U of M Black Business Students’ Association Request for Conference Speakers
Now in its 34th year, the Alfred L. Edwards Annual BBSA Conference is the longest running conference at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and the flagship event for its Black Business Students’ Association (BBSA). We are truly excited about continuing this tradition of excellence, and we hope that you will be able to join us for our annual conferenceLeading the Way: Staying Competitive in a Changing Global Economy to be held in Ann Arbor, MI on December 3-6, 2009.
We are currently in the process of locating our keynote speakers for this event. We would like our luncheon speaker to be someone involved in the Green movement, which is an important topic/theme for this year’s conference, and that we hope to incorporate it into the luncheon itself. For our dinner speaker, we’d like to have a Black female executive who has managed to navigate her way to the top levels of her organization. If you can be of assistance in any way, please conference co-chairs, Andrea Thomas (Harvard ’95, Michigan ’05, ’10) at athomasz@umich.edu or Yewande Awopetu (Michigan ’10) at yewandea@umich.edu.
Our annual conference plays a vital role in connecting people in the business world with members of the Ross community and the BBSA, and helps to establish long term, mutually beneficial relationships between the two. With this year’s conference theme, our keynote addresses and panels will focus on industries and careers that are frequently overlooked by minority business students but that will be critical in the rapidly changing business environment. It is important that Black business students attempt to be trailblazers rather than merely followers into new industries.
The Alfred L. Edwards Annual BBSA Conference is designed to promote the professional and personal development of current business students, prospective students, alumni and professionals. Our mission is achieved through:
Championing diversity and giving back to our community at large and to the Ross School of Business
Bridging the gap between attendees – prospective students, alumni, professionals, and corporate sponsors – to enhance their learning and provide opportunities for professional development
Providing a backdrop for discussions about industry and careers, and providing program content that is relevant to the current economic climate and global business environment
The first BBSA conference began in 1976 as a networking event with only 15 participants. At that time, there were very few black students in either the MBA or BBA program at the School of Business. The conference served as a networking forum during which students could share their personal experiences and provide support to one another. It has grown into an important event that brings together current and prospective students, alumni, professionals, and members of the greater University of Michigan community. The conference was renamed in 2006 for the late Dr. Alfred E. Edwards, Professor Emeritus at the Ross School of Business and the driving force behind Ross’s participation in the Consortium for the Graduate Study of Management.
We hope that you are able to join us for our annual conference so that you may take advantage of the networking and career development opportunities that our event provides.
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