Contact: John E. Saunders, III, CAE
Executive Director, NFBPA
202-262-1466
jsaunders@nfbpa.org

Angela Barber
NFBPA - Media Relations (Local)
(757) 382-8040
Abarber@cityofchesapeake.net

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL FORUM FOR BLACK PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS TO
HOLD ITS 29^th ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN VIRGINIA BEACH IN APRIL

Nation's largest organization of African American public administrators holds its annual forum, including numerous workshops, in an effort to "reposition communities for the future"

[Wednesday, April 4, 2012], WASHINGTON, DC - The nation's largest group of African American public administrators plans to hold its annual conference, FORUM 2012, this April in Virginia Beach.  The National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) will offer an array of educational workshops and offer public officials and executives the tools they need to tackle public issues and transform cities and regions.

This year's conference, themed "Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity … Repositioning Our Communities for the Future," will honor the organization's heritage as a thriving organization that now supports more than 40 local chapters in 350 jurisdictions and 37 states, and has a membership of 3,000 public servants. Its membership collectively manages more than $60 billion annually in public sector spending, making the organization among the most influential and powerful in the nation.

The conference will be held April 21-24 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

"Virginia Beach is the ideal city to host our conference," said Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides, president of the NFBPA board of directors. "In these trying, post-recession times, as the nation is buffeted by waves of change, we must adapt to a 'new normal' in the delivery of public services. To meet these challenges, we must take advantage of every opportunity to use the resources at hand wisely and more efficiently than ever. That's a major reason for calling this conference -- to help build and refine professional skills, spread best practices and enhance our ability to meet current and new challenges."

The four-day conference features a range of plenary sessions, interactive workshops, panel discussions and seminars, networking events and tours - all designed to prepare black administrators for tomorrow's governance, commerce and nonprofit sector.

The goal of the conference offerings is to help participants understand key public issues and provide innovative solutions via case studies presented in more than 40 workshops and seminars.

Among the featured speakers are Melissa Harris-Perry, an award-winning author and the nation's only tenured professor to host a cable news show ("Melissa Harris-Perry," which airs on MSNBC).  Professor Perry teaches political science at Tulane University. The keynote speaker at the opening plenary on Monday, April 23, will be Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour, the first African-American female combat pilot. The former U.S. Marine Corps pilot served two tours in Iraq and now runs her own consulting firm.

The workshops are organized along five tracks: "FORUM University," a roster of workshops for starting, building or changing careers; "Engaging Your Community - the New Normal"; "Riding the Waves to Financial Stability"; "Repositioning Yourself -- Preparing for the Next Level"; and "Greening Your Bottom Line."

Track one, "FORUM University," will focus on building dynamic leadership,  and learning how to adapt to ever-changing, diverse public interests as a "new normal" emerges.

Among key workshops are "From Dream to Reality, Becoming a Powerful Leader: How to Effectively Manage Tigers and Sharks in the Workplace," "The Ethics Court," "Strategies and Initiatives for Diversity Management: How Leaders Can Make a Difference," "Retooling Community-Based Nonprofit Organizations for Financial Stability," "What Mentoring Programs Can Do for You," and "What Is Really Going on with Emerging Technologies?"

On Saturday, April 21, the public is invited to attend a free public policy forum town hall meeting entitled "The Balanced-Budget Debate: Past Sins, Present Sacrifices and Future Standards," from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Convention Center (1BCD). William E. Harrell, former City Manager of Chesapeake, will serve as moderator.   Featured will be Robert "Bobby" Scott of Virginia's 3rd District.

NFBPA, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Washington, DC, is America's leading association of black appointed and elected managers and executives serving public organizations throughout the U.S.  Its mission is to strengthen the position of black people within the field of public administration; increase the number of black people appointed to executive positions in public service organizations; and groom younger, aspiring administrators for senior public management posts.

This year's conference sponsor is Cigna HealthCare.  Other major sponsors include Nationwide Retirement Solutions, ICMA Retirement Corporation, CDM Smith, MWH, Waste Management, LLP, and CH2M Hill.    

Through the generosity of the organization's corporate partners, merit scholarships are awarded to deserving students and each year NFBPA is able to help 50 students attend the annual conference. 

For more information about FORUM 2012, visit the organization's Web site, nfbpa.org, or call 202-408-9300.  

#  #  #