Cleveland to host National Black MBA Conference in October

Online, September 14, 2009 (Newswire.com) - NBMBAA Announces Speakers at
National Black MBA MidEast Regional Conference
Keith Wyche, Candi Castleberry Singleton
and Herbert C. Smith

Cleveland, Ohio ---- Some of the most dynamic speakers in the country will be featured at the 2nd Annual MidEast Regional Conference for the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), October 22-24, 2009, at the InterContinental Hotel, (9801 Carnegie Ave). The Conference, which is set to host eight chapters of the prestigious organization, is presented by the NBMBAA, KeyBank, PNC Bank, The Nielsen Company, Forest City Enterprises, Inc., Eaton Corporation, Timken, the Women of Color Foundation and media sponsor, the Call & Post newspaper.
Featured speakers will include: Keith Wyche, President, U.S. Operations, Pitney Bowes; Candi Castleberry Singleton, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at UPMC; and Herbert C. Smith, Managing Director, HC Smith Limited (Cleveland office).
Keith Wyche will be the closing speaker at the Saturday Luncheon. As President of U.S. Operations at Pitney Bowes, he is responsible for directing approximately 8,000 people and operations at numerous sites across the country. As a renowned mentor to minorities in Corporate America, Wyche incorporates a signature "straight shooter" approach to help minority professionals advance from middle management to executive leadership-a feat that, according to statistics, is still uncommon in Corporate America today.

At perhaps the highest point of his career, Wyche is now focusing on translating his success into significance. That's why, as one of corporate America's highest ranking African American executives, he is sharing secrets to breaking from middle management to senior leadership. Wyche is currently focusing on transitioning from "success to significance," which includes empowering the minority professionals who will follow him.

Candi Castleberry-Singleton is the Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at UPMC, a $7 billion, 20-hospital global health system and heath plan. She is responsible for developing UPMC's inclusion strategy, including its Health Care Dignity and Respect Campaign, and for overseeing progress toward system-wide goals involving 50,000 employees. In 2008, she launched the Center for Inclusion in Health Care.

Singleton has an exceptional record of coaching senior executives and partnering with key business process owners and community leaders to build sustainable inclusion practices for the workplace, marketplace, and workforce. Singleton will be the keynote speaker for the Corporate Awards and Scholarship Luncheon on Friday.

Herbert C. Smith, Managing Director, HC Smith Limited - Cleveland, is a member of DHR's Global Diversity Practice
Group. His passion is using proven management practices and business integration strategies to recruit diversity and inclusion talent. A successful serial entrepreneur, he has business interests in Europe, Asia and North America. In 2002 he was selected by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to represent small and midsize businesses on a trade mission to China. His views on diversity are featured in Hunt Scanlon and Diversity MBA magazine and other publications.

Dr. Smith ("Coach") has over 25 years of executive search and consulting experience. He understands what it means to manage diversity and inclusion as a business opportunity. He founded his own retained executive search and consulting firm. He has recruited targeted senior level executives across a spectrum of for-profit, nonprofit, government, and educational institutions. Dr. Smith is widely respected for his ability to recruit highly qualified men and women in finance, manufacturing, human services, aerospace, arts and culture, higher and continuing education, information technology, healthcare, trade associations, and utilities. He has recruited for small, midsized,and global organizations such as IBM, Pitney Bowes, NASA, General Electric, DuPont, Xerox, Charter One, General Motors and more.

Says Jeanette Haynes-Gordon, NBMBAA Chapter President, Cleveland/Northeast Ohio, "We are excited to feature these executives at our upcoming conference. Their participation is a reflection of our dedication to increasing corporate diversity and access to capital by educating and investing in the empowerment of the African-American business community."
The NBMBAA Conference will also include: plenary sessions and workshops on personal branding, entrepreneurship, and emerging
industries; a Diversity Career Fair; a Senior Executive Meet and Greet; an Awards and Scholarship Luncheon; and more.
The National Black MBA Association® considers itself one of the
most powerful social networks of individuals dedicated to increasing corporate diversity and access to capital by educating and investing in the empowerment of the African American business community. The NBMBAA® is comprised of both professional and collegiate chapters throughout North America.
To register, and for more information on the NBMBAA Mideast Regional Conference, please contact Alexandria Johnson Boone at GAP Communications Group at 216.391.4300, ext. 305 during normal business hours, or visit www.blackmbamideast.org.