Earlier this year, UNCF’s Project ACCLAIM team embarked on its inaugural campus visit to the Atlanta University Center, marking a significant milestone in the initiative’s mission to cultivate a robust pipeline of diverse leaders within the asset management industry.

Project ACCLAIM—Accelerating Learning in Asset Investment Management—is a groundbreaking initiative funded by a transformative gift from Adage Capital Management and philanthropists Elizabeth and Phill Gross. The program, incubated in UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, will provide students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with comprehensive training, mentorship, and a ground-breaking opportunity to invest $4 million into the future of their respective institutions. The inaugural year of the initiative will launch in Fall 2025 at Morehouse College and Howard University and will expand to at least four additional HBCUs over the next two years.

This visit brought together prospective students, institutional leaders, and key partners to engage in meaningful dialogue and experiences in anticipation of the launch of the initiative. The visit was further distinguished by the presence of Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF, whose visionary leadership has been instrumental in advancing educational opportunities for underrepresented communities. “Project ACCLAIM’s public-private partnership model will be transformational for HBCU students, HBCU faculty, and for the institutions themselves administrators,” said Dr. Lomax. “Faculty and staff at Morehouse and Howard are shaping the pilot program so that it benefits both their own campuses and HBCUs from around the country who will soon have the chance to develop their own student-managed funds.”

While in Atlanta, the Project ACCLAIM team participated in an all-day site visit hosted by Morehouse College President Dr. David Thomas and Spelman College Interim President Rosalind “Roz” Brewer. The visit brought together prospective students, institutional leaders, and key partners to engage in meaningful dialogue and experiences in anticipation of the launch of the initiative. The visit was further distinguished by the presence of Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF, whose visionary leadership has been instrumental in advancing educational opportunities for underrepresented communities.

“Project ACCLAIM’s public-private partnership model will be transformational for participating HBCUs,” said Dr. Lomax. “Thanks to this unprecedented investment, HBCU faculty and administrators have been empowered to design and lead a world-class program that will strengthen pathways into the asset management industry.”

Throughout the day, the Project ACCLAIM team toured the historic campuses of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, whose students, faculty and staff engaged in interviews, sharing powerful reflections on why a program focused on diversifying the future of asset management is essential. While at Morehouse, the team had the honor of touring the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, guided by its founding dean, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. At Spelman, the Project ACCLAIM team received a tour of the just-opened Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts.

The site visit culminated in a fireside chat between Morehouse College President Dr. David A. Thomas and Phill Gross, where they discussed the evolving landscape of asset management, the importance of developing diverse talent pipelines, and the personal inspirations that shaped Phill Gross’s own journey into the field. Dr. Michael Lomax closed the event, offering remarks that tied together the day’s conversations and reemphasized the opportunity for this initiative to have a lasting impact.

On the day prior, the Project ACCLAIM Team and Phill Gross visited the Atlanta headquarters of global asset management firm BlackRock. Hosted by BlackRock’s Dennis Burns, Marc Balizer, Lyle Ross, Samuel Konigsberg, Emiere Scaife, and Ashton Taylor, the Project ACCLAIM team received an overview of the BlackRock for Universities initiative and learned more about BlackRock’s efforts to strengthen pathways into the asset management industry.

Acknowledgments

We extend our sincere thanks to the Morehouse College and Spelman College teams for their hospitality throughout the visit.

We are especially thankful for the invaluable contributions of our institutional partners:

Morehouse College

• Dr. SherRhonda Gibbs, Dean, Division of Business and Economics
• Dr. Matthew Lutey, B. Rauner Business and Economics Endowed Chair and Assistant Professor in the Business Administration Department
• Hodan Hassan, Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Chief Advancement Officer
• Aileen Dodd, Associate Vice President of Advancement Communications

Spelman College

• Dr. Pamela E. Scott-Johnson, Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs
• Salena Gray Jegede, Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement

We also acknowledge and appreciate the Project ACCLAIM partners and staff in attendance during the site visit:

• Phill Gross, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Adage Capital (Project ACCLAIM Founder)
• Keon Holmes, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates (Project ACCLAIM Committee Member & Spelman College Trustee)
• Jawan Parker, Senior Managing Director, Partner & Global Head of Early Career Talent & Strategy, Wellington Management (Project ACCLAIM Committee Member)
• Diego Aviles, Vice President, Northeast Division, UNCF
• Edward Smith-Lewis, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Programs, UNCF
• Julian Thompson, Senior Director, Strategy Development, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building
• Justin Bullion, Strategic Advisor, Project ACCLAIM, UNCF
• Devin McAllister, Strategy Analyst, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building

To the students who shared their time, perspectives, and aspirations with us during the visit: your energy continues to inspire and shape the future of Project ACCLAIM.

Stay tuned as Project ACCLAIM continues to grow—the future is bright.