20
Aisha McClendon, VoteAmerica
Dr. Ashanti Jones ‘03, University of Louisiana Monroe
Brandis Friedman ‘00, Chicago Tonight
Cassandra McKinney ‘82, Comerica Bank
DJ Raj Smoove (Roger Dickerson II) ’98
Atty. Farai Alves ‘98, Bradford and Barthel
Dr. Kelly Nash ‘00, University of Texas at San Antonio
Alvin Harris ’18 and Ron Davalos ’19, Vaku
Most of the alums highlighted here have graduated in the past twenty-five years, hopefully inspiring current students to focus on perfecting their crafts as these alumni have.
The Prez
