Metropolitan Orlando Urban League Names New CEO
ORLANDO, FL (January 18, 2010) – On a day when the nation remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as its greatest civil rights icon, the Metropolitan Orlando Urban League (MOUL) has selected its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Allie L. Braswell, Jr., most recently Manager of Global Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, will take the reins of the 32-year-old civil rights organization on February 1.
Mr. Braswell, a native of nearby Oviedo, FL, succeeds Dr. E. Lance McCarthy, who resigned last May after five years as MOUL’s top executive. The selection of Mr. Braswell concludes a nationwide search that attracted more than 40 applicants for the position.
“I’m honored by the selection and excited about the future of an Urban League that is so needed by the community it serves, and so important to the partners that support it,” said Mr. Braswell, whose successful career spans more than 20 years in strategic planning, project management, technology deployment and corporate social responsibility. “Our mission continues to be the assistance of African-Americans and other disadvantaged people across Central Florida in achieving social and economic equality. We will work to achieve that mission with a renewed focus on education and youth empowerment, economic empowerment, civic engagement and civil rights.”
“We’re beginning a new chapter in the history of the Metropolitan Orlando Urban League,” said MOUL Board of Directors Chairman Michael Lewellen. “Our Board of Directors feels it has chosen the right chief executive to author that new chapter. Mr. Braswell has deep roots in Central Florida and understands the community and citizens we serve. Those who have supported us in the past have reason to smile about the future that lies ahead for the dedicated staff and board of the Urban League.”
Mr. Braswell is a passionate and involved community leader, having served as past Board Chairman of MOUL, past Chairman of Leadership Orlando Alumni, and a member of the Board of Governors for the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the Quest, Inc. board as the chair of its Resource Development Committee. In May of 2009, Mr. Braswell was inducted into the General Daniel “Chappie” James Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. in recognition of his service to the Central Florida community.
A 13-year United States Marine Corps veteran, Mr. Braswell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from American Intercontinental University. He is married to Orlando native Rosemary Harris, a graduate of Florida A&M University. The couple has six children.
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