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PVAMU Alumna Antoinette Gant promoted to Brigadier General, United States Army

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11 months ago

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Makes history as first African American female, active-duty engineer to be promoted to rank of general officer

Colonel Antoinette ‘Toni’ Gant, a Port Gibson native, will be promoted to Brigadier General (BG) in the United States Army this week.

She is also the first African American female to serve as a division commander in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will be the first AA Female (active duty) to reach the rank of Brigadier General in the history of the Engineer Regiment.

Gant will be pinned officially on Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the Donald Clarke Juvenile Justice and Psychology Building at Prairie View A&M University, where she graduated in 1994 and participated in the Army ROTC.

Gant is the third alumnus, including LTG Julius Becton Jr. and BG Carlton G. Smith, to host their pinning ceremony on the campus. Other PVAMU generals are LTG Marvin D. Brailsford, BG James Cheatam, BG Johnnie Forte, Jr., MG Julius Parker, Jr., LTG Billy K. Solomon and LTG Calvin A. Hoffman and Vice Admiral David Brewer, achieving ranks in the U.S. Armed Forces.

DVIDS - News - Gant assumes command of Border District

Additionally, Gant becomes the fourth female HBCU graduate to achieve Brigadier General rank, following Clara Adams-Ender (North Carolina A&T), Twanda E. Young (South Carolina Stata) and Sheila Baxter (Virginia State) with Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields (Norfolk State) rounding out the field of achievement.

Gant became the Commander and Division Engineer of the South Pacific Division (SPD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on July 9, 2021.  Established in 1888 and headquartered in San Francisco, SPD is one of nine USACE regional commands. The region encompasses all or part of ten states with four operating districts headquartered in Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco.

As the SPD Commander and Division Engineer, she is responsible for leading a workforce of more than 2500 military and civilians, overseeing hundreds of water resource development, military and interagency design and construction projects valued at more than $16 billion in support of our communities, our Nation, and our warfighters.

In 2012, Gant sent a congratulatory letter to Brigadier General Margaret Burcham on her promotion as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ first female general officer.

“This was huge, especially for someone like me,” Gant said. “I just wrote this letter, and I said, ‘Hey ma’am, I know we have never met, but I think it is an honor for you to be the first female engineer general officer. Thank you for what you are doing.”

In 2018 she had the pleasure to introduce Burcham at a leadership development meeting. Burcham became a mentor to her, and now 10 years later, Gant is gaining her star.

A native of Port Gibson, Gant graduated from Prairie View A&M University in Texas as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a commission in the Engineer Regiment. She holds a Master of Science in Engineer Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri, and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. She is a certified Project Management Professional.

Gant has served in a variety of command and staff positions for engineering units stateside and abroad. Prior to South Pacific Division, Gant was commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Border District from July 2020 to June 2021. Gant previously served as the combined joint engineer for the Resolute Support and OFS headquarters, Kabul, Afghanistan, military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army-Civil Works, Washington, DC, chief of operations for the engineer directorate, U.S. Army South, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, and the director for the Directorates of Public Works and Installation Support, ASG-Kuwait.

She also served as the Executive Officer for Special Troops Battalion and Brigade Engineer, 4BCT, 4thInfantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. Other USACE assignments include Commander for both the Albuquerque and Louisville Districts. She has deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Freedom Sentinel.

A strong advocate for STEM, Gant has worked to develop partnerships with agencies and organizations to promote science, technology, engineering, and math initiatives. She has received several national and community awards, including the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Conference Awards (BEYA), Army Stars and Stripes Award recipient, the 2020 Women of Color Career Achievement in Government Award, the YWCA Women on the Move Award, Women of Influence in Government by Albuquerque Business First, BEYA Special Recognition Award, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., South Central Region Visionary Leader and Global Leader Awards. She is an initiate of the Zeta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at PVAMU.

Gant’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (2), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal (7). She is also a recipient of the Army Staff Identification Badge, Recruiter Badge, and the Army Engineer Association Bronze and Silver de Fleury Medals. Additionally, she has received the National Defense Service Medal (one Bronze Service Star), the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the NATO Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon (numeral 3).

Gant is married to Leonard Gant of Kansas City, Mo., who is a Middle School Math Educator. They have two children, Lauryn, a third-year doctoral veterinary medicine student at Tuskegee University and Leonard II, a sophomore at Florida A&M University studying Business Administration with a concentration in Supply Chain Management.

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Houston Resident Builds Library In Sagyimase, Ghana

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4 days ago

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September 17, 2023

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Alice B. Otchere is a native Houstonian and was raised in Houston’s Fifth Ward. She never thought of herself as a philanthropist. After high school, she attended the University of Northern Iowa, and along the way received Business School Certifications from the University of Michigan and the University of Texas. She established herself in Houston and developed a longstanding and successful career in Human Resources, at all levels through executive levels. Otchere visited Accra, Ghana in 2019 after connecting with her sons’ Ghanian family. The family welcomed her and her sons with open arms. While touring the country, she visited Sagyimase, the village which the family called their “home village”. She observed that there were no libraries in the area for the school children and others in the community of villages.

After visiting Ghana and returning to the United States, Otchere established the non-profit Literacy for Life (www.literatelife.org) in September 2019. She has received tremendous financial support from her immediate family, including her family in Ghana who donated the land. In addition, she received support from friends and Port City Chapter (TX) Links, Incorporated sisters by hosting fundraisers and receiving donations from many donors who appreciate the value of her commitment to share blessings with those in need. She also contacted the pending Consul General of Ghana in Houston to advise him of her plans. He was delighted to hear about a Houstonian engaged in humanitarian efforts in his home country.

Ms. Otchere returned to Ghana and Sagyimase in January 2020 to announce to the family and the village community her plans to build a library. While there, her desire and plans to build a library were confirmed. She saw the local village school and recognized it was underserved. She asked one of the teachers if they had a library. There were a few books, and the bookcase was dilapidated. As an avid reader, Ms. Otchere wanted to do something to ensure the schools, the students and all who lived in the area would have access to a library. She committed to do her part to work towards building and operating a Library in Sagyimase. 2020 offered challenges with the COVID pandemic; the air space in Ghana was closed and travel into the country was prohibited. But 2020 offered opportunities to work with the General Contractor, Architect and Project Manager to layout the plans for the library.

In September 2021 Otchere returned to Ghana to break ground for the library in Sagyimase, Ghana! Since that time, the project has been on-going, and the Project team has been successfully meeting construction milestones. The library is scheduled to open and begin operations October 16, 2023,
When asked what her family takes away from this experience, Otchere says, “you don’t have to be a millionaire to help a village”.

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Coco Gauff subdues Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title

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2 weeks ago

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September 9, 2023

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NEW YORK — Coco Gauff won her first major title on Saturday at the US Open with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka in front of an adoring crowd under the roof on a stormy day at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After the match, the 19-year-old American fell to the ground and lay on her back on the court before sobbing in celebration. After hugging Sabalenka, Gauff ran up the stairs to tearfully hug her parents and then the rest of her team.

Moments later, Gauff told the star-studded crowd, which included Kevin Durant, Diane Keaton, Nicole Kidman, Spike Lee, Mindy Kaling and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, that she still hadn’t fully processed the victory.

“Oh my goodness, it means so much to me,” Gauff told ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez. “I feel like I’m a little bit in shock in this moment. That [2022] French Open loss was a heartbreak for me. But I realized God put you through tribulations and trials and that makes this moment even sweeter than I could have imagined.”

After the match, several high-profile celebrities, including former President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and President Joe Biden, sent her congratulatory messages over social media.

Gauff is the youngest American to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999 and the first American player to win a major title since Sofia Kenin at the Australian Open in 2020. Gauff also became the first woman to win the title in New York after dropping the first set in three matches during her title run since Williams, also in 1999.

When speaking to the media after the match, Gauff said it was an honor to have her name listed on the same trophy as Williams and her sister Venus, who won the title a combined eight times.

“I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest,” Gauff said. “They have allowed me to believe in this dream. Growing up, there weren’t too many Black tennis players dominating the sport. It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember.

“Obviously more came because of their legacy, so it made the dream more believable. But all the things that they had to go through, they made it easier for someone like me to do this.”

Gauff, the tournament’s No. 6 seed, was broken in the first game of the match and struggled to find any rhythm in the nervy 40-minute opening set. Since the first set winner had won 27 of the previous 28 US Open women’s finals, history was not on her side. But she took control in the second set, breaking Sabalenka in the fourth game and recording an 81% win percentage on first serve. Her confidence grew with every point, and her “Come on!” screams and fist pumps became increasingly more animated.

In the deciding set, it was all Gauff. She jumped to a 4-0 lead and withheld Sabalenka’s last-ditch efforts and a medical timeout at 4-1. After two hours and six minutes, Gauff was the US Open champion.

“You played unbelievable,” Sabalenka said to Gauff during the on-court trophy ceremony. “Congrats to you and your team, you guys deserve this title. Many more to come, I’m pretty sure.”

Despite still being a teenager, Gauff has been one of the sport’s most recognizable stars since she burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2019 and reached the fourth round as a 15-year-old qualifier. Since then, she’s won five WTA titles and reached the final at the 2022 French Open.

With several high-profile sponsorship deals and a growing presence on social media, Gauff has remained under the spotlight and the expectations for her career have continued to increase. On Saturday, Gauff said the pressure has been overwhelming at times, and she felt she was expected to immediately win a major title after her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2019.

“It’s been difficult,” she said. “I mean, it’s been a long journey to this point. I wasn’t a fully developed player, and I still think I have a lot of development to go. At that moment, I think people were putting a lot of pressure on me to win. I felt that at 15 I had to win a Slam at 15.

“I think that was, you know, not the mistake, because everything led to this moment so there were no mistakes, but that was a little bit of the pressure that I was feeling. Now I just realize that I just need to go out there and try my best.”

After losing in the first round at Wimbledon in July, Gauff brought in a new team, including coach Pere Riba and consultant Brad Gilbert. Since then, she’s won the titles in Washington D.C., and Cincinnati and is 18-1 during the current hard-court swing. She defeated two Grand Slam champions en route to the final, as well as 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.

Gauff told the crowd she had been motivated by those who had doubted her.

“I want to say honestly thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” Gauff said. “A month ago, I won a 500 title and people said, I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get. So three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy right now.

“I’ve tried my best to carry this with grace and I’ve been doing my best. So honestly, to those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it. And now I’m really burning so bright right now.”

Gauff later told reporters she had been reading comments online from those who didn’t think she was going to win right up until the match.

In addition to earning $3 million for the victory — something she thanked Billie Jean King for fighting for as she received it — Gauff will improve to a career-high ranking of No. 3 on Monday. Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, will take over the No. 1 ranking for the first time despite the loss.

Gauff will also return to the top spot in the doubles ranking, alongside partner Jessica Pegula. The pair reached the quarterfinals at the US Open.

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Upcoming FITCC Conference – One-on-One with the Event Facilitator, Linda Anukwuem

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2 weeks ago

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September 9, 2023

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…Says the event will validate demand for a Nigerian Consulate in Houston

The President of AIX LLC, the Houston-based facilitator of the FITCC Conference, Linda Anukwuem walked into the newsroom at the Texas International Guardian to shed light on a two-day international conference expected to attract a diverse group of entrepreneurs and industry leaders in America’s fourth largest city, Houston. Ms. Anukwuem spoke to the publisher, Dr. Anthony Ogbo. Below is the transcript:

Come October 24-25, the Fidelity Bank Plc. Nigeria will unveil its premier international trade and creative fair themed, Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect (FITCC). Tell us, what is this event all about? 

Thanks for this opportunity. The event is a unique platform to bridge the gap and support bilateral trade between Nigeria and Houston. Nigeria has a large diaspora community that resides in Houston and the neighboring cities which include Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio looking to engage in business activities back home. In addition, the event will bring over 100 exporters in various industries looking to transact with retail buyers, manufacturers, etc. The event will create an atmosphere to do business beyond borders. Networking and engagement will be instrumental to a successful outcome for the event and Fidelity Bank Nigeria.

In addition, the ITCC will take place at the George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center, one of the 10 largest convention centers in America, and this event will be the first Nigeria-facilitated conference to be held at this convention center.

 

Anukwuem… “The proposed partnership with TSU will allow a working collaboration with the students depending on their choice of study. We are really excited about their participation and cannot wait to release more details soon.” Photo/International Guardian

Good to know that this event will create a path to doing business across and beyond borders. Tell us about the structure – what exactly would participants be expecting? 

Attendees should expect the following: tradeshow, panel sessions, topic-focused breakout sessions, fashion show, networking, and B2B meetings. The discussions will feature experts, policymakers, and businesses from Nigeria and the United States to provide a more cohesive discussion allowing challenges, success stories, and solutions to be shared. Registration is very important due to limited seats for the panel and breakout sessions.

In addition, this trade expo will surely carry out the theme ‘Connecting Nigeria to the World’. Exporters will showcase authentic products including but not limited to textiles, food seasonings, and items displaying craftsmanship of what ‘Made in Nigeria’ truly exemplifies. The trade expo will be activated on both days from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 pm. Please visit www.fitccusa.com to secure your complimentary registration

There is this video of Houston’s Mayor, Sylvester Turner, who just led a three-country trade mission to West Africa, acknowledging the city’s readiness to host this event. What part does the city of Houston play in this event? To Mayor Turner, who will out-serve his tenure in a few months, what does this event mean to him and the city? 

Yes, that was a video by Mayor Sylvester Turner detailing the significance of this event and the City’s commitment to matters of international business, especially involving African affairs.  Mayor Turner has been extremely supportive of the event and his office has shown the willingness to support within their capacity. The event has extended an invitation to the Mayor to welcome guests and attendees at the Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect. We look forward to hearing a goodwill message from the Mayor at the Opening Session. We are also dialoguing with the Houston Airport System which is significant for their presence to support their quest to reactivate the direct flight to Lagos from Houston.

I truly believe the Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect is an excellent opportunity to elevate the discussion and the need for a Nigerian Consulate which has been spearheaded by many in the Houston diasporan community and Mayor Sylvester Turner.

 

The ITCC will take place at the George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center, one of the 10 largest convention centers in America.

Tell us about partnering entities of this event. We heard that FITCC is partnering with many other entities, including the Texas Southern University in Houston. Any details on this yet?  

Yes, FITCC will be partnering with a few local entities including Texas Southern University. The proposed partnership with TSU will allow a working collaboration with the students depending on their choice of study. We are really excited about their participation and cannot wait to release more details soon.

From dignitaries to delegates and participants, who exactly are you expecting here? 

Local officials including Mayor Sylvester Turner, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe (CEO & Managing Director) Fidelity Bank Nigeria, Her Excellency Engr. Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde (First Lady of Oyo State, Nigeria), Benedict Oramah (President – Afrieximbank), Engr. Henry Obih (Independent Director-Fidelity Bank Nigeria), Ufo Eric-Atuanya (Senior Vice President, Global Business Development – Export-Import Bank of the U.S.), 97.9 The Box – G.T. Mayne

How could guests, partners, volunteers, etc. reach out to the event facilitators?  

Complimentary registration to attend the event is available at www.fitccusa.com. For inquiries, please send us an email through  linda@aixfirm.com or call us at +1 (832) 452-7784

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