PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Black MBA Association® (NBMBAA®) and Prospanica® were joined yesterday by the Mayor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney, Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau CEO & President Julie Coker Graham, and other distinguished elected officials, and corporate leaders to welcome the 2017 Annual Conference & Exposition to the City. The joint conference will take place in Philadelphia, PA, September 26 – 30, 2017 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Mayor Kenney offered a warm welcome from the City while sharing his excitement about the thousands of attendees from NBMBAA® and Prospanica® who will convene for the largest diversity career expo in the country. NBMBAA® President and CEO Jesse Tyson touched on the rich history of the Philadelphia area while reflecting on the last conference held in the city in 2003 and his vision for the future. “In projecting a legacy of excellence, we strive to leave an impact on our youth, as well as seasoned professionals, promoting powerful performance through leadership to keep them engaged in forward momentum,” said Tyson.
Thomas Savino, President and CEO, Prospanica® spoke about the need for inclusivity in the corporate landscape and the important role organizations like Prospanica® and NBMBAA® play to keep the message in the forefront of business leaders. “Diverse employees bring to the table diverse insights that are an asset to companies across all industry categories,” said Savino. “I encourage our Corporate partners to continue to have an intentional approach to address Diversity and Inclusion in these three key fundamental areas: Human Resources, Consumer Outreach and Supplier Diversity - to ensure a promising future for everyone.”
Julie Coker Graham, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau stated the city’s hospitality industry is ready to welcome attendees with a projected $10.3 million economic impact of the conference to the region.
Final remarks were from the host city Chapter Presidents, Sharana Worsley (Philadelphia NBMBAA®) and Natily Santos (Philadelphia Prospanica®) who shared individual chapter achievements, corporate chapter sponsor acknowledgements and anticipation for the upcoming conference.
Guests in attendance at the press conference included Greg DeShields, Executive Director at PHL Diversity Multicultural Affairs; Harold Epps, Director of Commerce; Dominique Casimir, Philadelphia Department of Public Property; JoAnne Epps, Temple University Provost and 2017 Conference Honorary Co-Chair; Anh Trieu, Comcast; Yocasta Lora, AARP; Leslie Wood, Campbell Soup Company; Louis Rodriguez, Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Monica Burch, Citizens Bank.
The press conference was emceed by Philadelphia veteran radio personality and host of Soulful Sunday on 100.3 WRNB-FM, Dyana Williams, who highlighted new and featured conference programs, events and speakers which include:
- A Career Expo that will feature over 300 corporations searching for qualified diverse talent for a broad range of opportunities for all career levels
- The inaugural Higher Education Expo for high school students that will connect them to various collegiate and resource partners to assist with college preparation
- The Scale-Up Pitch Challenge sponsored by FedEx which is a business pitch competition with a top prize of $50,000
- Various fundraisers like the Leaders of Tomorrow® 5K Charity Walk in partnership with Black Girls Run®, Leaders of Tomorrow® Charity Poker Tournament, the Impact Awards hosted by award-winning broadcast journalist, Tamron Hall, and the Prospanica® Annual Brillante Gala.
This year’s Conference theme “The Power of Performance: Leadership at The Next Level,” will offer a myriad of opportunities designed to increase access to careers in management, educate and build entrepreneurs, sharpen and enhance leadership skills, and help attendees secure career opportunities. Confirmed speakers include author, world-renowned speaker Dr. Eric Thomas; Dan Pallotta, popular TED Speaker and author of Uncharitable, Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International, Inc., and many others.
For a full list of sessions, speakers, events and registration information visit: www.nbmbaa.org/conference or www.prospanicaconference.org.
Conference media credentials can be requested at: https://nbmbaa.org/media-application/.
About National Black MBA Association® (NBMBAA®)
NBMBAA® is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) professional member-based organization which leads in the creation of educational and career opportunities for black professionals. Representing more than 9,800 members within 45 professional chapters, 33 Leaders of Tomorrow® (LOT®) chapters, and 300+ corporate and university partners, the organization is dedicated to developing partnerships that create intellectual and economic wealth in the Black community through its five channels of engagement: career, education, entrepreneurship, leadership and lifestyle. For more information, visit www.nbmbaa.org.
About Prospanica®
Prospanica®, is the non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Hispanics to reach their full educational, economic, and social potential. Founded in 1988 as the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), Prospanica® is The Association of Hispanic Professionals with more than 46 Professional and University Chapters across the U.S. and Puerto Rico dedicated to help professionals, graduate and undergraduate business students, entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 partners build on connections and career development to fortify the Hispanic workforce. For more information, visit www.prospanica.org.
