Alumni Advisory Board Welcomes 3 New Members

In addition to receiving a college scholarship, Coca-Cola Scholars join a unique and active alumni network of 5,877 change agents.

In 2006, the Coca-Cola Scholars Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) was formed by alumni Scholars to help support the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation’s mission and goals. Currently, 15 alumni serve on the AAB on a 3-year rotation, and in October they were happy to welcome new members Ashley Chang (2006), Dr. Philip McAdoo (1989), and Jacqueline Roman (2015) at their annual retreat, and also welcomed back Micaela Connery (2004).

Ashley Chang, a 2006 Coca-Cola Scholar, leads product marketing for Google’s G Suite, including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Keep. Ashley also served as the Co-Chair of the Asian Google Network, a company-wide resource group created to foster community engagement and professional development.

Previously, Ashley held roles at NBC, ABC, and Coca-Cola, representing the company at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Ashley graduated with degrees in Business Administration and Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California. She is a USC Presidential Scholar, Renaissance Scholar, and Discovery Scholar. Ashley is also certified in Advanced Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ashley lives in New York City and enjoys perfectly ripe avocados, playing volleyball, and throwing “Pinterest-worthy” get-togethers.

 

Dr. Philip McAdoo, a 1989 “original” Coca-Cola Scholar, starred in the Broadway productions of The Lion King and Rent, appeared in readings of The Book of Mormon and Wicked, and worked in television and film. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in communications studies, holds an MA in transformative leadership from The California Institute of Integral Studies, and earned a doctorate of education from The University of Pennsylvania in the Graduate School of Education.

As an LGBTQ activist, Dr. McAdoo has worked tirelessly to combat homophobia in his personal and professional life by fiercely advocating for himself, his family and the rights of LGBTQ youth, families, and educators as well. He joined politician and civil rights activist Rep. John Lewis speaking in support of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act to introduce legislation to Congress that would lower some of the barriers faced by same-sex couples who want to adopt children from foster care, like Philip and his partner Sean did. As an openly gay educator, Dr. McAdoo specializes in character development, particularly from the perspective of diversity and inclusion, and has conducted numerous workshops and professional development on diversity as well as LGBTQ advocacy.

Philip currently serves as the Director of Equity, Justice, and Community at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. He is the proud father of Zaden (age 11) and author of “Every Child Deserves” and “Out and Visible: A Study of Openly Gay and Lesbian Teachers.”

 

Jacqueline Roman is a 2015 Coca-Cola Scholar and the 2016 Sandy Williams Alumni Legacy Scholar. She is a current Morrill Scholar of Distinction at the Ohio State University, where she studies computer science and design and serves on the MSP Communications Board.

Throughout her life, Jacqueline has advocated for increased social diversity and social justice, founding the first diversity club in her hometown in Appalachia Ohio.

Jacqueline just finished up a semester abroad in Seoul South Korea and will begin her spring semester at the University of Auckland in New Zealand before returning to Ohio State.

 

 

 

Micaela Connery (2004) has rejoined the AAB after returning back to the US from Ireland, where she was a Mitchell Scholar completing her MBA. She lives and works in San Francisco for The Kelsey, an organization working to create mixed ability, mixed income housing.

Micaela is a 2004 Scholar.  Inspired by Kelsey, she has been working in disability services since she was 15. Micaela completed her MPP at Harvard Kennedy School focusing on housing, disability inclusion, and community development. She was a New World Social Enterprise Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard where she worked on designing The Kelsey. In 2017, she received her MBA as a Mitchell Scholar in the Smurfit School at University College Dublin. She’s the founder and former CEO of Unified Theater, an organization that has created fully inclusive theater programs in 100 schools nationally. Micaela is a proud Wahoo from the University of Virginia where she designed her own major in Service, Community, and Social Policy.

 

Looking forward to 2018, the AAB will be working with the Scholars Foundation to plan more opportunities for Scholars and alumni, including the third Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Summit in September of 2018. The Summit will invite all alumni back to Atlanta for 3 days of connection, inspiration, and engagement, featuring sessions led by alumni and other influential leaders.