September 22, 2022
U.S. Navy Establishes ‘Divine Nine’ Ambassador Program to Strengthen Ties with HBCUs
U.S. Navy Recruiting Outreach and Diversity has announced the establishment of the “Divine Nine” Ambassador program to build stronger relationships with students, faculty, administration, and alumni at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“Divine Nine” refers to the nine sororities and fraternities that were established by African American students more than a century ago, mainly at HBCUs. These organizations are known collectively as the National Pan-Hellenic Council or the “Divine Nine.”
As part of the new program, the Navy has appointed 19 Active-duty Officers and Reservists—most of whom are HBCU graduates with “Divine Nine” affiliations—to serve as ambassadors, who will attend events at HBCUs to establish deeper connections with current “Divine Nine” members and share information about the exceptional Navy career opportunities available to HBCU graduates. (Please see list of Ambassadors below).
This fall, the program will leverage HBCU football games to create customized, onsite activations to authentically engage with campus communities. On Sept. 9-10 at Hampton University in Virginia, “Divine Nine” Ambassadors were on campus to participate in the festivities prior to the football game against Tuskegee University. This weekend, Sept.16-17, “Divine Nine” Ambassadors will be in Arlington, Texas at the football game between Texas Southern University and Southern University at Choctaw Stadium.
“The Navy has always attracted the best-and-brightest HBCU graduates and ‘Divine Nine’ members to its ranks,” says Commander Dominique “DJ” Jackson, a graduate of Southern University and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. who currently serves as chief diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer for Naval Surface Forces Atlantic.
“These officers make incredible contributions to our service and rewrite our history every day. It is important that the current generation of HBCU students and “Divine Nine” members know about this legacy and understand the opportunities that are available to them in today’s Navy.”
U.S. Navy “Divine Nine” ambassadors
– Commander Renee S. Baggot
North Carolina Central University
Delta Sigma Theta
– Lieutenant Commander Jasmine M. Bee
Prairie View A&M University
Alpha Kappa Alpha
– Lieutenant Commander Julia H. Brown
University of Tennessee – Chattanooga
Delta Sigma Theta
– Lieutenant Shannon Davis
Hampton University
Sigma Gamma Rho
– Lieutenant Arielle Dixon
Hampton University
Delta Sigma Theta
– Commander Shemeya “Cole” Grant
Prairie View A&M University
Alpha Kappa Alpha
– Retail Services Specialist Ricardo Guilory
Hampton University
Omega Psi Phi
– Senior Chief Navy Counselor Shaunell Hyatt
University of Arkansas – Grantham
Alpha Phi Alpha
– Lieutenant Ryan Irving
Morehouse College
Alpha Phi Alpha
– Commander Dominique Jackson
Southern University
Omega Psi Phi
– Lieutenant Jordan M. Johnson
Spellman College
Delta Sigma Theta
– Lieutenant Reginald Jones
Morehouse College
Alpha Phi Alpha
– Tapeka Pringle
Florida International University
Zeta Phi Beta
– Lieutenant Netetia K. Walker
Northeastern State University
Delta Sigma Theta
– Lieutenant Alisha Maitland-White
Hampton University
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority
– Captain Timothy C. Moore, Jr.
Hampton University
Kappa Alpha Psi
– Lieutenant Junior Grade Kendall Sapp
Hampton University
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
– Lieutenant Lanika Vann
Savannah State University
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
– Captain M. Juanique Wallace
Florida A&M University
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority