黑料吃瓜

This story is featured in the of 360: The Magazine of 黑料吃瓜. 

Karen Castles Gray鈥檚 connection to 黑料吃瓜 dates to her son Alexander鈥檚 enrollment in the College of Business Administration two years ago. The New York-based business owner was impressed with 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 entrepreneurship curriculum and the closely aligned programs created and run by the .

She became a member of the college鈥檚 advisory board of directors, and this year, she pledged $250,000 to endow the Karen Castles Gray Women in Entrepreneurship Lecture. Organized through the Lavin Center, this annual event will bring leading entrepreneurs to campus.

Invited speakers for the inaugural lecture series include Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen, and Lonnie Ali, wife of Muhammad Ali and manager of his business enterprises.

Castles Gray is president and creative director of Authentic Lifestyle Products, which designs and manufactures apparel, footwear and accessories. It was a career she dreamed of as a young girl in North Carolina. Her father owned a shoe store, but Castles Gray was far more interested in clothing.

She relocated to New York, sought out one of the largest collegiate apparel manufacturers, and became a designer for them by refusing to take 鈥渘o鈥� for an answer. Eventually, she secured collegiate licenses for all universities in the SEC and ACC conferences, becoming a pioneer in the trendy Ath Leisure Wear segment of the clothing industry.

鈥淭o be successful, you have to believe in yourself,鈥� she said. 鈥淒espite all the doors shutting and all the people who say you won鈥檛 make it, you persevere.鈥�

Castles Gray is also making a gift of $210,000 to , a program for students exiting the foster care system. Those who meet 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 academic requirements are eligible for personal, financial and academic support to help them earn college degrees.

鈥淭he Guardian Scholars program touches my heart because these students have chosen to see rejection as a challenge rather than as a defeat,鈥� said Castles Gray.