Newspaper - Los Angeles Sentinel

As the new president of the Brotherhood Crusade, Charisse Bremond-Weaver will bring a young, energetic style of leadership to the institution

Charisse Bremond-Weaver is the new president of the Brotherhood Crusade; she officially assumed the position on January 1, 2006. She is uniquely qualified and capable to sustain and maintain the mantle because of her training and experience. The Board of Directors has selected her from among a field of candidates and she is taking over the reins from Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., the retiring president, who has been at the helm of the Crusade for over 35 years.

What made this selection so unique is because Bremond-Weaver’s father, Walter Bremond, is the founder of the Brotherhood Crusade and she has the complete support of the Board and Bakewell, the man who built the institution. She graduated from Utah State University with a degree in communications and is an accomplished executive with 18 years of experience in Fundraising, Public Relations, Marketing and Management of staff and volunteers.

Bakewell has stated, “Charisse has my full support and I know that I am leaving the Brotherhood in good hands. I have known her for almost all her life and am quite confident that the community will bestow on her the same level of trust and support that it has given me.” Bremond-Weaver has spent all of her adult life working in the community and will bring a new flavor of leadership to the institution. She has honed her leadership skills as an assistant to former Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie, as the executive director of Sabriya’s Castle of Fun Foundation, as president/executive director of the African American Unity Center (AAUC), and for the past year and a half, as executive director of the Brotherhood Crusade. She has been running the day-to-day operations of the Crusade under Bakewell’s direction and has a handle on serving the community. He went on to say, “She has earned her place as president and I will always be there if she ever needs me.”

On being selected to head the largest African American philanthropic institution in the country, Bremond-Weaver has said, “I am humbled and honored, and it is a huge responsibility to follow the commitment, the legacy and the leadership that Danny has had over the last 37 years. If you look at his record and vision of institution building, he has left large footsteps to follow.” She brings a quiet, soft strength to the institution and accordingly will continue the tradition of fundraising, funding programs and institution building. Her compassion comes natural as she already has a track record of community service with working with organizations as Jenesse Center assisting battered women and children; Mothers In Action helping with quality-of-life issues; and the Advisory Council for At the Beach addressing the wellness of lesbian and gay people of color.

Bremond-Weaver’s vision for the future of the institution is to build on the existing foundation and “to be here for the next 40 years for the next generation.” She speaks with confidence and assurance as she visualizes the future in terms of a Charisse Bremond-Weaver administration, “I look at a combination approach by looking at the history, the marketing aspects, since we are now in the world of technology, and the genre of programs and possibilities. Meeting with the board and having a strategic plan for the next 40 years are vital components in my overall goals.”

Longtime board member of the Crusade and community stalwart, Cliff Mc Clain had these words about the new president, “She comes from great stock. Walt was a great organizer and facilitator, and Bertha [Bremond-Weaver’s mother] was a teacher par excellence, plus she has had some good training. So I expect her to do great things and I don’t see any lag as Danny steps aside.” Her mother, also a board member and a retired schoolteacher has been a tremendous resource as she was the pillar of strength that brought the family through it all.

Those who are not intimately involved with the change at the Crusade still had kind words as they reflected on the impact the institution had on their lives. Daniel Armstrong, UCLA graduate, author and Developmental consultant was a graduate student when he approached the Crusade for funding; his story: “When I was in business school, I organized an international conference of government officials and the Brotherhood Crusade gave us the ‘seed money’ to have that international conference of business students. So Danny Bakewell has impacted me in my life and I hope the new leader has the same vision and courage.”

Leonard Murray, a schoolteacher and scout leader, echoed some of the same sentiments, “As a community leader in supporting the Boy Scouts, his business and leadership have been essential to the Black leadership of our community.”

As Bremond-Weaver assumes the mantle of leadership of the Crusade, the torch of a new generation has been passed to her; however, the old guard is still there nudging her on. For as Bakewell has said about his retirement, “It’s farewell, not goodbye.”