Derek Rhodes, PPS ’15, founder and executive director of Durham Success Summit, will join us to discuss why he quit corporate America, after leadership positions at Google, Microsoft, and the Miami Heat, to start his own nonprofit. In his own words, “I wanted to improve the lives of local, young, black men. Men just like me. Thus, the Durham Success Summit (DSS) was born.” We are going to hear what drove Derek to pursue a different path than the one he had set out on, the values that have guided him, and how he is building a career based on moral purpose.
As the founder and executive director of Durham Success Summit, Rhodes works to “increase access to business education, mentorship, and professional networking opportunities for young Black men between 16 and 24 years old in Durham.” The organization hosts both a business incubator program, which provides entrepreneurial training, mentorship, and seed funding to aspiring full-time entrepreneurs with an idea, and a 12-week accelerator program, which builds practical networking skills and provides scholars access to employers, professional mentors, and opportunities. Prior to founding Durham Success Summit, in addition to corporate experience, Rhodes worked at The Obama Foundation and interned at The White House and the Department of Justice. He holds a B.A. in public policy studies from Duke University and a certificate in disruptive strategy from Harvard Business School Online.
This speaker series is for Duke students who want to learn more about careers in child and family policy. Meetings are designed to help students explore the wide range of job opportunities and careers available in the field of child and family policy while creating a network of students who share their professional interests.