President’s Column
by Lynn Beatty
Chapter Newsletter, March 2011

Greetings members, partners and guests!  The L.A. Chapter continues to be one of the largest and most active chapters in the country!  We have already hosted eleven events the first half of the year, and plan to provide many more during the 2nd half of 2011!   Our recent “program-mixer” sponsored by Wells Fargo Mortgage Bank “Mix, Mingle & Mortgage – How to Get Back on Your Game Thru Home Ownership” was both informative and a great time.  We were fortunate to have one of the top Economists in the country, Anika Khan, who among numerous other accomplishments, has been invited to the White House to advise members of the Obama Administration.  I hope to see many of you at our summer events, which include our annual “Salsa & Soul” Mixer on June 24th at Hotel Menage in Anaheim and our annual professional development program-mixer at the Target Terrace (LA Live).  This year the Target Corporation will present Strategic Influence Workshop: The world of work is becoming increasingly complex. Globalization, growth demands, and other factors dictate high levels of collaboration. Highly collaborative environments require teams to become masters of strategic influence. Join us as we explore useful considerations into the nature of influence and what makes it strategic.  In August, come enjoy summer breezes and cool company as we will hold our annual multi-organization Picnic and BBQ.  Watch our eblasts for more details on all of these events.

I thank all of our Corporate Partners (Hyundai, Mattel, Union Bank, State Farm, UnitedHealth Group, DirecTV, Wells Fargo Mortgage Bank, AT&T, Chick fil A, Prudential, Comerica Bank and Prudential) for their continued backing.  These companies support our mission and value the professional expertise and the extremely high caliber of our members, so I encourage you to patronize these businesses and always consider them first as an “employer of choice” as you conduct your current or future job searches.   I hope our “Direct Connect” announcements are starting to help unite you with our partners, and that, in turn, results in you achieving or moving closer toward your professional goal.   As President, I would also like to thank all of the members who have attended any of our events, because it is your membership and participation that makes the LA Chapter one of the most respected chapters in the country.

I hope you are all planning to attend the 33rd Annual NBMBAA Conference & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia from October 4-8, 2011. The theme is “Power Up Your Profit-ability”.   The conference will feature heavy-hitting business leaders such as Geri Thomas, SVP, Global Diversity & Inclusion for the Georgia Market, and Georgia State President for Bank of America.  John Legend, Grammy Recording Artist and International Philanthropist will be one of the keynote speakers.  This will also give you the opportunity to meet our new National President & CEO, Kimberly Corbin who states –“be one of the 10,000+ expected attendees to take advantage of the unmatched access to esteemed leaders of Fortune 1000 companies, business experts and coaches. We especially do not want you to miss the opportunity to significantly optimize your career plans. Come well prepared to “Power-Up” your options at this year’s Career Fair. Hundreds of Fortune 1000 corporate and public sector organizations will be looking to hire top talent from MBA interns to experienced professionals!”  And of course the social life and networking opportunities at our annual conferences are unmatched!!  Register early before the fees go up on August 1st!!

As 2011 rolls on, expect a number of programs to help you develop both personally and professionally, a wide variety of social and networking activities to broaden your professional network, informative new member orientations so you can get the most out of your investment, meaningful events targeting current graduate students, including our annual scholarships event, year-round mentoring opportunities for both our Los Angeles and Orange County Leaders of Tomorrow youth mentoring programs (WE REALLY NEED SHORT TERM VOLUNTEER MENTORS!!), and lastly special events/programs that will be unique and memorable experiences!!  

By now you should have received notices with details about our Chapter Elections.  As they approach, your attendance at the Candidate Forum is essential (Week of July 11th; Location and exact date TBA).  Most importantly, if you would like to run for an Officer position, or serve as a Committee Chairperson, go to the chapter website, www.labmba.org, and review the Chapter Bylaws (under the Membership Section) to get a better understanding of the organization and specifically the position(s) you are interested in.  We are always looking for strong leaders.  Watch the eblasts for more information on the election process.  For all financial members – PLEASE PLAN TO VOTE!!  If you still have questions, feel free to email the Elections Chairperson, Halvern Logan, at elections@labmba.org.

Again, we value your membership and hope to bring you another great year of meaningful events and opportunities!!

Peace and Prosperity,

Lynn Beatty, RN, MBA
President – Los Angeles Chapter
NBMBAA