FAMU Commencement Speaker Shamarial Roberson Announces $250K Scholarship Pledge
Her employer, Indelible Business Solutions, has already signed an agreement with the University
Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumna Shamarial Roberson, Dr.PH., told graduates at the Summer 2022 Commencement Ceremony that her employer, Indelible Business Solutions, has pledged $250,000 for scholarships.
A former Florida deputy Health secretary, Roberson serves as Health and Human Services president at Indelible Business Solutions, one of the nation’s fastest-growing management consulting firms. The Jacksonville, Florida-based company was founded in 2018 by FAMU School of Business and Industry (SBI) graduates Joshua Hay and Michael White.
“Indelible’s leaders, who walked the same campus as you have walked throughout your college career, have committed to donating $250,00 to fund scholarships,” Roberson told the gathering of more than 400 graduates. “This commitment marks the first of many as our Rattle DNA continues to make an indelible mark on the communities and clients we serve. Like them, you, graduates of summer 2022, have the potential to create your own opportunities and destinies. Just believe in yourself, seek mentors, be resilient and focus on being better than you were the day before.”
President Larry Robinson congratulates graduate during the Summer Commencement ceremony at the Lawson Center on Friday July 29, 2022.
The company and the University have signed an agreement to set up the scholarship program.
As the No. 2 person in the Department of Health, Roberson was at the heart of the state of Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic from late 2019 until her resignation in fall 2021. Roberson was instrumental in establishing FAMU’s community-based COVID-19 testing site, located initially at Bragg Memorial Stadium, in April 2020 and the vaccination site in February 2021.
“With more than 650,000 tests and 26,000 vaccines administered on this campus to date, clearly these initiatives have made significant contributions to the health and well-being of our local community and the broader region,” FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said of Roberson’s contributions.
She graduated from the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health with a doctorate in public health focusing on epidemiology and biostatistics in 2016. The Greenville, Florida native earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University.
In her current role, Roberson works to address the social determinants of health and advance health equity by bridging the gap between government agencies and communities, especially for vulnerable populations. In her 15-minute keynote address, she reminded graduates of the importance of mentorship, resiliency, and practicing for excellence to achieve personal and professional success.
“Be persistent, and be bold,” Roberson told graduates. “You won’t get very far if you aren’t. After all, if you want things you never had, you have to do things that you have never done. Take calculated risks with big rewards.”
A highlight of the two-hour ceremony was the birthday greetings for the oldest living FAMU graduate. Mrs. Eliza Davis Washington of Charlotte, N.C., graduated from Florida A&M College with a bachelor’s in home economics in 1942. She turned 104 on Saturday.
Three faculty retirees, Dreamal Worthen, Ph.D., Verian Thomas, Ph.D., and Emma Dawson, Ph.D., were named professors emeriti. Thomas and Worthen both taught in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, while Dawson taught in the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities.