 HPC Dodgers Radio, welcome back to another edition of Conversations with Distinguished Leaders and Supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Today, our esteemed guest is Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter, a proud alumni of Lincoln University of Missouri and the CEO of V&J Holdings Company, Inc., and she is here to talk with us about her support for the institution and why HPC youths continue to have so much relevance in the lives of excelling African-Americans throughout this country and world. Dr. Daniels Carter is an honor to have you on today. It is my pleasure to be with you and thank you for the opportunity. So you are in a very quiet way, but in a very historic way, an exceptional businesswoman, an entrepreneurial leader in your field, and you have ownership stake in pro franchises. So looking at that and coming from Lincoln University, it's not to say that it would be a surprise, but did you ever think you would be here when you were in college and just leaving college? Well, if I'm honest with you, I would say when I was in college and at Lincoln, and even after I graduated, my expectation was high, but it was not where I am today. But I'm just grateful that the base and foundation that I received while at Lincoln allowed me to matriculate to where I am today, and I'm grateful. What is it about the Lincoln experience, the HBCU experience that kept you tied to your institution, that kept you loyal, kept you as a benefactor, and engaged you as somebody to continue to love on this school? Well, I've got to be honest and say that you never forget the bridge that allows you to cross to the next place of destiny, and in doing so, Lincoln University was one of those foundational blocks into my life and for my career. Lincoln experience for me was a phenomenal experience, because it was a well rounded experience. It allows you to gain a great education. It allowed you to meet some phenomenal people, the professors and administrative staff at the school, cared about your advancement in life, and it taught you practical life lessons. I think we all can attest to the fact that if you can really make it from freshman to graduating out of historical black college, you will meet and experience and have some of the greatest experiences in life. I still have friends to this day that we met at Lincoln, and we're connected even to this very day. So, you meet lifelong friends, you gain a superior education, and you also are prepared for the next chapter of your life. Now, let me just ask you before we go on. So, you're part owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. Those friends from Lincoln, do they get tickets to the games? You know what? Because I'm part owner, I try to make them pay. That's right, we got to make money out of this deal. I love you dearly, but we got to move these tickets. Every now and then I'll put up a few of them, but I'm looking for their checkbook when they come. I was going to say the Bucks are a hot ticket now. They say free, baby. Yeah, and we will have another great season this year. That's right. So, let's talk about your undergraduate experience. What attracted you to Lincoln? And how do you believe that it helped to shape your career as an entrepreneur, as a philanthropist, as someone who helps to lead other organizations as a board member and an advisor, including your alma mater? Okay, that's really easy because my sister was a graduate of Lincoln and a number of people from Wisconsin graduated from Lincoln. And to a person, everyone promoted the school with a very, very positive image. Not only did I seek firsthand that individuals that graduated from Lincoln were able to immediately find gainful and good employment, but I just watched their circle and their network of ability to grow and be promoted in their own field. My older sister, a graduate of Lincoln, and after teaching for a number of years became a social worker and just matriculated on to administration. Individuals that went to my church graduated from Lincoln. Individuals that were associated with our family and other family members attended. So, it wasn't hard for me to make the choice once I decided that Lincoln University was where I wanted to go. And then once I got there, I was able to really meet phenomenal people in the school of business, I just have to say, was a great experience for me. Initially, I was thinking about going into pre-med. So, I was kind of, you know, vaccinated between major in the chemistry of business and the professors set out and helped me to really understand where I was best suited. And to this day, I'm grateful for that. What does Lincoln do today? I mean, it's one thing to have a tremendous experience, you know, when we were students. And it's hard to, when you move on so far in business and you reach such high heights that you can go back and touch the campus and say, hey, they're still making a difference. And a lot of the things I love, they're still going on. How do you stay in touch with the campus to know that the pulse of what made Lincoln so great for you is still working for students today? And how do you visualize ways and actualize ways that you support that growth for students and growth of the campus? For me, it's pretty simple. I continue to look at the updates on their website as to what they're doing, how they're doing it. A very close friend of mine is associated and leads the Alumni Association. He keeps me very impressed on things that are going on. Unfortunately, I can't get back to the school with off of their drop-hand, but those that I'm associated with, they go back regularly and feel a few things that are going on. I went back a couple years back and did the commencement address for the 150th-year celebration. So, I'm well connected with those individuals and I just continue to watch things that are important to me and making the rest that absolutely is important to me. Do you think that alumni, particularly those who are in a position to give back in big ways, every way is a big way in giving back to a black college, but those who are able to make transformative gifts, how would you advise them to be aware of the direction of a school? Because a lot of folks will say, well, I'll give back when they do X, Y, and Z. Do you think that most people have an idea of when a school is moving in a positive direction? Are there certain synergies or similarities that you see between higher education, for example, and in corporate business that you say, hey, that's a healthy institution and I like to invest in it? Well, I think they're connected to those in leadership. Lincoln has a phenomenal president, Dr. Wilfolk, and a very, very strong administrative staff that works to ensure that if there is a need, trust me, they're not afraid to ask. And if you stay connected to those in leadership, they will let you know what the needs are and they'll share with you the progress that the school is making and the things that the school is always going to be in need. I support some schools here in Wisconsin as well, and I have three schools that I support in Africa. So a school is always going to be in need as long as there is the ability for children or young people to learn. And I pride myself in making sure that expectation is one of the things that we invest in. And the education of others as well as those that work within our organization. So I would just advise the person if they're connected with the leadership and administration and they will certainly share with you their desires. With education being so important, when you look at all the headlines about HBCUs, the good and the bad, what is it that gives you the most optimism about black colleges? Not even just Lincoln, just black colleges in general. And what is the thing that causes you the most worry about the future of black colleges? I think the most encouraging thing is that there are individuals that have benefited all across this world from historical black universities and they are stepping up and supporting their alma mater. Or it doesn't necessarily have to even be their alma mater, but supporting individuals that attend these universities. The most concerning thing to be honest with you is I don't think that the level of excellence is promoted high enough. Because if you look at the individuals that graduate from just a number of these schools all across the U.S., they are some of the sharpest. My son's a graduate of Morehouse. My niece was a graduate of Spelman and they recently graduated within the last several years. They're graduating and so I've had the opportunity to visit those campuses and network with those young people. Often I'm going to other universities and just speaking on campus for different reasons in the school of business or doing leadership programs with some of the young people. I've got to tell you, I just don't think we promoted well enough and we showcased the talent that these schools developed in growing for our leaders of today and tomorrow. If I could wave a magic wand and say, what would I do differently? I would showcase the excellence of these young people. We have a program here in Wisconsin that I'm a part of. It was started by my oldest brother, Carl Sellows. They take young African American men and place them in certain universities and help them with their educational desires and give them scholarships to go to school. If they would profile that instead of profiling some of the negativity, I think America would see how sharp these graduates from these schools really are. You've made millions as a food company executive, right? And you're the CEO, V&J Foods, that's very well known all over the place. One of the things that when you talk to business folks, they'll say that small businesses and particularly minority owned, we don't really invest in the marketing communications function because we're trying to put resources in other things to help our business grow. So from a corporate perspective, how did you effectively help to promote V&J? And is that something you think that could translate over to HBCUs? I think it's important for us to get the message out. I'm not an expert in marketing, so I have individuals that help and support me in that area. You pay them to do it, that's right. But I certainly could have someone sit down at the table with and advise them how to really become more proactive when it comes to marketing, the image of the universities that service our young people. I just think that we could send that message because so many times, and there's nothing wrong with this, compared to some of the majority universities at Ivy League universities, they have just an abundance of ability to do that. And so our universities are somewhat limited because they do have to allocate every dollar very closely. And so to the degree that we can help and support and promote the mission of the schools, I think word of mouth is important. Social media now is one of the greatest ways of getting a message across. So, you know, every graduate from a particular black university would get on social media if they're social media savvy and just promote the fact that, you know, I am a graduate. I think that was, we took one day out of the year and all of us got on there and did it. Even those of us that are not really great with social media, if we all committed to do that, I think that was a huge, huge message. And then the final question again, we're so appreciative of your time today. When you go and talk to the young people at HBCUs across the country, if they ask you for, you know, I want to run a multi-million dollar company, or I want to, you know, be a owner of an NBA franchise, how do I do it? I know that there's no set formula and life works in funny ways, but is there one strategy, one idea, one piece of advice that you give young people to help them realize that there is no such thing as a dream that's too big? Well, that's exactly what I tell them, to be honest with you. There is no dream that's too big. You have to have faith in God, you have to have faith in who you are and surround yourself with positive people and be you, you just be you. Because your space and your territory is unique for what you need to accomplish. And I'm very clear with young people that, you know, life does take a lot of twists and turns and you just have to be in the right place at the right time and quit properly in order to execute on the mission. And, you know, we have great dialogue and conversations. You have those simple, you know, statements.