Growing Engagement

Keith Singletary ’96 has long wanted to create more opportunities for alumni of color to get or stay engaged with their alma mater.

Soon he’ll get his wish, joining fellow members of the Global Alumni Board (GAB) to host such gathering during Falcon Weekend, October 21 to 23. In-person and online sessions will invite alumni to network, share experiences, and otherwise support and learn from one another.

“The goal is to have greater interaction with alumni of color,” says Singletary, who is a vice president in Risk Management at Morgan Stanley. “We’re planting a seed for engagement that I’m confident will grow.”

Singletary traces his interest in accounting back to a high school career day, where a member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) was a keynote speaker and would later become his mentor.

“That exposure to what was then the Big 8 accounting firms created a drive in me to become a CPA,” he says, adding that the influence of a mentor and the group’s active presence at Bentley motivated him to apply.

Singletary was further impressed by the school’s strong academics, great reputation in the business world and wide-ranging extracurricular activities. He himself joined the campus NABA chapter, Black United Body and the Boston citywide chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

“Coming from a humble, working-class family, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to get a quality education at a prestigious institution like Bentley University. That opened doors and propelled me into a career in accounting, investment banking, trading and, eventually, risk management. Bentley staged the building blocks I needed to further my path and set me up for success in business school and ultimately on Wall Street,” says the alumnus, who received full-tuition scholarships to Bentley and NYU Stern. “I give back to Bentley because I am grateful. By being involved, I can also partner with the administration and share ideas on ways we can further diversity and inclusion.”

He puts the same mindset to work at Morgan Stanley, by mentoring others and being part of the company’s Black Employee Network Steering Committee. His work for Bentley’s GAB includes chairing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which keeps the relevant issues at the forefront of thinking and planning.

The alumnus is eager to welcome fellow Falcons to the activities planned this fall. “Through this and future opportunities to connect as alumni, I hope we will follow the motto ‘lifting as we climb’ and find ways to support the next generation of leaders on campus.”

Singletary and his wife, Ana, have two daughters and live in New Rochelle, N.Y.