Giving to USF: Kente Awards

The Joyce Russell Kente Awards

Judge J. Michelle Childs Keynote Speaker

Join us on April 21

The Joyce Russell Kente Awards Ceremony celebrates the academic excellence and achievements of our Black/African-American USF students and Tampa Bay community leaders.

Event Details
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 11 a.m.
Bryan Glazer Family JCC

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This year we will celebrate Dr. Julius Wayne Dudley and Dr. Kevin Sneed as our 2022 Joyce Russell Kente Community Leader recipients and Dr. Adrianne Wilson as our 2022 Joyce Russell Kente Alumni Award recipient.

From left: Dr. Julius Wayne Dudley, Dr. Adrianne Wilson and Dr. Kevin Sneed.

All proceeds from the event benefit students on all USF campuses through the Dr. Israel "Ike" Tribble Jr. Endowed Scholarship, Black Faculty Association Endowed Scholarship, Institute on Black Life Study Abroad Scholarship and the Ruth and Jerry Bell Endowed Scholarship.

Thank You to Our Corporate Sponsors

History of the Joyce Russell Kente Awards

The Kente Award was created in 2000 by the USF African American Advisory Committee to strengthen the relationship between the university and the African-American community. The award recognizes USF faculty, employees, alumni and African-American community members whose contributions have had a positive impact in the African-American community.

Joyce Russell worked as Hillsborough County's African-American Liaison and joined the African American Advisory Committee in 2000. She was elected president of the committee in 2004 and served three terms as its president before retiring in 2011. Under her leadership, the Kente Award grew in stature and the Dr. Israel "Ike" Tribble Jr. Scholarship was endowed. In 2012, former USF president Judy Genshaft presented Joyce Russell with the Kente Award, along with the honor of naming the award the Joyce Russell Kente Award.