Empowering Communities

Jo-Anne Rolle, the dean of the School of Business at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, is on a mission to transform underserved communities through the power of technology and entrepreneurship. As the Immediate Past President of the National HBCU Business Dean's Roundtable, Rolle emphasizes the need for economic engines within local communities to create job opportunities and wealth streams. "We are not going to make the change unless we find economic engines in these communities that are job creators," she states, highlighting the pivotal role of local entrepreneurs.

Rolle's journey into economics began in high school, but it wasn't until she saw her first Black economist professor at the University of Miami that she realized the potential for change. Her experiences at Howard University reinforced the importance of innovation and creativity in solving long-standing problems. Rolle believes that new solutions are required to address old problems, and this belief drives her work in technology and entrepreneurship. By empowering individuals to become entrepreneurs and job creators, Rolle aims to lift entire communities out of poverty.

The importance of listening and collaboration is another cornerstone of Rolle's approach. As the Vice President of the Global Listening Center, she advocates for understanding diverse perspectives to foster effective change. "Listening is very important," she notes, "we have a lot of crises that are inflamed by us not listening to each other." Rolle's vision is to leverage technology and entrepreneurship to create opportunities, reduce poverty, and ultimately change the world. By making economic development personal and engaging communities directly, she believes we can see significant and lasting improvements.