2007 Headlines
The Black Graduate Business Association presents
Your Professional Portfolio: Development through Leadership,
Networking, and Wealth Building
October 20, 2007
7th Annual Symposium Hosts Rodney P. Hunt as Keynote and Presents Angela Mwanza with the Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award
October 4, 2007 | Ithaca, NY - The Black Graduate Business Association of the Johnson School at Cornell University will host its seventh annual symposium on Saturday, October 20, 2007 with events taking place at Sage Hall and the Statler Hotel. The event reflects a collaboration with the Minority Business Students' Association, and provides an opportunity for current and prospective students, alumni, faculty, staff, and business leaders to come together to address relevant business issues through interactive sessions and activities.
Rodney P. Hunt, president and chief executive officer of RS Information Systems, Inc., will provide the keynote address at 12:30 pm in the Statler Ballroom and will relate how his experience at Cornell shaped his life and career. Mr. Hunt's commitment to diversity and innovation has helped him grow his business to revenues over $330 million in 15 years and garnered several awards, including "Small Business Champion of the Year" by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2006.
This symposium offers two session alternatives for each of the main topics. The Leadership sessions will focus on strategic leadership development and personal leadership styles and will include "Leading those who don't want to be led," and "Leading vs. managing: managing up." The networking sessions will offer hands-on exercises and include such sessions as "Networking for people who hate networking" and "Networking-building your support group." Finally, the wealth building sessions will provide practical advice with "Getting started: a personal finance introduction," and a panel discussion with industry leaders presenting "Long-term investing; patience has its rewards."
The event will also honor Angela Mwanza (MBA '00) with the fifth annual Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award. Presented by Johnson School dean Joseph Thomas, this award honors Johnson School alumni for outstanding professional achievements and commitment to their community. Mwanza is a vice president at Lehman Brothers Private Investment Management where she manages a team advising wealthy individuals and their families, charitable organizations, endowments, and corporations on strategies to preserve, grow, and transfer wealth. She is on the dean's leadership committee for the Johnson School as well as the Entrepreneurship@Cornell advisory board. She currently serves on the advisory board for the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and is a committee member of the Harlem YMCA as well as God's Love We Deliver, a New York City AIDS charity.
The symposium is made possible by the generous support of Accenture, American Express, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, Lehman Brothers, and Standard & Poor's. A complete agenda can be found at the symposium website.
