Ken Frazier Is an Advocate for Economic Equity

Kenneth C. Frazier, executive chairman of the board and former CEO of pharmaceutical giant Merck, was awarded UCLA Anderson’s 2021 John Wooden Global Leadership Award in recognition of his business leadership, philanthropy and commitment to promoting racial and economic equity.
The annual award is named for legendary UCLA basketball coach, author and leadership expert John Wooden (1910-2010) and recognizes exceptional business leaders who exemplify Coach’s values.
Frazier engaged in an on-stage conversation with Kenneth Chenault, chairman and managing director of the venture capital firm General Catalyst, former chief executive of American Express and the 2009 John Wooden Global Leadership Award honoree. Frazier and Chenault co-founded the nonprofit OneTen, whose mission over the next 10 years is to hire, promote and advance one million Black individuals who do not have a four-year degree into family-sustaining careers. That college degree requirement, said Frazier, is the structural barrier to 76% of African Americans seeking family-sustaining employment. “Do we really have to exclude people because they don’t have four-year degrees?” he asked. “It’s not about lowering standards, it’s about creating opportunities. Talent is more evenly distributed in our society than opportunity is.”
Frazier finished the conversation with his thoughts about Coach Wooden. “He taught people to care about others. It wasn’t about winning, it was about teaching people how to maximize the value of their lives. In the face of adversity Coach Wooden would remind us that we can and must make progress.”
Learn more about the John Wooden Global Leadership Awards:
www.anderson.ucla.edu/news-an...
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Following Ken’s 10/100 work and looking to contribute.

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