He currently resides in Grand Prairie, TX (a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth).
Points heads his own management-consulting firm (II the Point, LLC.), which helps business owners and professionals understand and implement the full concept of organizational leadership as well as equip them with the necessary tools to help their businesses and employees grow. Those tools will include courses in Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion, Customer Service, Conflict Management Resolution, Effective Communication, and Organization Management.
He sits on several Boards of Directors, and is currently the president of two alumni associations.
He believes leadership, especially effective leadership, involves equipping individuals to meet challenges by helping them reach beyond themselves and their previous ways of working and thinking to achieve their highest potential and making an impact on their organizations and their employees. Leadership and management are often confused and for that reason, the terms are used interchangeably. Leadership involves and evokes constant change and improvement. It also incorporates motivation, positive encouragement, and guidance. The simple difference is leaders make decisions while managers carry out decisions.
Dawana M. Johnson was the Salutatorian from the Class of 1990. Presently, she is employed by Citi where she has built a 23 year career. Until 5 months ago, she had been in Internal Audit where she held various positions with the last dual roles including that of Senior Audit Manager with domestic and global responsibilities for specific audits within the Mortgage and Retail businesses and serving as Chief Audit Executive for a legal vehicle. Dawana was recently promoted and is now in the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Project Management Office (PMO) in the newly created role as the Citi AML Global Head of Plan Documentation. In this role, she is responsible for establishing the Documentation Utility within the AML PMO.
Dawana is specifically focused on meeting AML regulatory commitments by overseeing and guiding the production of thousands of high-quality artifacts which satisfy independent reviewers, including Compliance Testing, Internal Audit and regulators. Through the development and execution of required training plans, she will also assist in strengthening these skills globally within AML and with respective business partners to help mitigate execution risk and successfully demonstrate completion of project milestones. This position capitalizes on the documentation skills Dawana developed as an Internal Auditor with Citi and she will continue to maintain the following certifications: Certified Internal Auditor (CIA); Certification in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA); Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS); Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE); and Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA).
In preparation for a career in Corporate America, Dawana matriculated in Business School at Washington University in St. Louis where she was an Ervin Scholar. While New Orleans is always in her heart and she returns frequently, she now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area after having also lived in New York City and Tampa.
Dawana supports various volunteer organizations that include Big Brothers Big Sisters, MegaCARE, the humanitarian ministry of The Potter’s House, and the Junior League of Arlington (JLA) where she is the Back to School Kick-Off (BTSKO) Committee Chair. As Committee Chair, she and her committee were responsible for sourcing and managing the 900 volunteers needed to provide backpacks and services to 10,000 students in preparation for their first day of school. This initiative is a partnership between the Arlington Independent School District, The Jerry Jones Foundation, JLA, NAACP, The Salvation Army and the Churches of Arlington.
Dawana is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated where she serves on the Membership and Reclamation Committee, the Economic Development Committee and the Audit Committee.
Ms. Toni Pickett has been appointed to School Leader of McDonogh 35 Senior High School for the 2017-18 school year. Ms. Pickett brings over 19 years of experience as an educator – serving as school principal for ten of those years. In November 2016, she joined the OPSB as Assistant Director of Academics. During this time, Ms. Pickett has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and effective instructional support for our direct run schools. Her work ethic reflects a dedication to student achievement, commitment to students and families, and a genuine respect for the work of school staff. Ms. Pickett is a native of New Orleans, LA and has expressed her understanding of the rich culture and tradition of McDonogh 35. We welcome Ms. Pickett to our school family and look forward to working with her to provide our students with solid instructional support and guidance to succeed. Please join us for A Meet & Greet to welcome Ms. Pickett to the Roneagle Family.
