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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
CONTACT: Dawn A. Jones
(215) 729-8718 or or (215) 704-2615
KD Communications Group
Dawn@kdcomm.com

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PHILADELPHIA WELCOMES THE NATIONAL
BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION
Over 10,000 executives, entrepreneurs, students and political leaders to convene
for the 25th Annual Conference

PHILADELPHIA, September 22, 2003 - Philadelphia welcomes the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), an organization made up of over 6,000 members to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, September 23 - 28, 2003. Tavis Smiley, author and host, "The Tavis Smiley Show" from NPR, National Urban League President and CEO and former two-term Mayor of New Orleans, the Honorable Marc H. Morial, and author, businessman and motivational speaker Stedman Graham are part of an all-star lineup of speakers and presenters to be featured at the National Black MBA Association conference.

The theme for this year's convention is Changing the Course of Your Future.

Some 10,000 of the nation's corporate leaders, multicultural business professionals, educators, students, career development experts, and recruiters are gathering for discussions and plans on how to ensure that a steady stream of executive talent is available to fill the projected 500,000 new entry and mid-level job openings trend experts say will be needed for the foreseeable future. "With only 250,000 business majors graduating from college each year to fill the approximately 500,000 positions needed on an annual basis, the NBMBAA has a vital role to play in ensuring the future viability of American business," said Alvin Brown, businessman and board chairman of the Chicago, Illinois-based NBMBAA.

Conference highlights include:

• A policy forum entitled, "Diversity's Role in Driving America's Competitiveness" moderated by Tavis Smiley and featuring the Honorable Marc Morial, University of Pennsylvania professor, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; American Bar Association, Rod Gillum, General Motors, vice president of corporate responsibility and diversity, Maurice Cox, vice president of corporate development and diversity at Pepsi Co, and Dr. Eugene Anderson, associate dean for degree programs at the University of Michigan.
  
  
• A Town Hall Meeting, "The Business of Sports and Entertainment: Myths, Realities, Opportunities," featuring acting legend Richard Roundtree, rap sensation Doug E. Fresh, actor/writer/director Robert Townsend, WNBA star, Teresa Edwards, and noted entrepreneur and attorney Willie Gary.
  
  
• The renowned NBMBAA annual Career Fair, the nation's largest event for African-American business professionals; featuring representatives from 300 major corporate partners.

Highlighting the conference will be a stellar awards ceremony honoring the contributions of Philadelphia's own musical pioneer and community developer Kenneth Gamble; the team of Kevin Cohee, president, chairman and CEO and Terri Williams, executive vice president, of One United Bank, the first interstate African American owned bank in the country; along with Hassell McClellan, longtime NBMBAA board member, and contributor.

The Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, was formed in 1987 to increase Philadelphia's share of the multicultural convention and tourism markets and to ensure the inclusion of Philadelphia's multicultural communities in every aspect of the hospitality industry.

For more information about MAC visit www.philadelphiamac.org or call 215-636-3404. For more information about the NBMBAA convention visit www.nbmbaa.org or call (215) 569-8360.

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