30 Leaders Of The Future

Ebony, Nov, 1999 by Lynn Norment

SOME say that today's generation of young people is narcissistic and consumed with petty pursuits. But that is not the case with the impressive group of young leaders that EBONY introduces on these pages. These 30 leaders of the future are assertive, resourceful and charismatic, and they are using their talents and leadership abilities to uplift and inspire those around them.

For the 1999 EBONY list of young leaders, we canvassed the country seeking recommendations for young people age 30 and younger who are excelling in their chosen professions but also making an effort to give back to their communities. Though perceived as mere children by some in established political and civic circles, these youthful movers and shakers are proving with their deeds and compassion that they too can make a difference.

As we have done for a number of years, EBONY asked established leaders in civic, political, religious, business and creative arenas to recommend young people who are already leaders or who have the potential to be great leaders. Among those who were recommended and subsequently selected by EBONY's Editorial Board are 28-year-old Dwan A. Brown of Memphis, president of his own investment firm and real estate company, which has assets of more than $25 million. "I think it is very important to work in a profession in which you can give back to the community," says Brown, who despite his young age is already quite a philanthropist. "It's very essential that we as African-Americans realize the impact we make every time we reach back and help someone."

Another dynamic young leader is Kimberly West-Faulcon, 29, Western Region counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles. "At a time when the concept of civil rights is being distorted to oppress people of color, it is more important than ever that young African-Americans pressure this country to make good on its promise of equal rights and justice for all," she says. "My generation has benefited and had greater opportunities as a result of the struggle for civil rights. Because of what we have been given, we have an even greater obligation to maintain the gains won in the past and to try to finish the work begun by those who came before us."

The young adults featured here are by no means the only African-American youths who are making a difference in their communities. They are simply representative of the wealth of talented young people who are giving back to their communities and the country and preparing to lead America into an exciting and challenging new millennium.

DWAN ANDRE BROWN, 28, Memphis, thunder and president, Brown Investments, the largest minority-owned real estate company in Tennessee, with assets of $25 million; co-roundel, American Realty U.S.A., which employs 190 real estate professionals; member, Memphis Area Association of Realtors Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club; honored as "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Small Business Administration of Tennessee; donated $125,000 to Alcorn University; youth sponsor for Silent Grove M.B. Church.

ALFIEE M. BRELAND, Ph.D., 30, assistant professor, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.; team leader for special project research on "color consciousness," Michigan State University; program chair, first African-American Students in Psychology Conference (1999); co-recipient, Best Presentations Award (1999), Michigan Association for Foreign Student Advisors; Editorial Board Member, Michigan Journal of Counseling and Development; member, MSU Faculty Advisory Committee; ad hoc reviewer, former editorial hoard member and former associate editor (1998), Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development.

COREY J. HEBERT, M.D., 28, senior pediatric resident, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans; chairman, Louisiana State Medical Society (resident section); member, National Executive Committee and co-district coordinator, American Academy of Pediatrics (resident section); delegate, American Academy of Pediatrics; delegate, American Medical Association (resident section); member, Executive Committee, Tulane Housestaff Association; president, Greater New Orleans Alumni Chapter, Meharry Medical College; scholar, National Health Service Corps.

TRISTE N. LIETEAU, 30, an attorney with Foley & Lardner law firm, Chicago, where she specializes in health law; contributing author, Sourcebook of Substance Abuse and Addictions (1996); graduate of Harvard Medical School (1998) and University of Chicago Law School (1997); co-founder, Corporate Shares, a non-profit corporation with programs to help disadvantaged people; tutor-mentor to elementary school children; through various bar associations, motivational speaker at Chicago Public Schools.

KIMBERLY C. WEST-FAULCON, 29, Western Region counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Los Angeles; represents clients in various class-action civil rights cases to redress racial discrimination; specializes in education civil rights; designated by Los Angeles Daily Journal's California Law Business publication as one of the top lawyers under age 40 "making their mark in the legal world"; at Yale Law School, editor of the Yale Law Journal, chair of community outreach for the Black Law Students Association, and founder and director of Project SAT.