Launched in 2020, the HBCU IMPACT Program is a partnership between the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, Howard University, and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The IMPACT (Internships, Mentorship, Professional Development, Academic Achievement, Community Service, Talent Enrichment) Program was built to immerse diverse and talented undergraduate and graduate students from all over the country in the unique and exciting environment of Salt Lake City, Utah. Students are given opportunities to intern at premier companies, gain and provide mentorship, enhance professional development skills, work toward academic achievement, engage with the community, and reach new heights.
These internships cover:
- Flights to and from Salt Lake City, Utah
- Housing at Lassonde Studios, the University of Utah’s housing for entrepreneurs and creators. This will be your home for the duration of your internship. Here you will be able to meet and collaborate with other students who are a part of this program as well as with students who attend the University of Utah.
- Competitive Salary
- Weekend activities that expose students to Utah’s unique culture. Some previous activities include riding ATVs, attending a rodeo, and going paddle boarding.
- Networking opportunities
- Professional development workshops
Elliot A. Asare, MD, MS, CMQ, FACS is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Surgical Oncology at the University of Utah. He practices both at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Asare is the Director of Education within the Section of Surgical Oncology. He completed his fellowship training in Complex General Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where he served as the Fellows’ Quality Officer. Dr. Asare is currently the Vice-chair of the Editorial Board of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 9th Edition Cancer Staging System. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Annals of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Asare is a member of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) Quality Integration Committee. He serves as the faculty advisor of the University of Utah Chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA).
Tiffany Baffour has more than 25 years of experience in teaching, research, and higher administrative leadership. At the University of Utah, Dr. Baffour serves as the Graduate School’s Associate Dean for Graduate Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion while advancing her research agenda in the areas of anti-racist and inclusive higher education environments, mental health/health disparities, and community-based research. She is also a tenured Associate Professor in the College of Social Work. Baffour is a strong advocate for the value of the HBCU experience as a second-generation graduate of Howard University.
Dale Favors is an executive coach and strategic business leader. He spent 26-years as a financial professional working in sales and sales management for firms such as Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg, Royal Bank of Canada, Piper Jaffray and Thomson Reuters, where he built relationships with some of the world’s largest hedge funds, asset managers, corporations, and public pension plans. Favors is the Managing Partner at Adaptive Growth Leadership, a professional services firm focused on sales and leadership training, coaching and strategy business initiatives centered on customer engagement, Inclusion, Diversity, and corporate culture development.
Meligha Garfield (he/him) is the inaugural director for the Black Cultural Center (BCC) at the University of Utah—a center that works to holistically enrich, educate, and advocate for students, faculty, staff and the broader community through Black centered programming, culturally affirming educational initiatives, and retention strategies. Hailing from Rochester, New York, Garfield holds a B.A. in Government, with a minor in colonial Latin American history and Africana studies and a Master of Public Administration from New Mexico State University (NMSU) where he was previously the Programs Coordinator for the Black Programs Department. He has implemented outreach and retention services, served as coordinator and advisor in Black programs, and managed numerous departmental programming and events while at New Mexico State University– many of which he hopes to start at the U and has under the short amount of time the center has been open. He is also a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated a historically Black Fraternity.
Emma E. Houston currently serves in the role as Special Assistant to the Vice President of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Utah and leads strategies for community outreach, staff engagement and program development. A longtime community member and social justice advocate, Emma is the former director of Diversity Affairs for Salt Lake County Government, former chair of the Utah MLK Jr., Human Rights Commission, and currently serves on the Utah COVID-19 Task Force, the Pastor France A. Davis Scholarship Board, PBS Utah and a member of the local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. Emma is the owner and CEO of Brighter Day Productions, LLC and holds a BS in Business Management and an MBA in Business Administration.
Sui Lang L. Panoke is a visionary leader and social entrepreneur with a passion for empowering today’s leaders to rethink. create. and innovate. As Senior Vice President of Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. at Zions Bank, she is responsible for directing the bank’s strategic vision to champion diversity, equity and inclusion across the bank and the communities that it serves. Sui Lang is also the founder of Rethink International, The Rethink Tank, and Women Politics Media. She has trained thousands of leaders around the world leading in politics, business, government, higher education, nonprofits, and the media on a wide range of global leadership, corporate diversity, and communications topics. Sui Lang earned a BS in political science from the University of Utah and an MPA from American University’s Women & Politics Institute. She serves on numerous community and nonprofit boards and was awarded the 2022 Pathfinder Leadership Award by the Salt Lake Chamber.
Mr. Smith joined Crescent Capital Group (CCG) in 2018 as a Managing Director on the Investors Relations team. He is responsible for developing and managing strategic relationships with institutional investors, specifically financial institutions for Crescent. Prior to joining Crescent, Zachary was a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) within their Insurance Asset Management Practice. Mr. Smith spent 18 years at WFAM in a variety of roles including business development, relationship management, and portfolio management. Mr. Smith is a graduate of the Eccles School of Business (University of Utah).
Morgan Williams is CEO of Blendyd Studios, Inc. a software firm bringing automated solutions to recruiting in the trucking industry. Blendyd Studios is an evolution of EverWoke Inc. where Morgan served as CEO after her late-twin brother, Cameron Williams, passed away. From published genomics researcher, to science teacher, to merchandising analyst, and national education reinvention leader, Morgan’s 12 year career has been grounded in disrupting conventional troupes in conservative industries. Morgan, a philanthropist, speaker, and author, holds a B.A. from Spelman College, M.Ed. from University of St. Thomas-Houston, and will graduate May 2023 with a Master of Business Creation from the University of Utah.
