Yale Alumni LIVE: Celebrating the Afro-American Cultural Center’s 50th Anniversary

Timeica E. Bethel is a recruitment director for Teach For America. A lifelong learner and educator, she is passionate about social justice and educational equity. She is a proud Chicagoan, Marvel fan, and lover of all things Black Yale. 

Sheryl L. Carter (formerly Sheryl Carter Negash) is the daughter of Thomas (factory worker/construction worker who traveled north from the South during the second wave of the Great Migration), granddaughter of Frederick (a Pullman porter who died young because the local white hospital refused him treatment), great-granddaughter of Floyd (barber and entrepreneur extraordinaire who was enslaved during childhood). Sheryl believes that her lineage and lived experience as a Black woman inform her professional expertise as much as her education and work experience.

Sheryl is the principal consultant of the Carter Leadership Collaborative LLC based out of Los Angeles. Her expertise includes devising and leading innovative skills enhancement, team building, organizational development, change management, and race equity initiatives. Her clients have included private foundations, public sector organizations, government agencies, K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions, private nonprofit companies, faith-based entities, and other companies. Before establishing the Carter Leadership Collaborative, Sheryl held executive management positions with Negash and Associates LLC, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Lynwood Unified School District, and Los Angeles Unified School District.

Sheryl also has held leadership positions with and served on numerous volunteer boards, including the Yale Black Alumni Association, YaleWomen, YaleLA, and the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors.

Proud to be a Black Yalie and appreciative of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale, otherwise known as “The House,” Sheryl is currently serving as one of the co-chairs of the 50th Anniversary of the House, which will be celebrated later this year.

Risë Nelson is in her seventh year as assistant dean of Yale College and director of Yale’s Afro-American Cultural Center, which is the oldest Black cultural center in the Ivy League and one of the first in the nation. Affectionately known as “The House,” the center serves as a home away from home for the university’s Black community and for all those who wish to learn about and celebrate the histories, cultures, and traditions of the African Diaspora. Through her current role, Risë provides strategic direction for and oversees all programs, staff, resources, and services offered through the center. She is the first person from New Haven to lead Yale’s Afro-American Cultural Center, which is significant as it was established in 1969, in part, to strengthen the relationship between the Black campus and local communities.

Don M. Roman Sr. is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. A member of the class of 1971, Don was active in Pierson College, Yale Band, and the Black Student Alliance at Yale. Following Harvard Law School, Don clerked in the Federal District Court before a 10-year stint in corporate law. He then spent 25 years as a financial planner with MetLife Insurance Company developing innovative solutions to complex financial, business, and estate planning issues.

Don retired in 2016 and is now enjoying the third phase of an illustrious career as a fine art consultant and gallerist. He is the board president of the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art, a single artist museum showcasing the life and legacy of Steffen Thomas, a master level German artist and former board chair of Students Without Mothers, a 501(c)(3) organization which provides college scholarships for high school students who have lost their mother. Don has three adult children: Michael, Alex, and Don Jr. All are enjoying interesting, productive lives, his greatest joy.