“We as an organization do not need to think outside the box. We need to re-create the box.” With this statement, Barbara Thomas, President and CEO of the National Black MBA Association, Inc. (NBMBAA), expressed her organization’s vision of being a change agent for African American business professionals. Since its inception, the NBMBAA has been committed to providing access for its members to career, education and leadership opportunities. According to Thomas, going forward, the organization seeks to be “a solution-based organization that is a catalyst for change.” 

Under Thomas’ leadership, the NBMBAA has adopted five channels of engagement which address all stages of the lives of the organization’s members. They are education, career, leadership, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle. “With these five channels, we now offer a 360-degree business experience to our members,” commented Thomas. 

The NBMBAA focuses on education through initiatives such as its scholarship program, case competitions and, most recently, through the addition of collegiate chapters to the organization. “We filled in the missing link for our education channel which was at the college level,” Thomas said. There are also education components in many of the NBMBAA’s signature programs, such as Leaders of Tomorrow, which provides mentor, tutor, and career opportunities for high school students. 

The career channel is best represented by the NBMBAA’s career fair, the largest career fair of any business organization. This event is held annually at its National Convention. In addition to the career fair, “We also leverage our student case competition to provide our students exposure to companies who are looking to recruit top talent,” said Thomas. 

The NBMBAA’s leadership focus includes providing professional development and local empowerment sessions to all its members, as well as the Leadership Institute which targets 500 seasoned professionals at the National Convention. “This year Disney Institute will present an innovation and creativity workshop as part of our Leadership Institute,” explained Thomas. 

Entrepreneurship is a more recent focus of the NBMBAA. The organization helps to advance entrepreneurship and increase exposure of minority businesses to corporate contracts. “We are starting to explore developing an entrepreneur institute,” Thomas added. 

The lifestyle initiative is the newest focus of the NBMBAA. The organization is providing workshops and forums on topics ranging from health and wellness, to work-life balance and relationships. According to Thomas, “This year’s National Convention will include a relationship forum as well as a 5K run.” 

The culminating event which brings together all of the NBMBAA’s five channels of engagement is its annual National Convention, held this year in Orlando, Florida. The 2007 convention theme is focused on staying relevant, which is defined as staying current, creative and credible. “The theme is focused on, how do we remain relevant in the global marketplace?” explained Thomas. “You can have the right education and background, but if you don’t have the networking, access, innovativeness, etc. that is needed to stay current, then you become irrelevant.” 

As the overall business community becomes increasingly global, the NBMBAA remains relevant by expanding globally as well. “We are an organization that has become internationally focused,” said Thomas. For example, in November of this year, 15 select students from the Leaders of Tomorrow Program will spend a week in London, England to experience a different culture. The next trip is expected to be to South Africa. 

With its five channels of engagement manifested through its full suite of programs and initiatives, as well as its National Convention in Orlando which has been billed as the nation’s largest professional recruiting and networking event, the NBMBAA has clearly demonstrated that it is indeed a vehicle for change. 

Thomas further emphasizes this focus, “Our organization is one that is not just looking back at what black America was—our history will always be important in informing what we do, but we are dedicated to looking ahead, to shaping what the future will look like for black professionals.”