Xavier University of Louisiana’s annual Black History Month Convocation will take place on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 12:15 p.m. at Xavier’s Convocation Center. The annual event is the university’s official celebration of Black History Month. Each year, Xavier University honors the achievements of Black Americans to recognize the vital role Blacks have played throughout our nation’s history. The ceremony is a celebration of Black Excellence and the successes of Xavierites who have and continue to make history while striving to bring about a more just and humane society. This year’s guest speaker is Carita Shanklin Walker (‘93), J.D., General Counsel and Chief Legal Office at Shell Recharge Solutions Americas and Asia. The company is dedicated to unlocking the possibilities of the electric mobility future by delivering game-changing software and services at Scale. Walker is also currently a member of Xavier’s Board of Trustees.

“Xavier University is proud to celebrate the successes of Xavierites, especially during Black History Month,” said Dr. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “Advocates for positive change like Ms. Walker are our gift to the world, and we are grateful for her willingness to share words of wisdom with the next generation of Xavierites who will follow and improve the path she and other Xavier alums have forged towards a better world.”

Walker is passionate about creating scalable, innovative business solutions, building compliant, safe, and inclusive cultures, and the advancement of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) causes. In 2022, she was named one of Savoy Magazine’s 2022 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. She also serves as the independent director for Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. and Kayne Anderson NextGen Energy & Infrastructure, Inc.

Through her work with Shell, she acts as a strategic executive who provides operational and risk-based guidance to the CEO and members of executive leadership teams. Walker delivers expertise in environmental and regulatory compliance, permitting, and non-technical risks associated with multi-billion-dollar capital projects, corporate governance, and risk management. She also has numerous years of experience in commercial contracting, M&A, legislative and market development in nascent and novel industries and technologies.

Walker was previously based in Doha, Qatar, with Qatar Shell Services, leveraging her deep environmental and corporate law background to support Pearl GTL, the world’s largest source of gas-to-liquid products. Her experience includes serving as Shell’s inaugural Leadership Counsel for Leadership Diversity Fellow, Governance Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of America Overseas – Doha, and leading environmental permitting for multibillion-dollar capital projects to enable businesses to successfully achieve their complex commercial transaction goals.

The event will be livestreamed here.