Reception speakers

Phill and Liz Gross

Phill Gross has worked in the investment business for over 37 years and is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Adage Capital Management L.P., a Boston-based money management firm. He received his B.S. in finance and economics from the University of Wisconsin and his M.S. in investments. Dr. Elizabeth Gross earned a BS from Mount Holyoke College and a MS and PhD from Tufts University. She is currently an adjunct associate professor for the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy, following a long tenure as a research scientist and faculty member there. 

For several decades, Phill and Elizabeth have helped create and/or support scholarship-based diversity initiatives at several educational institutions including the Fenn School, Lawrence Academy, Mount Holyoke College, Tufts University, Chapman University, Tulane, UW-Madison and, now, the University of Maryland.  The couple resides in Concord, Massachusetts. 

Alum Speaker

Hamza Idris is an alumnus of Northwestern High School in Baltimore who joined the Incentive Awards Community in 2010. As a kid from the inner city, the second eldest of seven children, attending college with a full scholarship was something dreamed of. Walking on the campus of University of Maryland, College Park, Hamza remembers seeing the banners of Clark Construction. He dreamt of becoming a civil engineer and working at an organization like Clark which was responsible for changing the campus landscape.

After college, Hamza went on to make history. He joined the Clark Construction project team that built the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Over his seven years in a hardhat and sometimes in a suit, Hamza has completed construction projects totalling over $1 billion and has helped to build structures that will last more than our lifetime: bridges, roadways, airports, runways, hotels, condos, high-rise apartments and office buildings.

Young Alum Speaker

Maya Adams grew up in Prince George’s County, MD and attended high school at Suitland High School. While at the University of Maryland, she worked off campus and in several campus offices including the Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Department, and Conferences & Visitor Services. She was active in the Incentive Awards community, volunteering at IAP events, and assuming a nurturing role with her fellow scholars by giving advice and lending a listening ear. Despite seemingly insurmountable life challenges, Maya persevered to graduate in December 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health.

She now works for Child Care Aware of America, a national network of over 400 child care resource and referral agencies and other partners to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care. She is currently applying to masters degree programs in public health while training to become a licensed nail technician.