Jarred Morgan isn’t interested in being the loudest person in the room.
His leadership style is quieter — thoughtful, curious, and deliberate. But there is an unmistakable fire behind his commitment to strengthening Black communities, particularly Black men and young people.
A Houston native and Hightower High School alum, Morgan was introduced to 100 Black Men while attending Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 2016. What began as an encounter with the organization’s Atlanta chapter eventually became a decade-long commitment to its mission.
Now, Morgan has been elected vice president of operations for 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, a role that places him at the center of the organization’s efforts to keep its work moving.
Professionally, Morgan owns businesses in real estate and construction and works in management consulting, specializing in organizational change management.
“I help organizations get from point A to B,” shared Morgan, whether that involves “a cultural shift, a technology shift, or even an organizational design shift.”
That ability to help organizations navigate change is also evident in how Morgan approaches community work.
A natural fit
Morgan says giving back was practically in his DNA.
While participating in student government, Morgan attended an event hosted by 100 Black Men of Atlanta during the annual Florida A&M-Tennessee State classic. He was exposed to the organization’s programming and immediately connected with its mission.
“I come from a generational background of Houstonians who give back,” offered Morgan. “So, it’s natural for me to do so.”
By 2016, he became president of Virginia 100, the organization’s group for members 35 and younger.
“I’ve been with the organization for 10 years,” said Morgan. “I love what we do thoroughly. And I consider it an honor to champion the work that we do.”
Building across generations
Today, 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston’s programming stretches across generations. Its core mentee program serves youth from age 13 through high school graduation. Collegiate 100 operates on the campuses of Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), mentoring men and women. Emerging 100 engages young professionals in the Houston area under 35.
Morgan sees value in each level.
Working with young professionals, he said, gives him an opportunity to share lessons from his own career while learning from people who are developing new ideas.
“With budding young professionals who are some of the most creative minds you’ve ever come across, it’s reinvigorating even in my own career,” he said.
With Collegiate 100, Morgan said the energy is particularly powerful because students are thinking about solutions without limiting themselves beforehand.
“You’re seeing people who are looking at solutions to our city’s ills, our population’s ills, without the filter of ‘cannot,’” he said.
That same sense of possibility is central to the organization’s youth work. Morgan has participated in the organization’s college tours for the past four years. He says watching young people encounter campuses, careers, and Black professionals they may not have imagined seeing can change their perspective on what’s possible.
From calf to farm to table
One of Morgan’s most personal projects is Cowboy Coalition, an initiative connecting 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston with the Hawkins Family Ranch in Bay City and PVAMU. The program introduces young people and families to ranching, land ownership, cattle production, and food systems.
The idea grew from conversations about rising food costs and the need for greater knowledge about how Black communities can produce and source their own food.
Morgan also sees a personal connection.
“My grandfather grew up on a farm,” he said. “He had some ranching skills. Those skills are lost over the generations.”
Cowboy Coalition seeks to help bridge that gap by exposing young people to the entire process — from purchasing and raising cattle to showing them at the rodeo.
“We show them literally the process from calf to farm to table,” said Morgan, for whom the initiative is more than an educational program.
“I come from a generational background of Houstonians who give back. So, it’s natural for me to do so.”
Jarred Morgan
“It’s one of my passion projects, and I’m very proud of it,” he said. “It connects me to some of my ancestors who farmed.”
The program’s second annual Ranch Day, also known as Cattle 101, is scheduled for Oct. 22. Morgan describes it as a knowledge symposium for all ages covering cattle ranching, land purchasing, grazing, and other aspects of the industry.
Researching the future
Morgan’s community work is complemented by an intellectual curiosity that informs how he sees the world. He’s a fan of music ranging from J Dilla and Slum Village to Michael Franks, and is rarely without a book recommendation.
Angela Davis’ Are Prisons Obsolete? left a particular impression.
“It really taught me the value of research,” Morgan said, particularly the idea that examining patterns from the past can help predict aspects of the future.
His interest in Afrofuturism also shapes his thinking. His latest read, Cebo Campbell’s Sky Full of Elephants, resonates with his belief that Black people should not allow outside expectations to define their possibilities. The book, Morgan said, highlights “what is possible when you don’t allow the filters, the ceilings, and the labels put on you by people outside your community.”
Leadership through service
Morgan’s newest leadership assignment will expand his responsibilities. While serving as vice president of development, he has overseen fundraising strategy, donor relationships, and communicated the organization’s work to sponsors. As vice president of operations, he will oversee the systems that allow 100 Black Men Houston to function effectively.
For Nory Angel, president of American Leadership Forum Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter, Morgan’s leadership is rooted in something deeper than titles.
“Jarred brings a genuine curiosity to his leadership,” Angel said. “He is deeply civic-minded and always asking how he can contribute, connect, and be of service to something larger than himself.”
That description may best explain Morgan’s approach. Whether he is helping a company navigate organizational change, mentoring young professionals, opening young minds through college tours, or reconnecting children with agricultural traditions, Morgan appears focused on one central question: How can the next generation be better equipped to build what comes next?
For Morgan, the answer is not simply talking about possibility. It’s helping Black people — especially Black men and young people — see it, experience it, and build it.
