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For Steve Pemberton ’89, his appearance at Boston College this evening is more than just another speaking engagement. It will be a return to a place that nurtured him and prepared him for personal and professional achievements that once seemed unlikely.
At 6:30 p.m. in Devlin 101, Pemberton will host a reading and signing of his new memoir, A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home, which chronicles the story of how a mixed-race, mistreated orphan living in foster care sought and found identity, family and success.
Pemberton, the divisional vice president and chief diversity officer for Walgreens, is one of the country’s leading authorities on diversity in the workplace. Fortune magazine named him one of the Top 20 Chief Diversity Officers in corporate America. In 2008, Savoy listed him as one of The Top 100 most influential African-Americans in corporate America.
Event organizers describe A Chance in the World as an inspiring story about Pemberton, who grew up with no knowledge of his biological family, and his quest to find his history. His journey — one that included disappointing realities — touches on themes of loss, pain, hope and, ultimately, resilience and forgiveness.
Boston College was the site of some of Pemberton’s most important formative experiences, as an undergraduate and later, as senior assistant director of admissions.
"So much of my personal and professional life is anchored in my Boston College experiences,” said Pemberton, who went on to become chief diversity officer and vice president of diversity and inclusion at Monster.com. “I am looking forward to returning to this wonderful community to share this story and the lessons I learned during my time there."
The book event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Boston College Magazine, with co-sponsorship by BC’s Office of AHANA Student Programs, Office for Institutional Diversity, and Office of Undergraduate Admission.
More information on Pemberton and his book can be found at www.chanceintheworld.com. A promotional video about A Chance in the World is at http://bit.ly/zR4pKn.