Keynote Address

Title: The Other DEI: Development, Economics and Innovation

In 2020, Dr. Sharpe was part of the National Advisory Council on Eliminating the Black-White Wealth Gap organized by the Center for American Progress. Her contributions were to think about how data disaggregation would better inform policy, how policy recommendations affected women, and what role historically Black colleges and universities could play to increase the wealth of African Americans. Dr. Sharpe and other members of the National Advisory Council focused on the use of Federal Research and Development dollars to increase opportunities for African American entrepreneurs and the role of HBCUs to advance the scientific workforce and to promote innovation. Building on our research, she will discuss the importance of economic partnerships between the federal, private, and public sectors and Minority Serving Institutions to develop underserved communities and foster innovation.