A graduate of Oberlin College and Case-Western Reserve University’s School of Law, Everett is a member of the State Bar of Ohio and the State Bar of California. Everett has extensive legal experience in commercial, corporate and real estate transactions, and has consistently demonstrated an effectiveness at handling complex projects and responding to client needs under time constraints. Everett is an accomplished negotiator with a record of developing creative solutions to complex business and legal problems. Before establishing the Institute, Everett was a principal at Entertainment & Sports Plus (“ESP”), a Southern California based athlete management firm that represented professional athletes, entertainers, entertainment companies and related talent in contract negotiations and provided advice and counsel on financial, personal development and marketing matters. For over 20 years, Everett was a NFL and NBA certified contract advisor, whose clients included 13 first round draft picks in the NBA and NFL and 3 inductees into the NFL Hall of Fame. Everett was the first Black attorney/agent to represent multiple 1st round draft picks in the same NFL draft (twice); first and perhaps still the only attorney/agent to represent 1st round draft picks in both the NBA and the NFL in the same year (twice); 1st round draft picks in 5 straight NFL drafts; and 1st round wide receivers in 4 straight NFL drafts. Everett’s list of “firsts” also includes becoming the first Black attorney in the Office of the City Attorney for the City of Long Beach, where he took the lead on ensuring compliance by developers with Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Act of 1968 on over $150 million in affordable housing projects and authored the Small Business Enterprise Program for the Port of Long Beach, the nation’s busiest port, to promote participation of small and very small business concerns in Port spending. Enacted in 2006, the program resulted in the award of over $300 million in construction and planning contracts for small and very small businesses. Everett got his legal start at Guren, Merritt, Sogg & Cohen in Cleveland, OH in 1977 working under James Bailey, the attorney for former Cleveland Browns (now Baltimore Ravens) owner, Art Modell. Everett relocated to San Francisco in 1980 and, after a 3-year stint as District Counsel for the U.S. Small Business Administration, joined Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe which was one of the 100 largest law firms in the country. During his career Everett also served as a Senior Attorney with the Resolution Trust Corporation, the federal agency established to manage the disposition of over $195 billion in S & L assets, Everett developed the strategy for terminating letters of credit in 76 mixed-housing, commercial and retail bond-financed projects, in connection with the winding up of the affairs of the receiverships for 16 thrifts, enabling the government to avoid $628 million in funding obligations. Everett serves in an Of Counsel capacity to Alvarado Smith, LLP, the largest minority-owned law firm in California.
Erika is responsible for the success of all internal operations and developing solutions to program/system requirements. As the right hand to our CEO, Erika is also responsible for implementing policies and practices related to student performance, academic coach enrichment and overall operations. A native of Chicago with a BA focused on Communications from Chicago State University, Erika is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in sales with a history of achieving and exceeding revenue goals while tracking activity in Salesforce. She is highly skilled at cultivating strong, trusted relationships with key decision-makers and creating strategic partnerships through consultative selling. Known for identifying areas for improvement and implementing solutions which enhance processes and achieve organizational goals. She is skilled in media sales, relationship management, account planning and customer retention.
Justin is responsible for developing information and resources to keep athletes up to date on eligibility and other issues that impact their participation in competitive sports. His other duties include website maintenance and coordinating social/digital media activities. A practicing attorney, Justin assisted Everett in the processing of injury/non-injury grievances; appeals of fines and suspensions; and disability and injury protection claims and contract negotiations for a host of NBA and NFL players. Justin is a graduate of Long Beach State University, where he earned his degree in Sociology, the University of San Francisco where he earned his law degree, and is a member of the State Bar of California. Like his dad, Justin went straight from kindergarten through law school graduation.
Kofi Lomotey is a senior fellow with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). His research interests include urban schools, African American students in higher education, African American principals in elementary schools and independent African-centered schools. He has published several books, articles in professional journals and book chapters. He is the editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of African American Education, a two-volume 1200-page publication. Lomotey is an active member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and serves on the board of trustees of Oberlin College. He has served as principal investigator on several grants totaling more than $4 million. From 1992 through 2011, he has served as the editor of the journal, Urban Education. Lomotey holds PhD and MA degrees from Stanford University in educational administration and policy analysis, a Medical degree from Cleveland State University in curriculum and instruction and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in economics. He has served as a member of the faculties at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and the State University of New York in Buffalo and as executive vice president and provost at Fisk University, senior vice president and provost at Medgar Evers College (CUNY) and president of Fort Valley State University. Most recently, he served as chancellor of Southern University in Baton Rouge. Lomotey is married to A. Nahuja. They are the parents of three and grandparents of one.
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