Duke Public Policy Alum is Mentoring Next Generation of HBCU Talent

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Brett Chambers PPS'79 is passionate about his work at North Carolina Central University. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame, Chambers works with young people to "guide, mentor, coach, motivate, and develop students in a mediated world."

He says his undergraduate degree in public policy set him on his path to success.

"Somebody asked me one time, 'What did you get from Sanford?" He replied that he "learned how to learn." The person said, "you could get that anywhere," and Chambers said, "Not like at Sanford."

Brett Chambers tries to pass the skills he learned at Duke - research, strong writing and pursuit of excellence - on to his students.

Jasmine Crowe-Houston says Chambers was her favorite professor at NCCU. After graduation, she founded Goodr, an innovative company that is using technology to tackle the issue of food waste and hunger. Her TEDx talk has millions of views, and she was named by "Entrepreneur" magazine as one of the top 100 influential female founders in 2020

When Crowe-Houston was invited to speak at the Sanford School to give the prestigious Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture, Brett Chambers knew he'd be in the audience, cheering her on.