Founder and CEO, Donna Ford, shares her journey of leadership, success and purpose Oct. 3 at a lecture series hosted by the Honors College.
Ford is a diversified services leader with 30 years of experience in facilities management, client relationship management, strategy and business development. She currently serves as Vice President for SodexoMagic and Founder of Ladies of A&T (LOAT).
The lecture series is just one example of the opportunities offered in the Honors experience. Ford’s lecture was the second event in the lecture series held by the Honors College this semester.
Throughout the lecture, Ford shares her journey “From Aggie Pride to Executive Stride” in three pillars: leadership, success and purpose.
Beginning in her childhood, Ford was destined to become a leader. Her experiences as a first-born and a first-generation college student compelled her to take the lead both at home and at school.
Being a first born and first generation college student encouraged Ford to make a name for herself in any space that she found herself in. She showed up in these spaces ready to take charge.
In high school, she took on the leadership role as class president all four years. Her passion for leadership continued when she got to college and secured her the title of Miss Freshman at N.C. A&T. These experiences well equipped her for the leadership roles she took on throughout her journey.
During her time at A&T, Ford had a life-long dream of becoming a news anchor and graduated from the university with a degree in Mass Communications.
After considering the idea of “fame or fortune,” she decided to work in corporate America. Ford experienced a shift in her journey after becoming a mom and working in a new field. It was through hard work and the help of sponsors that allowed her up from entry level to Vice President.
“It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you,” Ford said. She encouraged the audience to be intentional about being known in order to level up and lead.
She also suggests that “be[ing] the kind of leader you would follow,” will take you far in your journey.
In addition to her hard work, Ford believes her entrepreneurial mindset has contributed to her success. Her “it’s mine” approach has resulted in opportunities at SodexoMagic, such as working with Magic Johnson, overseeing 8 million dollars in revenue and solving problems for various industries.
LOAT is another success story of Ford’s that started out as a group on Facebook. The organization originally began as a small group made of women from the Atlanta area, but one day Ford woke up and decided that she should share it with all ladies of A&T. In only 48 hours, the group went from 341 women to 8,000. Soon she established an LLC and LOAT is still growing in numbers today.
On the journey of leadership and success throughout her life, Ford found her purpose in community impact.
She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. which enhances her passion for community service.
Ford concludes her lecture by stating why it was important for her to come back and speak at A&T. Part of her community impact is sharing her “time, talents and treasures” with those around her.
The floor then opened up for questions from students.
Michael Cartwright, senior multimedia journalism student asked, “How do you let your experiences push you towards your purpose?”
Ford’s response suggested that being honest with yourself is key in order to figure out how you operate as a leader. She goes on to share how she developed the name “Velvet Hammer” through her firm, but polite manner in the workplace.
Ford challenges A&T students to “be intentional about the impact [they] make as Aggies” by sharing the evolution of her journey at this lecture series event.
