Darryl Banks: Rhodes Scholar

When someone mentions Rhodes Scholar, the average American might think of President Bill Clinton or a famous athlete or actor/musician like Bill Bradley or Kris Kristofferson or present Senator Cory Booker or Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. After this week’s Be Significant podcast, we are confident that Mr. Darryl Banks will pop quickly to mind when you think about the great Rhodes Scholars who have studied at Oxford University for over 120 years. Darryl was the 13th Black American to receive the honor. A 1972 graduate of Coe College, Darryl went on to become one of the pre-eminent leaders in working to create the world of environmental policy as the Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Quality at the New York State Department of Environmental Quality and the Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. We were left extremely thankful and blessed to have heard Darryl’s stories about growing up in Kentucky, the mentoring he received to take a chance on Coe College for his undergrad, and the amazing journey he has taken since his time at Oxford University and his present efforts to create a global acknowledgement of the amazing story of the first Black American Rhodes Scholar, Alaine LeRoy Locke in 1907. In 2008, Darryl was awarded an O.B.E. (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Currently, Darryl is the President of RDBanks Consulting where he leads a successful consulting practice that focuses on environmental and sustainability strategies to achieve their low carbon goals. We love hearing from you, so keep your feedback coming by emailing us at [email protected]. Also don't forget to Subscribe to our podcast at either Apple or Spotify.