Prep Announces 2009 Lilac Ball Honoree

A Prep Trustee since 2000, Ron founded Blaylock & Co. in 1993, which went on to become one of the top minority-owned investment banking firms in the country. He currently serves as Managing Partner at GenNx360 Capital Partners, a private equity firm.

In recent years, Ron has been voted Capital Raiser of the Year by Corporate Finance Magazine and named one of the Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street by Black Enterprise magazine. In 2006, Ron received the Samuel A. Halsey, Jr. Award from Georgetown University, his alma mater. He was also named Man of the Year by New York’s Covenant House. He serves on the boards of numerous other corporate and non-profit organizations, including CarMax, Inc., W.R. Berkley, Inc., Radio One, Inc., Carnegie Hall, and New York University, where he earned his MBA. As an undergraduate at Georgetown, Ron played in 71 games as a member of Georgetown's first-ever NCAA Final Four basketball team and shared a dorm room with teammate Patrick Ewing.

Since 1986, the Lilac Ball has served as Prep’s keystone event. It not only honors a corporate leader with a commitment to education and young people, but also celebrates the outstanding college choices of Prep’s graduating high school seniors. Proceeds from the event supports Prep’s mission of creating a more diverse national leadership pool by offering a superior education and opportunities to New York’s most promising students of color. Prep’s Chief Executive Aileen Hefferren commented, “Ron is an outstanding example for our students to follow, and honoring him is an important signal for all young people about what hard work and determination can accomplish.”