Kari Hanson, class of 2015, is an impressive Drury alumna whose story powerfully reflects the Drury Difference and the impact of experiential learning. After her first college experience at a large state university in the upper Midwest did not work out, Kari took time to explore potential career paths through a series of short internship and shadowing experiences. One of those experiences — at an advertising agency in Sioux Falls — connected her to a Drury alum who encouraged Kari to visit Drury. After sitting in on an AD/PR class and learning how students operate as a real-world agency through Drury’s AD Team, Kari knew she had found the right place to restart her college journey.
At Drury, Kari became one of the most engaged and driven students in the program. She served as a leader on the AD Team throughout her academic career, ultimately acting as an Account Executive to lead the team to the District AAF National Student Advertising Competition. For her capstone project, Kari created a CauseMomentum crowdfunding campaign to transform Shewmaker classrooms. Drawing upon her background in integrated marketing communications, Kari raised more than $4,000 in just 45 days to upgrade classroom furniture and technology, far exceeding her original goal and leaving a lasting impact on future students. Her project energized Communication alumni, peers, and faculty. She was recognized as the Outstanding Communication Student her senior year.
Today, Kari is Director, S+NOS Business Partner for Sports Medicine at Smith+Nephew, where she partners with senior leaders to translate strategy into execution across complex organizations. Her career includes leadership roles in enterprise strategy, program management, and transformation initiatives across healthcare, technology, and consumer-facing industries. Kari’s journey — from finding her academic fit to leading large-scale organizational change — embodies how Drury’s experiential, student-centered learning model prepares graduates to lead with confidence, purpose, and adaptability.
Joseph H. George Distinguished Lecture Series Speaker
Over the past decade, Brandon P. Fleming has emerged as one of the most awarded and sought-after educators, entrepreneurs, authors, and speakers worldwide. Fleming’s incredible story of transformation, detailed in his book Miseducated, has gained such national acclaim that it is currently being optioned for television and film, and is in the process of becoming a major theatrical production.
An at-risk youth and college dropout turned award-winning educator, Fleming is a former debate coach at Harvard University and Founder & CEO of The Veritas Schools, a network of schools headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with campuses expanding to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
In 2017, Fleming was recruited as Harvard University’s assistant debate coach at the age of 26. Fleming soon made history at Harvard by founding the first pipeline program, the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project, aimed at increasing Black and brown enrollment in Harvard’s residential debate program, where hundreds of talented young scholars from over 25 different countries study and compete in international academic debate competitions.
Over seven years, Fleming has raised millions of dollars to enroll more than 250 students of color in Harvard’s summer debate residency on full scholarship. However, Fleming faced asignificant challenge: How could he prepare Black and brown youth from predominantly under-resourced schools in Atlanta, who had never been exposed to the rigors of academic debate, tocompete in just one year against some of the most elite debaters from around the world? Fleming developed a transformative curriculum designed to level the playing field for underserved students. And it worked. For seven consecutive years, since the program’s inception in 2017, every cohort trained by Fleming has won the international competition as seven-time consecutive champions. News of this accomplishment has gone viral, making national headlines and being featured on CNN, Good Morning America, the Steve Harvey Show, and more. Fleming’s visionhas garnered support from Fortune 100 companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, UPS, Chick-fil-A, and others.
Beyond the classroom, Fleming’s humanitarian impact reaches around the globe. Fleming has earned awards for his global leadership. Fleming has facilitated and led peacebuilding missions for over 200 world leaders to Israel, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. His school also emphasizes international education, taking students on learning expeditions to countries like Italy, Japan, South Africa, and more.
As a renowned speaker, Fleming has delivered keynote addresses on world stages like the United Nations. Fleming has spoken at the nation’s most prestigious colleges, universities, and K-12 conferences. Additionally, Fleming has keynoted conventions for corporate executives at majorbrands such as Airbnb, Walmart, Bank of America, McDonald’s, and many others.
At the age of 29, Forbes Magazine named Fleming to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. In 2020, The Root Magazine named Fleming one of the top 100 most influential African Americans in the United States. And in May 2021, North Carolina Wesleyan College bestowed upon Fleming the honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.
