A Word from Our President and CEO

Dear colleague,

The Emma Bowen Foundation (EBF) had a productive 2017. Together, we affirmed our commitment to EBF 2.0 to ensure that we meet the current needs of our partner companies and the media industry as a whole. Our goal is to serve as the primary diversity pipeline for the media and technology industries. Therefore, we are aligning programming to ensure that partners are introduced to the full EBF talent pool and that talent is exposed to each and every EBF partner.

During our 2017 Annual Summer Conference, we highlighted partners in our family and the EBF fellows took notice, as evidenced by our polling data. Specifically, more than 60 percent of responding fellows reported an increased interest in working at one of EBF's featured partner companies. We found new ways to highlight partner companies, including the creation of partner profiles, the promotion of a conference application that put a spotlight on sponsors and engaged students, and the successful execution of new conference events like our inaugural Power Networking event.

We are also creating new programs to further drive full-time conversions. Our partnership with Beacon Lane Consulting gives us added capacity and expertise to run the PIVOT12 Hiring Program, which guides graduating EBF fellows through the last phase of their EBF experience as they transition from college to the workforce. The program will prepare students to successfully navigate the job search process and encourage them to explore entry-level job opportunities that exist in our partner network. Additionally, our new HR Advisory Board is a vehicle for HR professionals—the boots on the ground responsible for recruitment execution—who will provide real-time feedback on their hiring needs and processes and enhance their awareness of the EBF pool of full-time candidates. We expect these programs to help us connect EBF talent directly to opportunities at our partner companies and increase full-time hires. 

Member companies have an increased interest in our growing Alumni and Media Professionals (AMP) Network as a way to meet experienced talent. In the past, EBF has hosted successful AMP events in collaboration with Bloomberg Media and the Time Warner Foundation. We are excited for new opportunities to create spaces where diverse professionals can connect seamlessly with partners in search of diverse talent. To that end, we are exploring adding consultant capacity to help us expand and activate the AMP Network to meet this growing interest of our partners.

We also plan to pilot full-time position searches as part of our efforts to match EBF seniors and AMP members to specific openings at partner companies. Our goal is to allow partners to submit open full-time positions for which EBF will provide slates of qualified and interested candidates. We will use this pilot program to gauge partner interest, internal capacity, and success in the hopes of making this a permanent member benefit.

EBF is ready to use what we learned in 2017 to inform how we execute in 2018. We start the year with new partners and expansion goals made possible through grant support from the Democracy Fund and the Schwab Charitable Fund. Our ability to focus on getting EBF graduates into the industry will be bolstered by support from the Walter Kaitz Foundation. Thank you for your commitment to this work, which allows us to diversify media and technology companies with top-notch talent. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Rahsaan Harris
President and CEO, Emma Bowen Foundation