Kwame Molden, MBA '12 - CEO, Founder - SPGBK Watches
Fall Convocation 2025
Fall Convocation at N.C. A&T State University serves as the ceremonial opening of the academic year, uniting students, faculty, staff, and alumni to celebrate the university’s history, traditions, and commitment to excellence while inspiring the campus community for the year ahead.
Fall 2025 Convocation will take place on Thursday, October 9 at the Harrison Auditorium.
View Livestream Download Program Awardee Bios
Kwame A. Molden is the co-founder and president of Springbreak (SPGBK) Watches, a designer watch company that offers an impressive variety of impactful, stylish and affordable timepieces. SPGBK draws strength and inspiration from its community and culture as well as from the beautiful childhood experiences Molden had growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His strong passion for education also informs the brand’s mission.
Under his leadership, SPGBK has experienced remarkable growth and achieved major retail distribution in more than 350 stores, including Belk, Macy’s, Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. In 2023, the company was selected as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things and has also garnered significant media attention from outlets such as Good Morning America, Oprah Daily, The New York Times and AfroTech, among others.
Molden is passionate about education and committed to building community through philanthropy. He has donated more than $35,000 in watches to teachers and staff nationwide, including the entire staff of his hometown high school, E.E. Smith High School, as part of SPGBK’s Annual School Giving program.
In addition to launching SPGBK, Molden spent more than a decade as a senior process engineer for multiple Fortune 100 financial and retail companies in the Charlotte metropolitan area. He has extensive experience in managing and leading continuous improvement projects, designing core operational processes and implementing enterprise-wide technology solutions.
Molden graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 2009 with a B.S. in information technology and earned his MBA in marketing from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in 2012.
Fall Convocation 2025 Award Recipients
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
William Allen Hill, DVM, MPH ’99
Director and Attending Veterinarian
Laboratory Animal Resources
Florida State University
(Tallahassee, Florida)
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Robert T. Parker, MA ’99
Director of Interpretation, Collection, and Education
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
(Baltimore, Maryland)
Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics
Chuck Burch, CPA/PFS, CFP® ’82
President, Burch Financial Group
(Dallas, Texas)
College of Education
Shon F. Barnes, Ph.D. ’14
Chief of Police
Seattle Police Department
(Seattle, Washington)
College of Engineering
Gina Loften ‘90
Chair, N.C. A&T Board of Trustees
Chief Technology Officer (retired)
Microsoft US
(Raleigh, North Carolina)
John R. and kathy r. hairston college of health and human sciences
Brandon Crooms, Ph.D. ’12
Assistant Professor of Business Administration in Sports Management
Trinity University
(San Antonio, Texas)
College Of Science And Technology
Tabatha Williams ‘11
Founder and CEO, Hall Pass & Prompt Solutions
Certified Grant Writer
(Greensboro, North Carolina)
Graduate College
Pamela Richardson Wilks, Ph.D. ‘97, ’98
President, Clinton College
(Rock Hill, South Carolina)
Honors College
Kwame Molden, MBA ’09
Co-founder and President, Springbreak Watches
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
Joint School Of Nanoscience And Nanoengineering
Md Faruque Hasan, Ph.D. ‘23
Process Engineer, Intel Corporation
(Beaverton, Oregon)
Dr. Velma R. Speight Young Alumnus/Alumna Award
Reyniah Taylor Massey, M.H.S. ’20
Program Specialist, Pre-Professional Scholars Program
N.C. A&T State University
(Greensboro, North Carolina)
Julia S. Brooks Achievement Award
Nicole Strayhorn Piggott, M.S. ’97, ’00
Director of Secondary Pathways
Guilford County Schools
(Greensboro, North Carolina)
Howard C. Barnhill Distinguished Service Award
Barry L. Obie ’76
Lieutenant Colonel (retired), U.S. Air Force
Commercial Pilot (retired), UPS
(Gainesville, Virginia)
