
Phylicia Rashad
Advocate for Children, Women's Issues & Fine Arts
Phylicia Rashad’s reputation as one of America’s most diversified entertainment talents continues to grow. Known to millions of fans worldwide as Clair Huxtable from “The Cosby Show,” Rashad earned two Emmy award nominations and a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite television Female Performer” during her eight years on the show. she also earned an NAACP…
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Full Bio
Phylicia Rashad’s reputation as one of America’s most diversified entertainment talents continues to grow.
Known to millions of fans worldwide as Clair Huxtable from “The Cosby Show,” Rashad earned two Emmy award nominations and a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite television Female Performer” during her eight years on the show. she also earned an NAACP Image award for ” Best Actress in a Comedy series” for her role as Ruth Lucas on “Cosby”.
Most recently, she became the first black actress to win a TONY Award for a dramatic leading role in “Raisin in the Sun”. She has also appeared on Broadway in “Into The Woods,” “Jelly’s Last Jam,”, “Dreamgirls,” “The Wiz,” and “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death.”
Rashad made her deb ut as executive producer, co-producing and co-starring with her sister, Debbie Allen, in “The Old Settler,” a production that launched the new PBS national television drama series “PBS Hollywood Presents.” She has also made guest appearances in many TV shows and series.
The daughter of a highly creative Houston family — her mother is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet and scholar, and her sister Debbie is a noted Broadway and television choreographer/director/actress – Rashad graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Howard University. She is a recipient of Harvard University’s Foundation Award and is an active participant in charitable and non-profit organizations.
Rashad is especially vocal in the fight against diabetes; her father fell victim to heart disease linked to complications from diabetes. She is also dedicated to several women’s causes, including domestic violence awareness, balancing professional and personal lives, and women’s health issues. She has also served as a spokeswoman of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. She was also close friends with Madeline Kahn, who died of ovarian cancer and has become an advocate for research and awareness of the disease.
Rashad is also committed to the mission of Children’s Hospital, which provides premium pediatric health care and services to children in the District of Columbia, and to RNT – Recruiting New Teachers. In addition to supporting these organizations, Rashad is dedicated to communicating the importance of the Fine arts in Education.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!

LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!

MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!

SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!

CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!

PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!

FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
Taking Heart Disease Personally
Phylicia Rashad takes diabetes and heart disease personally. When she lost her father to heart disease related to his diabetes, she was spurred by that terrible loss to participate in a nationwide campaign to create awareness of the link between diabetes and heart disease. From her participation in that first campaign, and her dedication to the cause since, she shares what she learned from healthcare professionals, including what increases your risks of developing diabetes-related heart disease, how to recognize the symptoms – and what can be done to increase the odds of beating this deadly disease.
Inside TV: An Actor’s Perspective
Known as a role model for women on television, Rashad earned two Emmy nominations and the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Television Female Performer”. Recently, she became the first black actress to win a Tony award for a dramatic leading role in “Raisin in the Sun”. From a highly creative Houston family, Rashad graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in fine arts from Howard University. She is a recipient of Harvard University’s Foundation award and speaks fluent Spanish, having spent part of her childhood in Mexico.
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