Page 8 - Final-2-2020ProgramBookMBA-Scholarship

Special Guest Key Note Speaker

ShARONI dENISE LITTLE, Ph.d., Ed.d.

dr. Sharoni denise little, ceo, The Strategist company, llc, a boutique advisory is an organizational
and leadership development strategist, educator, global facilitator, and media commentator, who
helps educational, corporate, and community organizations devise evidence-based strategies and
solutions. dr. little, head, global inclusion Strategy, creative artists agency, and former Vice dean
and Senior diversity, equity, and inclusion officer/professor at the uSc, marshall School of business,
is an author and renowned scholar, who shares her expertise both domestically and internationally
on workplace inclusion, equity, and antiracism, mitigating bias, strategic leadership, critical race,
and global organizational strategy.

dr. little earned her ph.d. from indiana university in rhetoric and cultural Studies where her
dissertation, “death at the hands of persons Known: Victimage rhetoric and the 1922 dyer anti-
lynching bill,” examined how the black male as rapist myth was used in congressional discourse
to hinder federal anti-lynching legislation and to promote a paternalistic rhetoric of control. She
also obtained an ed.d. in educational leadership from the university of Southern california, rossier
School of education, where her dissertation, “The ph.d. as a contested intellectual Site: a critical
race analysis of the factors that influence the persistence and retention of academically Successful black
doctoral Students,” examined personal and institutional factors impacting student engagement and academic
success. She received her bachelor and master of arts degrees in organizational communication from california State
university, los angeles.

dr. little has received several leadership, teaching, and research excellence awards, including the 2020, earl hill Jr. faculty achievement
and diversity leadership award (given by The consortium for graduate Study in management to recognize and honor outstanding academic and
professional leadership on university campuses and to the community beyond the boundaries of the university), the iota phi lambda Sorority, inc.,
national lola m. parker, outstanding business woman of the year (2019-2021), a uSc, faculty mentoring award (2017), three uSc, marshall School of
business “golden apple” teaching awards (2020, 2010, 2005), a uSc, “remarkable woman” award (2008), a city of compton champion award (2017),
an naacp meritorious woman award (2014), and a california women’s conference, inspirique award (2017).

a noted author, dr. little publishes her research on issues of educational equity and student success, race, class, and gender, and she is completing
her forthcoming book, The perpetual Surveillance of black men (2021), and has contributed chapters on michelle obama and racialized educational
disparities. She has been featured in various media outlets, including her two Tedx talks, Storytime: confronting and disrupting marginalizing narra-
tives (2020), and The gift of corrective lenses (2016), the financial Times, marketplace, the los angeles Times, abc, cbS, nbc, fox news, and pbS.

an educational and social advocate, dr. little has partnered as a Senior advisor and evaluator for the aspen institute, center for native american
youth and opportunity youth forum, the obama foundation, the children’s defense fund, and sits on several boards of trustees. dr. little also serves
as a board Trustee and Vice-chair at compton community college where she focuses on educational equity and access, community engagement,
literacy, and culturally responsive pedagogy and curricula. dr. little was selected as an inaugural Trustee fellow (2020) for strategic thought-leaders
developed in partnership with the california community colleges and the aspen institute, college excellence program. for the past nine years, dr.
little has served as a member and former chair of the los angeles county’s, policy roundtable for childcare and development commission and sits on
several boards of Trustees. She also serves as an advisor to the compton pledge guaranteed income initiative and the compton, my brother’s Keeper
initiative.

while she values her community and organizational efforts, her most cherished blessing is being the proud mother of her twin sons. To whom much
is given, much is required, luke 12:48.

www.labmba.org 8 2020 ScholarShip award ceremony