In May of 2020, several Black alliantgroup leaders were moved to take action as a result of the growing racial injustice movement. Kim Allen reached out to alliantgroup CEO, Dhaval Jadav to create a platform for alliantgroup Black professionals to openly discuss issues surrounding race, equity and community.
Weeks later, more professionals from varied departments across the firm joined forces to make this vision a reality and formed the alliantgroup Black Collaborative (aBC). The alliantgroup Black Collaborative members are working with each other and their colleagues throughout the organization to promote Black Excellence through engaging Black youth in our Houston-area community, empowering Black alliantgroup professionals to reach their leadership goals, and expanding alliantgroup’s search for talented professionals to include dedicated recruiting efforts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav will donate $100,000 to organizations that are positively impacting the Black community. The organizations, selected by the aBC, and initiatives undertaken by the aBC are as follows:
- Houston Black MBA Association
aBC Liason: Diana Walker
Houston Black MBA Association is a non-profit, member-based organization working to create educational, career and wealth-building opportunities for Black students, professionals and entrepreneurs.
The aBC is supporting Houston Black MBA Association’s Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) program. This enrichment program for minority high school students is to strengthen leadership, academic, and interpersonal skills, which can provide the foundation for success. LOT programming is comprised of activity-based workshops, seminars, case studies, and exposure to formal mentors.
- Twelve Days of Christmas
aBC Liason: Aisha Young
Twelve Days of Christmas, Inc. is a national volunteer service organization founded to share the spirit of the holidays with less fortunate families. Beyond the holiday season, the organization also serves the community by providing school supplies for students and implementing an early reading program.
The aBC is also adopting a Twelve Days of Christmas family for the holidays. The adopted family will receive a grocery store gift card to help them prepare and enjoy a family Thanksgiving dinner and aBC members will shop throughout the year for gifts for their adopted family of seven.
The aBC is also supporting the Read to Empower Achieve and Discover Program also known as R.E.A.D Program. This program targets minority, at-risk, low-income households with children ages 3 to 8 and seeks to generate excitement and a desire to read at an early age.
- Alief ISD STEM Mentoring Program
aBC Liason: Alphonso Anderson
Alief STEM is a partnership between the aBC and the Alief Independent School District to provide a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education using hands-on teaching and learning methods to prepare students for future career opportunities.
Specifically, the aBC and Alief ISD are collaborating on a mentoring partnership for Black students attending O’Donnell Middle School. The mentoring sessions will focus on different topics, including STEM professions, college and career readiness, and relevant current events. The program is scheduled to begin January 2021.
- STEM Houston–powered by STEM NOLA
aBC Liason: Deron Gadsden
STEM NOLA’s purpose is to expose, inspire and engage youth in the community to learn about opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). STEM NOLA designs and delivers activities, programs & events that bring inspiration, motivation and training to all STEM stakeholders, specifically focusing on under-served communities, across the country.
The aBC is partnering with STEM NOLA to host a Virtual STEM Saturday in December 2020! Over 100 Black students from the Greater Houston Area will be invited to attend a live, virtual -three hour STEM interactive activity centered around the topic of force and motion.
- aBC Scholarship Program for Black High School Seniors
aBC Liasons: Deron Gadsden and Margorie McLenan
The aBC is committed to promoting excellence by ensuring high school students are able to further pursue their passions in STEM. As a way to add on to alliantgroup’s current scholarship program, starting in 2021 the aBC will sponsor various scholarships specifically for deserving Black High School Seniors who are interested in pursuing a STEM degree.
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities Recruiting
aBC Liason: Kim Allen
Campus recruiting is an important aspect of alliantgroup’s recruiting efforts and essential to alliantgroup’s strategy of finding top talent. To further expand and diversify these efforts, the aBC is partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as top Black student organizations, such as National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), to find top talent.
As the alliantgroup Black Collaborative continues their mission of developing and supporting Black excellence at alliantgroup and in the community. The members of aBC are grateful for the support of alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav and their fellow alliantgroup professionals.
