OUR VISION ~ OUR MISSION

The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Black MBA Association, Inc. focuses on its vision to be a leader in the creation of economic and intellectual wealth in our community. Through innovative programs, partnerships with key stakeholders, by increasing awareness and facilitating access, our mission is to positively impact the success of African Americans in the business community.

WELCOME

Several years ago, a select group of presidents were invited to Detroit to confer on the direction our organization would take in responding to the many different facets of rapid change in the world: not only in the corporate world but in education, the economy, and in the global marketplace. If we were to walk in our mission and be the leader in the creation of economic and intellectual wealth, we had to devise a strategic plan to address the issues. These were the issues that our members faced each and every day. Issues that would in the coming years would come to shape all decisions. We had no idea how impactful our work would come to be.

It was at that meeting where many of us first had the pleasure of being introduced to Dr. Nat Irvin, Executive Director of Future Focus 2020. We spent much our time together being enlightened by his presentation, digesting his research and being amazed by it. His work would prove to be the basis on which many of our decisions are made, as individuals, as families, and as organizations. Have you ever entered a room, with your normal confidence about you?  Your education and your achievements are what got you in the room. You are respected as a leader. But by the end of the encounter, you knew you had been transformed and were now aware of your prior inadequacies. Perhaps you weren’t able to identify or articulate the change but it was definitely there. That’s how many of us felt when we left Detroit. And as leaders in this great organization, we had the power to make a difference. And we now had the information we needed to make those changes meaningful to a changing world.

The changes many of us had seen in our neighborhoods, in our companies, even in our families were made global but more importantly, immediately relevant through Dr. Irvin’s presentation of his research and resulting ideologies. If you have had the great experience of being exposed to Dr. Irvin at our national conference over the past few years, then you know that more than likely, you are a Thrival. And with that realization, comes a certain responsibility. Understanding how you relate to, influence, participate in and potentially change the world should have some sort of affect on your consciousness.

As an organization, The National Black MBA Association has accepted that responsibility. And here in Philadelphia, we have done the same. The programs and activities we facilitate emanate such. In recent years, our focus has been on holistic programming for our members: the student, the experienced professional and the entrepreneur. We recognize that each member has many roles and rocks to juggle (to borrow from Covey’s 7 Habits…). And we acknowledge that as an organization, we compete for your attention and relevancy amongst a host of other organizations. Therefore, National Black MBA Association’s Philadelphia Chapter must be organic. Our charge to “Empower Visionaries” requires that we evolve to meet the needs of our members as we operate in this ever-evolving global environment. But our responsibility is not satisfied by only being prepared to respond to change. We must inspire it. Through innovative and relevant programs, focused on education, career, lifestyle, leadership and entrepreneurship, we are focused on ensuring the value of membership. We are laying a foundation for the future, so that well beyond the year 2020, we not only thrive but flourish exceedingly. Thank you for being a part of this, our paradigm shift into becoming a Catalyst for Change.

~ Venetta Larry, NBMBAA-Philly President

PARTNERS