Mr. Crawford has held positions in sales, staff management, customer care/quality management, engineering, supply chain, supplier diversity and strategic sourcing and is responsible for leading Verizon’s Global Diversity Advocacy and Outreach initiatives across the enterprises. Verizon is the nation’s largest wireless provider and the premier broadband internet company in the United States.

“Jesse brings over 20 years of experience in telecommunications and is responsible for bringing a team of Verizon IT volunteer experts who conduct the Urban League Verizon Web Design Workshops for students and adults,” said Dr. Beverly Mitchell Brooks, Urban League President and CEO. “We look forward to his leadership as the League prepares to meet the future needs of area industries and citizens throughout Dallas County, through the construction of a 50,000 square foot Trade/Technical Skills Training Center.”

Mr. Crawford also serves on the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce’s Corporate Brain Trust Advisory Board. He is active in the community and continues to be a strong advocate for minority and small business entrepreneurs.

He graduated with Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude honors in Business Administration and Management.

“Our honorees have a history of accomplishments in their professions which are exemplary,” said Dr. Beverly Mitchell-Brooks, Urban League President and CEO, “and they continue to set high standards through their volunteerism and community service.

Proclamations from U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and State Representative Yvonne Davis were also presented to the honorees.

Our theme “I Am Urban League” was highlighted at the Luncheon when testimonies were given by participants from five Urban League Departments.

Donald Foreman representing our Veterans Program told of being on drugs and homeless after serving his country in the United States Air Force. He was referred to the League’s Efficiency Apartment Supportive Housing Veterans Program by the Veterans Administration. He has been drug free for six years and is a supervisor in charge of clinical staff members and responsible for the rehabilitation of 50 clients at the Dallas County Judicial Treatment Center.

Glendel Johnson, representing the Housing Department, was at the brink of foreclosure when he came to the Urban League for help. His Housing Counselor was able to negotiate a much smaller mortgage payment with his lender. He can now enjoy his retirement and work only part time as a warehouse manager.

It was not long ago that Darrell Brown was serving time in prison for selling drugs. After completing the Urban League’s Project 4 Victory Re-entry Program he is now employed as a Sales Consultant for a local car dealer.

Jaycielle Jones had worked on her previous job for over 22 years when she was laid off. After working with the Urban League Employment Department she is thrilled with her new career and enjoys her professional work environment.

Nakia Douglas, Principal of the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, participated in the League’s 100 Fellows Program when he was a senior in high school. He says the program equipped him for college through the motivational speakers, college visits and workshops. He now offers the young men at his Academy exposure to an advanced college prep curriculum.

In the League’s Annual Report to the Community, Dr. Mitchell-Brooks detailed the outcomes and impact of the investments of League supporters who contribute their time and funding. “Weaving the threads of each individual’s life makes us all a better community, thus a better city,” said Dr. Mitchell-Brooks

New Officers of the Board of Trustees were also sworn in and include Chairman, Jesse Crawford, Verizon Services Operations; 2nd Vice Chair, Habib Pourfakhrai, UPS; 3rd Vice Chair, Dr. Wright L. Lassiter, Jr., Dallas County Community College District; Treasurer, Nancy Latner, Millennium Innovations; Secretary, Stephanie Couser, Wells Fargo; Facilities chair, Glen Anderson, Turner Construction; Development Chair, H. Ron White, White & Wiggins; Church Relations, Ezra Penermon, Texas Instruments; Corporate Relations Chair, Willis Johnson, Wai-Wize..

The mission of the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas (ULGD) is to provide the critical skills and resources necessary to enable all citizens to secure economic self- reliance.

For ticket information, call (214) 915-4600

The Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas will honor Willard Stimpson, pharmacist and owner of Cut-Rate Pharmacy and Donald Stafford, retired Executive Assistant Chief of Dallas Police Department for their outstanding contributions in healthcare and civil service at its Annual Meeting Luncheon on Friday, February 24, 2012 at 11:45 a.m. The event will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207. The theme of the luncheon is “I Am Urban League”.

In a special presentation, the honorees will pass their legacy torch to the next generation of individuals who have made achievements in their profession and given back to the community.

Willard Stimpson, owner of Cut-Rate Pharmacy, has helped to improve the lives of many residents in the West Dallas community for over 30 years. He has provided valuable healthcare services and frequently helps those who cannot afford those services telling his customers to “take this and come back and see me when you are feeling better.” He is also an advocate for the survival of independent community pharmacies.

A native of Plano and a highly respected leader in the community, Stimpson has served as president of the Dallas County Pharmaceutical Association and the Dallas Pharmacists Association. His positive actions and dedication to his community have earned him numerous awards including an appointment by former President George Bush and Governor Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historical Commission. He is also an avid speaker at local middle and high schools throughout the Metroplex. He says he always finds time to mentor young people and urges them to “Dream big…get educated, get involved, be happy and make the world a better place for someone other than you.”

Donald A. Stafford, retired Executive Assistant Chief in the Dallas Police Department was the highest ranking African-American for most of his 31 years at the Department. A highly respected, prestigious and well spoken community leader, Stafford joined the Dallas Police Department in 1960 after being honorably discharged from the United States Air Force. He served in the Narcotics Division and as a patrolman at the Central and Southeast Patrol Division. Five years later he was promoted to the rank of Detective. He earned ranks from Sergeant to Executive Assistant Chief of Police. Stafford has commanded the Crimes Against Persons, General Investigations, Special Investigations and Youth and Family Crimes Bureau as well as the Personnel, Training and Education, Community Services and Psychological Services Units.

He has earned many awards and commendations including a Certificate of Merit, Certificate of Civil Achievement, the Police Commendation Bar and a 25 year Perfect Attendance Award. The Donald A. Stafford Media Conference Room at the Police Department Headquarters is dedicated to Stafford in honor of the excellent service he provided to the Dallas Police Department. A native of Rusk, Texas Stafford received a Bachelor of Science Degree with Cum Laude honors from Butler College.

“We are truly honored to recognize our legendary honorees for their contributions to the community, “said Dr. Beverly Mitchell Brooks, President and CEO of the Urban League. “They demonstrate how the challenges that individuals face daily can be conquered.”

A highlight of the luncheon will be a presentation of client success stories told in their own words and Dr. Brooks’ annual Report to the Community which details the outcomes and impact of the investments of League supporters who contribute their time and funding. New members of the Board of Trustees will also be recognized.

The mission of the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas (ULGD) is to provide the critical skills and resources necessary to enable all citizens to secure economic self- reliance.

The Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas offers a program called Work On Wheels (WOW) which offers individuals who have found jobs, transportation to and from a job for four and a half months. The Urban League also encourages participants to establish an interest bearing saving account which will help them purchase cars.

“As an ongoing initiative to foster self-reliance, we are initiating an employment access program that allows our participants to obtain employment in the suburbs with the League providing the transportation,” said Dr. Beverly Mitchell-Brooks, Urban League President and CEO. “This innovative program will allow them to eliminate barriers to employment in areas underserved by public transportation and encourages rapid entry into the workforce, job retention and self-reliance.”

For more information about this exciting new program call the Urban League of Greater Dallas Employment Services at (214) 915-4600.

The Urban League of Greater Dallas, El Centro College and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas have partnered on the project to develop and implement a sustainable model to train adults for career path employment and post-secondary education in high-demand occupations in Dallas County.

This program is for students ages 18 and older and will provide basic workplace vocabulary and skills courses including computer applications and basic job readiness training; engage basic skills instructors and technical and occupational faculty in professional development related to ABE; and transition participants from basic skills training to Career Pathways training at a Dallas County Community College.

For more information on the Adult Basic Education Innovation Program call (214) 915-4600.

Dallas Urban League President and CEO Beverly Mitchell-Brooks speaks at the University of North Texas at Dallas as part of the university’s Student Life Leadership Seminars Oct. 26.

As part of the university’s Student Life Leadership Seminars, Brooks spoke to about 75 students and staff on “The Principles and Practices of Servant Leaders.” Leadership is not so much about leading, she told them; it is about a journey of being ready to serve.

If you choose to lead, you will be forced out of your comfort zone because you cannot lead or serve only those you like, and you cannot expect to connect to those you lead and serve if you remain disconnected from the real environment and its challenges, Brooks explained.

“If you accept this challenge of being a servant leader, you are going to feel like the willing led by the unknowing to do the impossible for the ungrateful. And yet if the spirit of the servant leader is right, then against all of the odds, you will rise again and again to do positive things in your community,” she said.

Brooks described the “unusual route” she took that led to her becoming the CEO of the Urban League beginning as a child. The daughter of a blind man, she watched him cook, organize and even put up Christmas lights every year. One Christmas he fell off their roof but was uninjured and joked about falling. The lesson she learned was not to make excuses.

Brooks said watching him as a child set her path in life. Initially she went into medical research in the field of glaucoma because he was blinded by glaucoma.

Brooks said that she could have been very bitter because as a child she had to walk her father to the “colored” Light House for the Blind, “because during that time there was racial discrimination, and because he was black he was denied a guide dog.

“I could have been very bitter behind that, but I chose not to because of how he and my mother handled it.”

Brooks accepted the invitation to speak on leadership at the nation’s newest university, she said, “because it is your responsibility—as we pass the torch to young leaders—that you are challenged to pick up where we are leaving off. And that’s a hard challenge to overcome many of the obstacles that you will face.”

Brooks said servant leaders must become change agents and must accept others as they are and not as they want them to be because everyone makes mistakes. She said the real test of servant leaders is the ability to continue when tempted to revert to a blame-game mentality when things go wrong.

“When everything is right, everybody gets the credit, everybody gets the glory. But when it’s wrong, as the leader, you take the hit, especially when you’re trying to change the course of events in your community.”

Servant leaders are in positions of power, but unlike those who lead by managing others, they accept the challenge of empowering people around them by giving them responsibilities and the authority to complete the task. Leaders are tempted to think that that takes away from their authority, but it adds to the “common good of what you’re doing.”

“You must share your knowledge, your talents. In other words, you must learn the art of giving it away. And that is the true mark of a servant leader,” Brooks said.

Servant leaders should not be naïve on this journey, Brooks cautioned. Even if they do everything right, somebody will come out of the woodwork to put obstacles in their way. And during tough times when nothing is going right, servant leaders must believe in what they are doing. As the Apostle Paul wrote in the Bible, “sometimes ‘you must walk by faith and not by sight.’”

Brooks challenged students to embrace self-mastery to realize their true purpose in life. She called getting a college education an extremely important factor but said education alone is not enough. Servant leaders must combine book learning with knowledge from experiences and the ability to reason and analyze the facts.

“That intelligence is going to require a little common sense, and that’s not common anymore either. So, all rolled into one you have a servant leader with a new intelligent factor who’s willing to be a change agent,” she summarized.

Brooks said that servant leaders should keep in mind the example of an airplane losing cabin pressure when oxygen masks drop down. They say to put your own mask on first and then help somebody else.

“That’s your challenge in life as a servant leader. Sometimes you need to put your mask on first before you step out on this journey to help someone else.”

One way to put your own mask on and take care of yourself is to get a hobby, because a hobby gets you friends, she said.

“People think that having a lot of friends is important. No. True friendship is proven over the years. I can count my true friends, probably seven. They will help you get through those times.”