Green is a speech-language pathologist and professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. There, she serves as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, as a fellow in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning and as a scholar in the Center for Child Welfare Education and Research.

In her community, Green advocates for immigrants and refugees as a founding member of an annual event providing free medical and community-based services to that population, and serves on the board of directors for the International Center of Kentucky.

Her commitment to higher education and global learning extends to support at App State as well. She serves on App State’s Alumni Council and is a former member of the Foundation Board of Directors. In 2019, Green was honored as the recipient of the university’s Global Engagement Award.

Along with James Reaves ’93 — an App State alumnus and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. — Green established the Green/Reaves Scholarship for Global Experiences at App State to provide financial assistance to underrepresented students for international educational experiences.

During her 25 years of membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha, Green said she has established lifelong friendships and meaningful engagement with others in her sorority and in other Black Greek-letter organizations.

Hall is a senior vice president and commercial banking leader at Wells Fargo in Winston-Salem. He has been active in his community, serving in leadership for the United Way, the Greensboro Children’s Museum, Rotary Club, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and several other organizations.

At App State, Hall — honored in 2019 with the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Service Award — is a member of the App State Diversity and Inclusion Accountability Team and has served on the Foundation Board of Directors, the Yosef Club Advisory Board and App State’s Board of Trustees.

Hall, who was a defensive lineman for the App State Mountaineers football team from 1989–92, said he joined Phi Beta Sigma to diversify his experience on campus. As the first member of his immediate family to go to college, he said his knowledge of fraternities was limited — so he looked closely at the character and actions of active members.

“It was neat to learn that some of the men representing strength in African American history were Sigmas,” he said, naming scientist and educator George Washington Carver, U.S. Congressman John Lewis, civil rights activists Philip Randolph and Huey Newton, athletes Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith, and civil rights activist and writer James Weldon Johnson, who wrote “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” — a hymn often referred to as the Black national anthem.

“Phi Beta Sigma introduced me to a culture of brotherhood, scholarship and service,” Hall said. “The fraternity inspired me to a lifelong pursuit of serving the community and looking to leave the world in a better place.”

Leak, who lives in Accokeek, Maryland, is a speech-language pathologist at Charles County Public Schools and the head librarian at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies.

When she joined Zeta Phi Beta as an App State student, Leak said she wanted to “be part of something that was not just social — but was making a community impact.”

Being part of the sorority has expanded her community service beyond a local focus, with projects that emphasize the needs of international women, youth and seniors. “It is amazing to see how our efforts locally can have a global impact,” Leak said.

While at App State, Leak said she was exposed to the work of author Zora Neale Hurston through an African American literature course. “Discovering Hurston was also a member of Zeta Phi Beta fanned the flame of writing in me,” Leak said.

Leak published the centennial devotional — a special project in celebration of her sorority’s 100th anniversary in 2020 — that new Zeta members often receive when they join the organization. Her work was included in the 2020 Maryland Bards Poetry Review, and she is now working on an anthology set to release in March for International Women’s Day.

Leak remains active with Zeta Phi Beta, leading various programs and initiatives in her local chapter, as well as serving as the state chaplain and as a member of the International Interfaith Team for the sorority.

Rattley is the chief of equity and school performance for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where she and her team develop and implement district strategies that drive school improvement with a focus on equitable practices. She serves on the board for Greater Steps Scholars and is a member of the Rotary Club of Charlotte and other service organizations.

Joining Delta Sigma Theta allowed Rattley to be a part of a sisterhood that inspired her to contribute to positive experiences in a group with which she personally identified, she said. “It fostered my growth as a young adult navigating societal pressures as a Black woman,” she added.

Rattley’s involvement in her sorority’s programs and activities — focused on educational development, economic development, physical and mental health, international awareness and involvement, and political awareness and involvement — helped her foresee a future in education where she could create opportunities to better communities.

Reflecting on the role of NPHC organizations throughout the country’s history, Rattley said, “There’s a sense of pride in contributing to the advancement of a community that began with founders who recognized the need for, fought for and continue to fight for change. While we are members of different organizations, there is a common thread through our collective history that requires all of us to stay engaged and persevere.”

Reaves is a regional insurance strategist with the bank Truist. He lives in Winston-Salem, where he has mentored and coached youth at the YMCA and YWCA, and has volunteered at a food shelter, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and other organizations.

Reaves said he was inspired to join Kappa Alpha Psi after witnessing acts of service in his community while growing up in Durham. His high school track coach was a member of the fraternity and was an influential mentor for him, Reaves said.

He said he was also impressed by national legacy members, including civil rights activist Ralph Abernathy, professional athletes Arthur Ashe and Bill Russell, and Tom Bradley — the first Black mayor of Los Angeles.

“Kappa Alpha Psi encouraged us to achieve in every field of human endeavor. It led me to have a keen interest in working hard to earn a degree from the Walker College of Business,” Reaves shared.

He continues to be involved with his chapter at App State, assisting with fundraising to provide financial assistance for NPHC members to travel to leadership meetings. He helped lead fundraising efforts for the NPHC Plots and Garden, which were unveiled in September 2018.

To provide opportunities for underrepresented App State students to experience international education, Reaves co-sponsored the Green/Reaves Scholarship with alumna Dr. Kimberly Green ’98 ’01. He has also contributed to and sponsored other scholarships at the university.

He is a current member of App State’s Board of Trustees, serves as co-chair for App State’s chief diversity officer search, and is a former member of the Foundation Board of Directors. Reaves, who was captain of App State’s football team, has previously served the university as president of both the Yosef Club Advisory Board and the Alumni Council.

In 2010, Reaves received the university’s Young Alumni Award and was recognized as “an invaluable volunteer for the university” in his work for the Yosef Club.

Tolliver, who lives in Atlanta, is chief of staff and chief development officer at INROADS Inc., a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to careers for ethnically diverse high school and college students across the U.S. He also owns Leaven Solutions, a consulting company focused on helping churches, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

Tolliver joined Alpha Phi Alpha in 1993 and has been an active member since. He was president of his chapter during his junior and senior years at App State.

“I credit so much of my acumen from what I learned as an Alpha,” he said — citing business skills such as using “Robert’s Rules” (procedures for running meetings), managing the chapter’s budget and evaluating profit and loss, negotiating contracts between the chapter and Boone area businesses and learning about business dress etiquette.

“We were the only NPHC organization at that time requiring business dress to all of our chapter meetings,” he recalled. “We were fined $2 if not properly dressed.”

Tolliver said he is proud of the legacy of Alpha Phi Alpha, which has produced prominent historical civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Williams resides in Olathe, Kansas, and is an operations manager for Hallmark Cards. He is active in his community, having served on several executive boards for nonprofit organizations.

He said he is most passionate about his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “There is a shortage of positive Black role models and father figures in the Black community, and this organization provides the platform for me and others to fill that gap and mentor young boys to become proud men,” he said.

When Williams arrived on App State’s campus in 1990, he said he witnessed the brothers of Omega Psi Phi mentoring children with mental and physical disabilities. “That sparked my passion to help, support and invest in our youth as much as possible,” Williams shared.

Joining Omega Psi Phi gave him a sense of “home away from home,” Williams said, describing his fraternity brothers as “an extension of my family.”

Williams is still active with his fraternity and serves as part of the App State Alumni Initiative, a program established within the campus chapter of Omega Psi Phi to support undergraduate brothers in the organization while they serve in the local community.