Broadway star and Tony Award winner Lillias White will be the headliner and guest lecturer at the 2019 National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students, held Nov. 8 and 9, at West Virginia University at Parkersburg. In addition to her lecture, White will give a Cabaret performance at the Historic Smoot Theatre in Downtown Parkersburg. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Cabaret performance will take place Friday, Nov. 8, beginning at 7 p.m. The lecture, “Move Mountains: Rising Up with Lillias White,” will also take place at the Historic Smoot Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m.

White is a Brooklyn, NY native, and made her Broadway debut in “Barnum” in 1981. She also played Effie in the 1987 revival of “Dreamgirls,” for which she won the Drama League Award for Best Actress in a Musical. For her role as Sonja in Cy Coleman’s “The Life,” she won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Not to mention, White has done voiceover work in Disney’s “Hercules” and “Anastasia.”

“We want only the very best for our students and our community, and Lillias White represents the very best of the American stage,” said Dr. Chris Gilmer, president of WVU Parkersburg. The National Institutes is ultimately about ensuring equity and promoting opportunity, and we are thrilled with the quality and the dedication of the guests who will be joining us in Parkersburg.”

The Think Tank 2019 theme, “Rise Up,” includes two full days of activities. The delegates of the National Institutes will represent 15 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to Lillias White, other distinguished guests are expected to include Aaron Abeyta, National Book Award winner; Dr. Stacee Reicherzer, transgendered author and motivational speaker; Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, Chancellor of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System; Dr. Carmen Walters, President of Tougaloo College; Dr. Patrick Saxon, President-Elect of the National Organization for Student Success; Dr. Lonie Haynes, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Highmark Health; and others.

The public is also welcome to attend the “Rise Up” opening session on Friday, Nov. 8, from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m., in the WVU Parkersburg college theater. The Parkersburg High School A Capella Choir, poet Aaron Abeyta and other National Institutes guests are set to take part in the session.

The mission of the National Institutes states, “Education is the great equalizer, not just for individuals, but for families, communities and nations. It must not be simply a privilege of those to whom access comes easily. It must not be tailored only to serve the needs of those prepared to excel. It must be a right of every person willing to work hard for it.”

The annual Think Tank allows educators and student ambassadors from many backgrounds to gather and discuss issues facing historically-underserved students. Work sessions will include development of a tool for colleges to assess their readiness to serve underserved students with a nationwide pilot planned for spring 2020. Panel discussions will also include local and national preK-12 school leaders and current students.