Two Community Leaders to Host SEED20 OnStage
Social Venture Partners Charlotte is pleased continue our new format for the SEED20 OnStage event. Just like last year, our audience and nonprofit participants will be guided through the OnStage program by hosts rather than an MC and judges. We are excited to announce this year’s OnStage event will be hosted by two amazing community leaders, Dr Cheryl Butler-Brayboy and Ian Joyce.
Dr. Cheryl Butler-Brayboy, a Chicago native, has been a prominent figure in both academia and broadcast journalism. She currently holds the position of Director of University Communications and Marketing at Johnson C. Smith University, where she also served as an Associate Professor of English from 2008 to 2019.
Cheryl has had a distinguished career in broadcast journalism. She has worked for major networks such as CBS, NBC, and Fox in cities across the United States, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Georgia. Notably, she was the host/reporter for WBTV’s QC Morning and QC@3, where she had the opportunity to interview Kristin Winkle Beck to promote SEED20 last year.
Cheryl’s exceptional work has been recognized with numerous awards. These include an Emmy for Best Newscast, the JCSU Par Excellence Teaching Award, the College of Arts & Letters Leadership Award, and the Rising Star Award.
Having resided in Charlotte for over 16 years, Cheryl shares a home with her husband, Jack, the owner of Brayboy Communications, and their teenage daughter, Juliana.
Ian Joyce is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of GenOne Charlotte, which partners with talented, first-generation students from underserved communities, helping them successfully navigate into and through college.
After graduating from college, Ian joined Teach for America Corps and taught World and US History at Eastway Middle School. Seeing the inherent gaps in supporting students striving to be the first in their families to attend college, Ian launched GenOne in 2016, alongside his co-founder Greg Gabriel. The initiative started as a program within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District while Ian was still teaching.
Ian showcased his innovative educational approach at SEED20 and won the 2016 Wells Fargo People’s Choice Grand Prize. From 2018 to 2020, GenOne was part of SVP Charlotte’s Investee Grant program receiving over $75,000 in unrestricted funds and receiving capacity building support to grow GenOne’s impact and organizations. Today, GenOne has graduated over 60 high school Scholars into college, 83% of whom attend debt-free, with over 200 Scholars following in their footsteps. Outside of his professional life, Ian enjoys hiking with his partner Sarah, and their dog, Loki.
Tickets to the SEED20 OnStage event on March 26th are still available! Click here to purchase tickets.
