Lewis Latimer Fellowship

All cultures that thrive need the nourishment provided by their risk-taking heroes. Without openly recognizing and celebrating these heroes, the culture would be devoid of its critical “inspiration layer” that educates the next generation of aspiring citizens about what is possible and encourages bold thinking at a systems level.

An Accelerator Program for Black Innovators

At the Edison Awards, while channeling the spirit of Edison’s principal collaborator Lewis H. Latimer, we recognize that it’s time to fully celebrate and acknowledge Black, modern-day hero innovators that remain largely hidden in the long shadows cast by cultural institutions that have benefited from their innovations

The Edison Awards introduced an accelerator program in 2022 for Black Innovators with the passion and dedication to innovation that Lewis Latimer represented. Modeled after Y Combinator and the McArthur Genius Award, Lewis Latimer Fellowship is designed to provide special access to the Edison corporate innovation network, mentorship and capital to an annual cohort of six black innovators per year.

The Intention of the Lewis Latimer Fellowship is to:

Celebrate

Promote the huge intellectual contributions being made by black innovators today and tomorrow

Connect

Introduce these brilliant minds to forward-leaning, innovative corporations that appreciate the power of diversity

Commune

Grow the community of black innovators and to encourage regular dialogue and idea exchange.

LEARN MORE at LatimerFellows.com

2022 Lewis Latimer Fellows

Ayana Holloway Arce

Future of Space

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Biography

Ayana Holloway Arce

Ayana Holloway Arce is an Associate Professor of Physics at Duke University. She works on particle physics, using data from the Large Hadron Collider to understand phenomena beyond the Standard Model. Holloway Arce has a BA with honors from Princeton University, and a PhD from Harvard University. She has worked at the Collider Detector at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Audrey Bowan

Future of Healing

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Biography

Audrey Bowan

Audrey Bowan is Associate Professor of Biomedical and Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University. She has a BSE in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and Postdoctoral training in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. Bowan's research interests include light-based biomedical photonic tools for applications to medicine and biology, such as for early detection, diagnosis and therapy for cancer; development and deployment of low-cost, high-performing point-of-care technologies for rural and global health applications

Dario Calmese

Future of Black Culture

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Biography

Dario Calmese

Dario Calmese was the first African American to photograph the cover of Vanity Fair. He has a Master’s in photography from the School of Visual Arts and is the Founder of the Institute of the Black Imagination, in association with the Ford Foundation. Calmese serves on the global advisory board for Estee Lauder Companies. He is a professor at The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Rayvon Fouche

Future of Social Sciences / Black Innovation

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Biography

Rayvon Fouche

Rayvon Fouche is the Division Director, Social and Economic Sciences - National Science Foundation, He is a Professor of American Studies, School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue University Fouche has a Masters and PhD in Science & Technology Studies from Cornell University, and a BA in Humanities (History & Philosophy of Science) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Asegun Henry

Future of Materials Science

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Biography

Asegun Henry

Asegun Henry is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, where he directs the Atomistic Simulation & Energy (ASE) Research Group. He was an Assistant Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech from 2012 to 2018. Asegun has a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A & M University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. His primary research is in heat transfer, with an emphasis on understanding the science of energy transport, storage and conversion at the atomic level, along with the development of new industrial scale energy technologies to mitigate climate change.

Byron Jones

Future of Sustainable Housing

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Biography

Byron Jones

Byron Jones is a cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) He holds the unofficial world record for the standing long jump at 12 feet 3 inches. Jones has a BA in Political science at the University of Connecticut and is a member of I Am Nation, a prestigious collective of professional athletes interested in community development, legacy building and investing.

Apply to be Named a 2023 Latimer Fellow

APPLY NOW

Who Was
Lewis Latimer?

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848–1928) was a patent draftsman and inventor who worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison in the post-Civil War era. His name will be forever associated with two of the most revolutionary inventions of all time: the telephone and the incandescent electric light bulb.

Lewis Latimer Biography

Latimer Fellowship Founding Leadership

Jon Cropper

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Founder Biography

Jonathon Cropper

Jonathan Cropper is a respected luxury brand strategist, global creative director and futurist. Envisioneering and futurecrafting is his trade and passion.

Jonathan is the founder of Futurlogic Advanced Concepts, a highly confidential, business development, design, and branding studio.

Current areas of focus:
● Future of home-living
● Future of food
● Luxury 3.0
● Post-Covid, social impact entrepreneurship
● Immersive, interactive, content development

He has designed and implemented innovation strategies with the leadership of:

Aston Martin, Credit Suisse Private Bank, Airbus, Feadship, Sir David Adjaye, Four Seasons (Private Jet Program), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, BIG Architects, S3 Architecture, ITV, Warner Bros / DC Comics, Hearst, Lockheed Martin, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Ralph Lauren, to name a few.

Futurlogic is also an agent representing Aston Martin Design, and is an experience design affiliate for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab at CalTech.

Most recently, Jon was the Head of Global Real Estate, Aviation & Marine Partnerships for Aston Martin Lagonda.

In this unique role, he was responsible for creating the overall strategy, alliance formation, and execution of the brand’s expansion into these new verticals.

Jon began his career at MTV: Music Television, where he helped design the business plans for MTV’s expansion into Asia, Latin America, and South Africa.

After MTV, he was recruited by cultural icon Quincy Jones, to serve as Director of Business Development for his media company at Time Warner. He was responsible for sourcing and evaluating all multimedia and new venture opportunities.

Jon later joined Nissan North America as Senior Manager, Head of Youth and Urban Communications (a new internal unit that he created). In this capacity, Jon was responsible for all youth, multicultural marketing, and strategic alliances for both the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Jon efficiently managed a $100 million annual budget, and oversaw the production of dozens of multimedia communications campaigns.

Jon was recognized by Brandweek Magazine as the “Best Marketer Under 40 in America” for his marketing innovations.

He was also the Chief Marketing Officer for Badboy Worldwide Entertainment Group, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ collection of companies. During his tenure, Jon was instrumental in developing partnerships with Estee Lauder (launched the "Unforgivable" fragrance that became the #1 men's fragrance in the U.S.), Sprint, and Diageo (designed the repositioning strategy for Ciroc Vodka, one of the biggest successes in recent spirits industry history).

Prior to his role at Badboy Worldwide, Jon was an Executive Creative Director and Senior Vice President at Young & Rubicam Brands, where he led diverse creative teams, and formed an advanced mobile media and communications think tank. He designed and executed numerous campaigns for clients such as Sony, Vodafone, Starbucks, Telefonica, Jaguar and AT&T.

Jon received his BA in International Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He enjoys travel, multimedia art, collecting first-edition magazines, beautiful architecture, and science fiction.

Frank Bonafilia

Frank Bonafilia

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Founder Biography

Frank Bonafilia

Frank Bonafilia is both the Executive Director of the Edison Awards and co-founder of Edison Universe, a non-profit organization focused on fostering the next generation of innovators. In 2020, Frank co-founded the Lewis Latimer Fellowship–a program that supports the advancement of Black Innovators through mentorship. Frank is a 25-year marketing executive with an award-winning career in financial services, advanced retail solutions and the successful development and launch of profitable new products and services. Early in his career Frank was involved with the Edison Awards when he managed the Sponsorship and Awards Division of the American Marketing Association. In that capacity, he was responsible for the Division’s overall profitability and extension of the Edison Awards brand, which is manifested in the Edison Awards’ current status as an independent organization. Frank holds an MBA from Saint Xavier University and a BA in International Communications from the University of Kansas. When he’s not working he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Anna watching their three children Franco, Dante and Gianna participate in sports and school activities.

Carmichael Roberts

View Bio
Latimer Fellow Founder Biography

Carmichael Roberts

Carmichael is co‐founder and managing partner of Material Impact, a fund that builds resilient technology companies developing products to solve real‐world problems using innovative materials. He is also the co‐lead of the investment committee at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a mission‐oriented group chaired by Bill Gates committed to creating and building companies that address climate change and the long‐term sustainability of the planet.

Prior to venture, as an entrepreneur, Carmichael built several successful companies that create innovative products by applying material science. His strategy as a venture investor is based on his successful career as an entrepreneur in materials innovation, blending a unique business model of licensing university technology and commercializing it through targeted partnerships with Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to his career as an investor, Carmichael co‐founded several ventures, in which he served as President and CEO or Chairman.

Prior to his entrepreneurial career, Carmichael worked in business development at GelTex Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Genzyme for $1.3 billion, and in new product and business development at Dow Chemical (formerly Union Carbide Corporation).

Elected to the Board of Trustees of Duke University in 2013, Carmichael currently serves as Vice Chairman. He was appointed to the Duke University Health System Board of Directors in 2017 and currently serves on the Audit and Compliance Committee.

Carmichael also serves on the boards for the Consumer Technology Association, WGBH, and Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization. Carmichael was selected by the Aspen Institute to participate in the Finance Leaders Fellowship program as a senior leader in the venture capital industry.

Carmichael received his BS and PhD in organic chemistry from Duke University and completed his postdoctoral National Science Foundation fellowship at Harvard University. Carmichael also has an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.