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National Urban League and Advance America Extend the Director Inclusion Initiative
Program Provides Specialized Business Training for African-American Executives
BOSTON (JULY 29, 2011) –National Urban League announced today a new class of executives for its Director Inclusion Initiative, a training program designed to address the serious under-representation of African Americans on the boards of publicly traded companies in the United States.
Launched last year, this specialized curriculum for prospective members of corporate boards of directors was established through a partnership with Advance America, the nation’s leading provider of cash advance services. The program provides certification and placement assistance for qualified executives.
The second group of business leaders selected to participate in the program includes:
Sylvia Ferrell-Jones, President and CEO, YWCA Boston
Melba Hughes, Owner, Hughes Consultants, LLC
Cyrus Jollivette, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Collette McEachin, Deputy Commonwealth Attorney, VA Commonwealth Attorney’s Office
James T McLawhorn, Jr., President and CEO, Columbia Urban League, Inc.
Dr. Beverly Mitchell, President and CEO, Dallas Urban League and Adjunct Professor in Anatomy and Physiology, El Centro Community College
Howard Wooley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances and Wireless Public Policy, Verizon Communications
The first Director Inclusion Initiative class of executives graduated in April.
“Thanks to Advance America’s support, this program prepares enthusiastic and capable executives who are ready to provide corporate guidance and supervision,” said Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of National Urban League. “I’m happy to see this valuable initiative continue to equip qualified professionals with the tools and training they need to be successful in the boardroom.”
Through the commendable efforts of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, last year’s Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act included an amendment focused on ensuring greater diversity among senior corporate management; toward that end, the legislation called for the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal financial regulators,to establish offices of minority and women inclusion. The National Urban League and Advance America are going one step further by developing and sustaining the Director Inclusion Initiative.
“Advance America is proud of the Director Inclusion Initiative and believes its participants offer publicly-held corporations a unique and important source for exceptionally qualified and diverse board candidates,” said William Webster, chairman of the Board of Directors for Advance America. “Throughout my own experience in government and business, I have continually observed the value of diversity – both of people and ideas – to help stimulate creativity and innovation and to help guide collective success.”
Training for director candidates is provided by the Corporate Directors Group (CDG) through the Director Education Group (DEG) branch of its subsidiary, The American College of Corporate Directors. CDG is a national organization exclusively for directors and CEOs of public companies. Dedicated to providing leadership and competency skills, as well as information on timely topics to board members of public companies, CDG offers a three-tiered American College of Corporate Directors Professional Director Certification credential to those members of both the CDG and the DEG who have completed extensive and robust director education requirements. The program is led by experts in the fields of governance, responsibility, audit practices and other important public company director issues.
For more information on the Director Inclusion Initiative, contact Tracy Boleware, vice president, Black Executive Exchange Program at the National Urban League: 202-558-5300 or tboleware@nul.org.
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About The National Urban League
Founded in 1910, The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, working to promote elevated standards of living in historically undeserved urban communities. Today, there are more than 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide. Please visit www.nul.org for more information.
About Advance America
Founded in 1997, Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc. (NYSE: AEA) is the country's leading provider of non-bank cash advance services, with approximately 2,350 centers and 56 limited licensees in 30 states, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The Company offers convenient, less-costly credit options to consumers whose needs are not met by traditional financial institutions. The Company is a founding member of the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), whose mission is to promote laws that provide substantive consumer protections and to encourage responsible industry practices. Please visit www.advanceamerica.net for more information.
