Programs and Speakers

Brenda Ice serves as Assistant Vice President for Residential & Community Living at Brown University, overseeing residential education, housing operations, new student orientation, off-campus and graduate housing, Greek Life, summer conferences, and capital planning. She leads this work by fostering inclusive residential communities that support student wellness, growth, and connection to the academic experience.

With more than 25 years in higher education, Brenda has held leadership roles at Scripps College, UC Riverside, Colgate University, Towson University, Wilkes University, and Salisbury University. She is deeply committed to mentorship and advancing the profession, currently serving on the ACUHO-I Executive Board as Workforce Development Director and co-chairing the NASPA Black Diaspora Knowledge Community’s Mentoring Committee. She is also well known for her long-standing involvement with The Placement Exchange, where she has served as mentor, planning committee member, and Chair.

Brenda earned a B.A. in Psychology from Washington College (MD), an M.Ed. in Post-Secondary Education from Salisbury University, and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Student Affairs Administration & Leadership from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, focusing on the experiences of Black women in student affairs.

Ed Lee III, EdD is the Senior Director of Inclusivity in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences. With an emphasis on organizational communication, culture formation, and enhanced collaboration, Ed develops and facilitates department/program level programming and discussion across the College of Arts and Sciences. In this role, he supports more than 50 departments and programs in their efforts to create hospitable and intellectually engaging environments for the College’s faculty, staff, and students.

Ed is a highly sought-after trainer and facilitator. His work focuses on developing tailored strategies to improve how we communicate while deepening our understanding of the role culture plays in cultivating trusting and collaborative workspaces and other communities.

Ed is a relentless advocate for public debate and dialogue. He is a national media commentator for U.S. Presidential Debates and the use of arguments in public discourse. He is routinely seen on national and local media outlets discussing presidential debate strategies and their impact on national politics.

Additionally, Ed is the former Senior Director of the Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate Deliberation, and Dialogue (BF) which houses Emory’s nationally acclaimed debate team and its cutting-edge dialogue programs. As the Senior Director for Barkley Forum, Ed was the 2015 Ross K Smith National Coach of the Year and a three-time recipient of the James Unger Award given to the coach of the best debate team in the country. He continues to serve as an engaged senior-level advisor to the organization.Ed is a relentless advocate for public debate and dialogue. He is national media commentator for U.S. Presidential Debates and the use of arguments in public discourse. He is routinely seen on national and local media outlets discussing presidential debate strategies and their impact on national politics.

Ed has a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Georgia’s Institute for Higher Education (IHE), a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama, and is currently studying the interconnections between religion, justice, and peace building at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

A native of Atlanta, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough was his high school salutatorian and student body president and went on to earn degrees from the University of Georgia, Miami University in Ohio, and a doctorate in higher education from Georgia State University. He has enjoyed a fulfilling career in student affairs, serving at Emory University, Georgia State University, Old Dominion University, and Albany State University. At age 37, he began a seven-and-a-half-year tenure as president of Philander Smith College, followed by ten years as president of Dillard University. In addition, he spent a year as the interim president of Talladega College. Kimbrough currently serves as the Executive Vice President for Research and Member Engagement at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

Prior to UNCF, Kimbrough served as the inaugural Rutgers University Center for Minority Serving Institutions President-In-Residence, interim executive director of the Black Men’s Research Institute at Morehouse College and as Executive-In Residence for the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center.

Kimbrough has been recognized for his research and writings on HBCUs and African American men in college. Recently he has emerged as one of the leaders discussing free speech on college campuses. Kimbrough also has been noted for his active use of social media. He was cited by Education Dive as one of 10 college presidents on Twitter who are doing it right (@HipHopPrez) and named by The Best Schools.org as one of the 20 most interesting college presidents. In 2023 College Cliffs named him as one of the 55 Top U.S. College And University Presidents. In early 2022 he was appointed by President Joseph Biden to the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs.

Dr. Kimbrough has forged a national reputation as an expert on fraternities and sororities, with specific expertise regarding historically Black, Latin and Asian groups. He is the author of the book, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities, and has served as an expert witness in a number of hazing cases