Menna Demessie '02

Professional Background

• Senior vice president, executive director, Taskforce for Meaningful Change, Universal Music Group (2020-present)
• Senior vice president of policy analysis and research, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (2011-20) and adjunct professor at the University of California Washington Center (2011-present)
• Joint PhD in public policy and political science from University of Michigan (2010)

 

 

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Q&A

What elements of your personal and professional life would be helpful to you in your service as a trustee?

At Universal Music Group, I have deepened my global experience in music and entertainment with my day-to-day work in philanthropy and social impact with organizations across the globe and developed the models and methodologies that advance equity. Combined with my previous work at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, I have a working perspective on academic governance through my board work at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and having served my first term on the Oberlin College Board of Trustees.

What draws you to this service?

I spend a lot time connecting with marginalized communities across the globe and creating impact models of social justice that help create more equitable opportunities for vulnerable and marginalized groups. In the music and art space, I think about our global music and artist platforms to advance social change through the power of music and how to protect, preserve, and promote the power of artistry to shape culture. As an academic, I think about diversity, college affordability, and inclusive learning environments that promote diversity of critical thinking. I also think about the importance of equipping the next generation of students with tools for navigating a technologically, interdependent world economy that requires a commitment and appreciation for diverse cultures, languages, and religions to advance peace, coalition-building, problem-solving, and partnerships.

What else do you want your fellow alumni to know about you?

I am deeply committed to Oberlin College. I was born in Cleveland to immigrants from Ethiopia who came to the United States for a better education, and Oberlin gave me the tools to understand education as an empowering tool for positive change. I pledge to work to support Oberlin—its academic excellence as well as its historic social justice mission. As someone who depended on financial aid, I understand the importance of the college providing an affordable education to a diverse student body. I believe that diversity recognizes and appreciates differences in race and ethnic identity, religion, and sexual orientation. I also believe an equity framework for understanding different outcomes for students can help us better identify pathways, programs, and policies that promote sustainable opportunities for the next generation of future leaders.