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Conference Speakers
Featured Speakers:
 Dennis
P. Kimbro, PhD.
Acclaimed Professor, Author & Speaker
Few individuals impact the day-to-day
management of organizations and institutions as Dennis Kimbro. A tireless
educator, author, and B-school professor, Dr. Kimbro is universally
characterized as one of the most insightful and scholarly writers in the
field today. As a lecturer and researcher in the field of management,
entrepreneurship and human potential, he encourages his readers to look
within to extract the keys that underlie all accomplishment.
Dr. Kimbro studied the methodology of
Napoleon Hill, author of the phenomenal best seller Think and Grow Rich.
Using Think and Grow Rich as a reference, Dr. Kimbro developed a survey to
use among high achieving black Americans. After a personal meeting with W.
Clement Stone, president of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, Dr. Kimbro was
commissioned to update and complete Hill's original manuscript. Think and
Grow Rich: A Black Choice, the results of Dr. Kimbro's and Hill's efforts,
distills the secrets of success contained in the lives of peak performing
men and women, and reveals how readers can utilize these keys to make
their dreams come true.
Dr. Kimbro's writings have had international
influence and he has received numerous awards and accolades from the
business community. Among them, he was bestowed the Dale Carnegie
“Personal Achievement” award. He has appeared on the Today Show, Larry
King, CNN, and has been featured on the pages of the Success! magazine,
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today on numerous occasions
sharing the keys of success and achievement. One of Dr. Kimbro’s highest
honors occurred when he was requested to keynote Grambling State
University’s Coach Eddie Robinson’s farewell tribute.
In addition to Think and Grow Rich: A Black
Choice, Dr. Kimbro has penned “Daily Motivations for African American
Success”, “What Makes the Great Great: Strategies for Extraordinary
Achievement,” and “What Keeps Me Standing: A Black Grandmother’s Guide to
Peace, Hope & Inspiration”.
Dr. Kimbro is married and the father of
three daughters, Kelli, Kimberli, and MacKenzie.
۰۰۰
 Dr.
Randal D. Pinkett
Founder, President and CEO, BCT
Partners
Season 4 Winner of “The Apprentice”
Dr. Randal Pinkett has established himself
as an entrepreneur, speaker, author and community servant. He is the
Founder and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar, management,
technology and policy consulting services firm based in Newark, NJ, that
works with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
BCT Partners is a minority-owned and operated company and one of the
leading firms in the country with expertise in the following industries:
housing and community development, economic development, healthcare, human
services, nonprofit and community technology and education.
Dr. Pinkett was also named the winner of
NBC’s hit reality television show, “The Apprentice” Season 4, with Donald
Trump. He was selected as one of 18 candidates chosen from among 1 million
applicants to compete for the opportunity to run one of Donald Trump’s
companies. He is currently overseeing both renovation and information
technology projects for Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, NJ.
Prior to founding BCT Partners, Dr. Pinkett
gained corporate experience as a Member of Technical Staff at General
Electric, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and Lucent Technologies. Dr. Pinkett
holds five degrees including: a Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering from Rutgers University, a Master of Science in Computer
Science from the University of Oxford in England, a Master of Science in
Electrical Engineering, MBA, and Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT).
Dr. Pinkett has received numerous awards
including the following: NCAA Academic All-American, National Society of
Black Engineers–National Member of the Year, and he has been recognized by
USA TODAY newspaper as one of the top 20 scholars in the country. Dr.
Pinkett has been featured in Black Enterprise magazine, Ebony magazine,
Parade magazine, CNN and Black Entertainment Television (BET). Most
notably, Dr. Pinkett is a Rhodes Scholar, and was the first and only
African-American ever to receive this prestigious award at Rutgers
University.
Dr. Pinkett is a highly sought-after speaker
for various corporations, colleges and universities, government agencies
and community organizations. He is also co-authoring two books, Campus
CEO, and Black Faces in White Places. Dr. Pinkett is a proud member of the
board of directors for the New Jersey Public Policy Research Institute (NJPPRI),
the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (N-TEN), and the Institute for
Innovation in Government Technology (IIGT), as well as the board of
advisors for the Community Technology Centers’ Network (CTCNet). He also
currently serves as a national spokesperson for Autism Speaks.
Dr. Pinkett and his wife Zahara reside in
Somerset, New Jersey.
Workshop Presenters/Panelists:
 Constance
Lane Arnold, M.A.
Master Trainer/Life Strategist,
Lane Consulting & Training, Inc.
Constance has 25 years experience in the
areas of counseling, coaching and professional/leadership development
training in both public and private sectors.
Her professional consulting has been sought
by major organizations such as Delta Air Lines, Inc., Lockheed, the
Georgia Department of Human Resources, the ALF/CIO Labor Unions, Georgia
Dept. of Family & Children Services, as well as the Georgia and South
Carolina VA Medical Centers.
Having earned a B. A. degree in business
from Tennessee State University, along with M. A. degree in education from
Atlanta University, Ms. Arnold is currently pursuing a Doctorate degree in
Psychology.
۰۰۰
 Gerry
Foster
President/CEO
Gerry Foster Marketing
As a speaker and trainer, Gerry consults and
conducts training with corporations, non-profits, and small businesses on
the topic of personal and professional branding. His seminars and
trainings are driven by the proprietary “Dare to Be Different” process,
known for being highly interactive and structured to educate.
Specializing in the corporate, non-profit,
and entrepreneurial markets, his clients include the National Urban League
(Los Angeles Chapter), NAACP, Crenshaw Christian Center, National
Organization of Minority Architects and Bank of America.
Author of the book entitled, “Marketing a
Service Business for Maximizing Impact”, he is also a former adjunct
professor of marketing and advertising at California State University,
Fullerton; California State University, Long Beach; Pepperdine University,
and the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
Gerry earned cum laude degrees (bachelor and
master’s) in business marketing from the University of Southern California
Marshall School of Business.
۰۰۰
 Milt
Goggans
Retired, Former Senior VP of
Primary Care Sales, Bristol Myers Squibb
Milt is a native of Hoboken, New Jersey. He
attended the local school system until leaving to attend college in
Vermont. He has a B.S. degree in Education from the University of Vermont.
After college, he served as a commissioned officer in the US Army for four
years. He is a Viet Nam war veteran.
Milt began his career in the healthcare
industry with Johnson & Johnson in May 1970. In the 17+ years, he held
every position in the sales organization from Sales Rep to National Sales
Manager. In the last two years, he held the position of Group Product
Director. In March 1988, Milt joined Bristol-Myers Squibb when he assumed
the position of Director of Ethical Sales with Westwood-Squibb. He became
the Vice President of Sales at Westwood-Squibb in Buffalo NY in November
1989.
Milt relocated to Princeton when he became
the Vice President of Sales of Princeton Pharmaceutical Products in
September 1992. On January 1994, Milt assumed the responsibility of Region
Vice President Mid-Atlantic Regional Business Unit. His next position was
Vice President of Managed Care from February 1996 to February 1997. Then,
Milt returned to Buffalo as the President of Westwood-Squibb in February
1997 until December 1998. He returned to New Jersey as Senior Vice
President of Neuroscience, Infectious Disease and Dermatology Sales in
December 1997 and moved to Senior Vice President of Cardiovascular and
Metabolic Sales in May 2001. In September 2001, Milt was promoted to the
Senior Vice President of Sales of the US Primary Care Sales organization.
Milt retired after almost 34 years of health
care sales, marketing and managed care experience in April 2004. He
established Goggans Consulting Services, based in Palm Harbor Florida in
August 2004. He has had several successful consulting projects, focusing
on sales management techniques and leadership development programs
۰۰۰
 Sharon
S. Hall
Managing Director - Atlanta,
Spencer Stuart Global Executive Search Firm
Sharon Hall manages the Atlanta office of
Spencer Stuart, a leading privately held, global executive search firm,
spanning over 50 offices in 25 countries. She is a member of four of the
firm’s global practice specialties — Human Resources, Consumer Goods &
Services, Strategic Leadership Services and the Diversity Practice, which
she co-founded in 1999. Sharon also is a member of the firm’s worldwide
board of directors.
Prior to executive search, Sharon spent more
than 13 years developing effective teams within corporate frameworks and
building her functional experience, which includes marketing, strategic
planning, new business development and general management.
During her 10 years at Avon Products, Sharon
worked closely with division heads, presidents and general managers within
the U.S. business as well as 18 foreign markets across the Pacific Rim and
Latin America. She spent five years managing strategic planning and
operational planning functions, followed by a successful transition into
line management; first, to start up a new business development function
and then to manage Avon’s Personal Care Products Group as general manager.
She then joined a leading provider of child care facilities to create two
functions — marketing and strategic planning. Throughout these
experiences, Sharon created, hired and managed high-performance teams, all
of which are still delivering impressive results today.
Sharon began her career in Procter &
Gamble’s brand marketing arena. She then joined Booz, Allen & Hamilton to
develop strategy for clients in its Marketing Practice. She received a
bachelor of science degree, magna cum laude, from Morris Brown College in
Atlanta, and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. She is
a former board member of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City.
۰۰۰
 Pam
Harris
Vice President of Sales,
Managed Health Care and Government (South & West)
Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Pam Harris is member of the Executive Team
of Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals where she is the Vice President of Sales,
Managed Healthcare and Government for South & West Areas of the Country.
In her 26 years in the pharmaceutical industry, she has held various
positions leadership roles in sales, managed healthcare, training and
marketing.
Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, she was Vice
President of Sales at Novartis Pharmaceuticals where she led two national
forces of 1200 sales associates. Pam’s pharmaceutical experience includes
Regional Vice President at Pharmacia Inc and Bristol-Myers Squibb where
she spent 16 years in various positions including sales, training and
marketing.
At Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pam was recognized
for outstanding leadership and selected from 800 nominees worldwide to
receive a prestigious leadership development award. In addition, she has
been honored by the Harlem YWCA as a Black Achiever in Industry.
Pam started her career as a sales
representative at Pfizer. She attributes her success to being committed to
leadership development, setting clear goals, being results oriented and
successful team building. She is a frequent speaker on topics impacting
women and minorities in business.
Pam is happily married and has one son and
two step daughters. She enjoys spending weekends in Cape May, New Jersey,
learning to play golf and reading
۰۰۰
 Indigo
Johnson
President/CEO
Careers in Transition
As CEO of Careers In Transition, Inc.,
Indigo develops and conducts nationally recognized career and work related
workshops on team building, mentoring, management and leadership,
outplacement and career continuation programs, and succession planning and
retention consulting. As a results-oriented professional, she also
provides consulting services for companies experiencing a reduction in
force, including on-site counseling for employees who have been terminated
due to change management.
Ms. Johnson has implemented an array of
creative Employee Development Programs in various federal government
agencies. She was formerly a faculty member for DeVry University and
adjunct faculty for Clark Atlanta University. She authored an advice
column in the Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, for several years and has
written a book titled, “Playing the Game by the Unwritten Rules: Moving
from the Middle to the Top”.
Ms. Johnson holds an Associate of Applied
Arts Degree in Journalism, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Radio and
Television, a Masters of Arts in Human Resources Development and was
honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps, wherein she served in the
capacity of Communications and Public Affairs.
۰۰۰
 Celeste
Jonson
President/CEO
Celeste Jonson
International. Inc.
An avid student of human potential, Celeste
Jonson is known as an energizing and motivating force for good reason. She
is an expert at helping you expand your vision of your potential and power
and then inspiring you to transform your possibilities into realities.
Ms. Jonson is the president of celeste
jonson international, inc., a personal development company created to
facilitate intentional and optimal living. She has well over 20 years of
experience in a variety of capacities including television, radio and
sports sales and marketing as well as management experience with General
Motors and other fortune 100 companies. These varied experiences in a
variety of markets across the nation including New York, Chicago, Los
Angeles, Washington, DC, and Detroit are the foundation for her ability to
understand, engage with, and serve a wide range of clients.
For over two years she traveled with
internationally known motivational speaker Les Brown as his executive
assistant and road manager. They have frequently teamed up speaking and
training all over the country in addition to have co-hosted a weekly talk
radio show in Chicago. She is currently the host of the nationally
syndicated radio show called “Focus on Women” where daily she informs and
inspires women to do and be their best! Additionally, she’s involved in
professional, civic and spiritual arenas as well as a member of the
National Speakers Association.
Celeste is the author of several books
including D.A.R.E. to Succeed, Office Power and Politics, Mastering Your
Image, New Balance, It’s All in Your Mind, Is Your Net Working, and
others; co-author of Give Stress a Rest, as well as an assortment of
tapes/CDs. She also reaches people around the world with her webinars and
other web based offerings. Celeste’s powerful, yet engaging, and
personable style has touched people in astounding ways. You will certainly
be motivated to be more thoughtful, deliberate, and focused in your daily
choices taking your productivity and indeed your life to the next level!
۰۰۰
 Matthew
S. Scott
Personal Finance Editor,
BLACK ENTERPRISE Magazine
Matthew S. Scott is the Personal Finance
Editor for BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine. In this position, he is responsible
for developing, writing and editing articles for Moneywise, the section of
the magazine devoted to coverage of personal finance and
investment-related topics. He also contributes to developing, writing and
editing regular feature stories for the publication.
Prior to re-joining BLACK ENTERPRISE, where
he held several positions from 1990 – 1998, including serving as Managing
Editor from 1996 – 1998, Mr. Scott was the Editor-In-Chief at NV Magazine
– The New Vision in Business, a start-up business magazine targeting urban
professionals aged 24-40, which he helped launch.
From 1989-1990, Mr. Scott served as Director
of Communications for the National Bar Association (NBA), the nation’s
largest organization of minority lawyers. At the NBA, he held a dual role,
coordinating the organization’s public relations and news coverage of its
annual conventions, as well as managing the production of the NBA
Magazine, a monthly publication for the organization’s members.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, he earned a
B.A. degree in Journalism from Rutgers University in 1983. He is a former
New York City English teacher and an alumnus of the Michigan Journalism
Fellowship Program. A recipient of several business journalism awards, he
has served as an officer for the New York and Washington, DC chapters of
the National Association of Black Journalists and as a member of the New
American Schools Development Corporation Communications Committee.
۰۰۰
 La
Detra White
President/CEO
Noble Insight, Inc.
La Detra is President and CEO of Noble
Insight, Inc. specializing in the areas of marketing planning, research,
strategy design and implementation. Prior to Noble Insight, Ms. White
gained a solid foundation in marketing brand management with Bass Hotels &
Resorts, Procter & Gamble and Nabisco Foods.
Noble Insight's expertise is in reaching
emerging markets--namely African-American and Hispanic. To this end Noble
Insight has worked nationally with notable companies like United Parcel
Service (UPS), BellSouth, Georgia Power, Chick-fil-A, Black Entertainment
Television, IBM, Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority, Allstate,
General Mills and Bank of America on general market and emerging market
strategies.
Ms. White has received the Governors Small
Business Award (GA) and has been listed as one of the most powerful and
influential women in Atlanta business on the 100’s List of Women Looking
Ahead. Socially conscious, she is active in the Atlanta community,
contributing to homeless and impoverished causes.
Ms. White’s undergraduate degree – BBA cum
laude comes from Howard University, while her graduate degree in business
was received from Harvard Business School.
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