Maqubè Reese helps students advocate through business education

Maqubè Reese always knew she wanted to be an advocate; she just didn’t know it would be in DEIB.

“I dreamt of being a lawyer or advocating for groups of people—I didn’t know advocacy was going to come from my own identity,” she said.

Her work in DEIB began in middle school. Maqubè (pronounced “mah-KWEE-bah”) grew up on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. She’s the youngest of Charlie Sr. and Janet Reese’s 13 children in a large and loving family who valued their identity and history.

“We did Saturday school at the Saba Academy, where we learned about our Black history. I thought that was a normal thing everyone did until I got to college and realized it wasn’t,” Maqubè said. “In retrospect, I’m happy I did it. It was important because Black families in Fort Wayne wanted to pass this legacy down to their kids.”

Maqubè earned a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies at IU Bloomington. She was part of the Groups Scholars Program, a summer experience program that encourages college enrollment among first-generation, underrepresented students. College began with a heartbreaking start—having just lost her mother, Maqubè lost her father the summer after her freshman year.

“I was grieving and trying to find a sense of connection in the community,” she said

Maqubè began building connections on campus and in Bloomington, where she worked to break down barriers between school and city. After graduation, she served as the Black History Month chairperson, a member of the Women’s Commission, and the Board of Public Safety, appointed by Mayor Hamilton. Today, she’s the president of the Monroe County NAACP. It was a natural fit to move into education as Maqubè returned to the Group Scholars Program, where she worked as an academic advisor for four years.

“In my heart, I’m an educator, and I understand the intention of educating the best you can,” Maqubè said. “Business is a catalyst to transformation in the 21^st century. This is an opportunity to be a catalyst.”

As the associate director of diversity initiatives at the Kelley School, Maqubè works directly with students on inclusive programming. She also supports the standard admissions process and promotes schoolwide events. She’s also an adjunct professor at the School of Social Work, where she earned her master’s degree.

“My proudest moment is not backing down from advocating for students, but doing it in a way that builds agency,” Maqubè said. “I have to advocate for my existence. I value the work that I’m doing, but it’s also difficult to do the work sometimes because we are literally fighting for our existence.”

Maqubè says among her greatest achievements at Kelley is the 21^st Century Business Leader’s Summit. The summit prepares students for the modern professional world by learning how to intentionally navigate DEIB concerns without causing harm. Maqubè designed the event to include both minority and majority students.

“We’re in business to build civility for our community. I wanted to name this event in a way that gets to the heart of our goals: creating leaders in the 21^st century,” she said. “It was important to make sure the title helped give strength to students who knew what it felt like to be excluded, and it gave this sense of ownership for the dominant group to come, learn, and listen. It helped build agency.”

Maqubè owns a consulting firm that provides culturally sensitive, educational, and healing-informed services called Tribe Consulting, LLC. She believes business students have a unique opportunity to end cycles of racism by understanding the historical context for discrimination in business, such as redlining in real estate or stereotyping perceived financial wealth.

“It’s important to understand theories like Anti-Oppressive Practice because it’s easy to perpetuate the cycle of white dominance if you don’t understand what exploitation is in accounting, taxes, finances, or real estate,” Maqubè said. “I encourage Kelley faculty to realize that they don’t have to be an expert in this to start the conversation. Think about it as being a facilitator. People say the wrong thing sometimes—it happens—but just getting the dialogue going is important.”