The Ronald H. Brown Leadership Awards Gala honors outstanding individuals, organizations or corporations in the Greater Pittsburgh community who exemplify leadership in improving the quality of life for African Americans.

The first Gala in 1996 was held at the Carnegie Music Hall and grossed $160,000.  Since 1996, the Ronald H. Brown Leadership Awards Gala has raised over $8 Million dollars from individuals and corporations. More than 80 cents of each dollar received helps defray the costs of key programs and services of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.  

In 1996, the second year of her tenure as President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Esther Bush and the Board of Directors established the Ronald H. Brown Leadership Awards Gala, named after the first African American to be appointed to a Cabinet level position, former United States Secretary of Commerce and former National Urban League Vice President Ronald Brown.  Endorsed by the Ronald H. Brown Foundation, this premier event highlights the relationship of mutual respect and partnership between the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and the corporate community.