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Two leaders in the worlds of business and culture will be honored during ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s 2024 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, on Saturday, May 11.

Joi Brown, the founder and CEO of Culture Creators, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and William M. Rue ’69, the chairman of Rue Insurance, will receive an honorary Doctor of Business.

Joi Brown

Joi Brown is the founder and CEO of Culture Creators, an organization committed to elevating the voices of barrier-breaking individuals and addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in the entertainment industry.

Brown has positioned the organization as a vital link between global cultural leaders and a new generation of diverse creators. The organization's Innovators and Leaders Awards brunch has become a major annual event in Los Angeles, celebrating influential leaders and emerging innovators. The event has been covered by Billboard, People and Forbes. 

Culture Creators has successfully partnered with high-profile companies, including JBL/Harmon, Sony/Tristar and Netflix, to create strategies for attracting and engaging multicultural audiences. The organization also plays a vital role in assisting corporations with diversity initiatives, helping companies like Showtime/Paramount and Warner Music Group recruit and retain people of color for various roles.

The Culture Creators Foundation further drives the organization's commitment to supporting diverse talent by empowering underrepresented students interested in pursuing careers in the entertainment field through scholarship support and its Campus Changemakers mentorship program. The foundation has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to date.

As former head of strategic partnerships at ICM Partners and senior vice president of marketing and brand partnerships at Atlantic Records, Brown has worked with big-name artists, including Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Lizzo and Coldplay, and orchestrated artist-brand partnerships with renowned brands like Apple, MasterCard and L'Oreal.

Brown's significant contributions to culture, diversity and leadership have been widely recognized. In 2023, she received the ADCOLOR Music Award and was included in Essence magazine's Power 40. Her work and influence have also been honored by Billboard’s Women in Music and the National Urban League, and featured in prominent publications, including Elle magazine and Ebony magazine, among others.

William M. Rue ’69

William M. Rue ’69 is the chairman of Rue Insurance, a more than 100-year-old, family-owned insurance agency. He joined his family’s insurance business in 1969 following his graduation from ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with a major in insurance management. Today, Rue Insurance is one of the top 200 independently owned insurance agencies in the country.  

For more than 20 years, Rue and his wife, Joan, have supported students in ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s Norm Brodsky College of Business through the William M. and Joan Rue Endowed Scholarship. In 2018, the couple made a $2 million scholarship gift to the Transforming Students - Transforming Lives campaign. Rue currently serves as vice chair of the campaign after previously serving as chair of the 1996-2003 Campaign for ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø. He is also a past president of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s Alumni Association. Last July, he began his tenure as a Trustee Emeritus after serving three nine-year terms on ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s Board of Trustees. 

For his dedicated service to ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, Rue has received the University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award and Gordon Prichard Award for Volunteer Service, as well as a Medal of Excellence on the occasion of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s sesquicentennial.

For his extensive community service outside of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, Rue has received many recognitions from organizations such as the Princeton Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Central New Jersey and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton, where he previously served as chairman and is now director emeritus.

For more information about ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s 2024 Commencement ceremonies, please visit rider.edu/commencement.