Lillian Lincoln
Encyclopedia
Lillian Lincoln Lambert is an African-American businesswoman. She is known for being the first African-American woman to graduate from Harvard Business School
(HBS).
Lillian grew up in Ballsville, Virginia
, fifty miles west of Richmond
. She was the daughter of a teacher and a farmer. "Intent on making her mark in a big city," she went to New York
after high school but the only work she found was as a maid. After three years in New York and disillusioned, she moved to Washington, D.C.
, found work in government typing pools and attended teachers' college part-time. At age 22, she transferred to Howard University
and studied business. While at Howard, she met H. Naylor Fitzhugh
, one of the first blacks to attend Harvard Business School
-- MBA 1933. Lillian worked as Fitzhugh's research assistant at Howard and Fitzhugh became her mentor
. He persuaded her to apply to HBS.
In the fall of 1967, Lillian registered for Harvard Business School. She didn't realize until she arrived that she was the only black woman at HBS. Of the 800 students in her class, only 6 were black and 18 female. During her first year, Lillian and four black classmates -- A. Leroy Willis, Clifford E. Darden, Theodore Lewis and George Robert Price -- talked about the need to increase the number of blacks at the school. They decided to start the HBS African-American Student Union (AASU). Dean George P. Baker
supported the group and approached corporations to raise additional scholarship money. Over the course of two years, AASU increased the number of African-American students sevenfold, increased financial aid for African-American students and provided career development opportunities.
Before graduating in 1969, Lillian was not interviewed or recruited by a single company. She decided to return to her previous employer in D.C. - a management consulting company, Sterling. After the company closed its Washington office, she held various jobs, including stockbroker, management trainee, job-training consultant, and business professor at Bowie State. Then, a former colleague recommended her for a job as executive vice president of Unified Services, a building maintenance business. She says of the experience, "As his second-in-command I ran this guy's company for several years."
In 1976, she launched her own building services company, Centennial One, headquartered in Landover, Maryland
. Starting with 20 part-time employees, $4,000 in savings, a $12,000 line of credit, and an office in her garage, she built Centennial One into a company that made over $20 million in revenues, 1200 employees and has operations in four states. The company offered a range of services from carpet cleaning to landscaping. Her roster of clients included ABC News
, Dulles Airport, Hewlett-Packard
, NationsBank
, Northrop Grumman
and Arthur D. Little
. In 1995, she was the first woman to serve as president of an international association of building service contractors.
Lillian sold Centennial One in 2001 and began a successful speaking career. Her topics include: “My Journey to Higher Ground,” “Lifting as You Climb,” “Success Builds Success,” “Lessons Learned: If I Had to Do It Over Again” and “ The Road Map to Success: Ready! Set! Go!”
In 2003, Harvard Business School
awarded Lillian the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest award bestowed on its alumni. The award recognizes recipients for "the contributions they made to their companies and communities, while upholding the highest standards and values in everything they do." Lillian sits on the Board of Visitors at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Board of Directors for Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association.
At the urging of many people who have heard her presentations, Lillian has written a book about her experiences, entitled “The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond.” It was to be published by John Wiley & Sons in January 2010.
http://www.lillianlincolnlambert.com
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
(HBS).
Lillian grew up in Ballsville, Virginia
Ballsville, Virginia
Ballsville is a community in Powhatan County, Virginia. The community is located approximately forty miles due west of Richmond.It is not to be confused with the fictional town of Ballsville found at , which is a publicity stunt for the band Korn, debuted in conjunction with the music video for...
, fifty miles west of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. She was the daughter of a teacher and a farmer. "Intent on making her mark in a big city," she went to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after high school but the only work she found was as a maid. After three years in New York and disillusioned, she moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, found work in government typing pools and attended teachers' college part-time. At age 22, she transferred to Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
and studied business. While at Howard, she met H. Naylor Fitzhugh
H. Naylor Fitzhugh
Howard Naylor Fitzhugh was one of the first African American graduates of Harvard Business School and is also credited with creating the concept of target marketing....
, one of the first blacks to attend Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
-- MBA 1933. Lillian worked as Fitzhugh's research assistant at Howard and Fitzhugh became her mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
. He persuaded her to apply to HBS.
In the fall of 1967, Lillian registered for Harvard Business School. She didn't realize until she arrived that she was the only black woman at HBS. Of the 800 students in her class, only 6 were black and 18 female. During her first year, Lillian and four black classmates -- A. Leroy Willis, Clifford E. Darden, Theodore Lewis and George Robert Price -- talked about the need to increase the number of blacks at the school. They decided to start the HBS African-American Student Union (AASU). Dean George P. Baker
George P. Baker
-References:...
supported the group and approached corporations to raise additional scholarship money. Over the course of two years, AASU increased the number of African-American students sevenfold, increased financial aid for African-American students and provided career development opportunities.
Before graduating in 1969, Lillian was not interviewed or recruited by a single company. She decided to return to her previous employer in D.C. - a management consulting company, Sterling. After the company closed its Washington office, she held various jobs, including stockbroker, management trainee, job-training consultant, and business professor at Bowie State. Then, a former colleague recommended her for a job as executive vice president of Unified Services, a building maintenance business. She says of the experience, "As his second-in-command I ran this guy's company for several years."
In 1976, she launched her own building services company, Centennial One, headquartered in Landover, Maryland
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
. Starting with 20 part-time employees, $4,000 in savings, a $12,000 line of credit, and an office in her garage, she built Centennial One into a company that made over $20 million in revenues, 1200 employees and has operations in four states. The company offered a range of services from carpet cleaning to landscaping. Her roster of clients included ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Dulles Airport, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, NationsBank
NationsBank
NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1998, it acquired BankAmerica to become Bank of America.-Corporate history:...
, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
and Arthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little is an international management consulting firm originally headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and formally incorporated by that name in 1909 by Arthur Dehon Little, an MIT chemist who had discovered acetate. Arthur D. Little pioneered the concept of contracted...
. In 1995, she was the first woman to serve as president of an international association of building service contractors.
Lillian sold Centennial One in 2001 and began a successful speaking career. Her topics include: “My Journey to Higher Ground,” “Lifting as You Climb,” “Success Builds Success,” “Lessons Learned: If I Had to Do It Over Again” and “ The Road Map to Success: Ready! Set! Go!”
In 2003, Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
awarded Lillian the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest award bestowed on its alumni. The award recognizes recipients for "the contributions they made to their companies and communities, while upholding the highest standards and values in everything they do." Lillian sits on the Board of Visitors at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Board of Directors for Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association.
At the urging of many people who have heard her presentations, Lillian has written a book about her experiences, entitled “The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond.” It was to be published by John Wiley & Sons in January 2010.
External links
http://www.lillianlincolnlambert.com