Alabama State University News January 6, 2012 Second Annual ASU HBCU Conference to be Held in March Entrepreneurship experts from around the country will converge on Alabama State University's campus in March for the second annual ASU HBCU Conference. Organizers are hard at work on the second annual Alabama State University HBCU Conference slated to be held at ASU March 5-7. More than 300 higher education professionals, alumni, entrepreneurs and government officials are expected to attend this year's conference, which seeks to build economic partnerships with HBCUs and their surrounding communities throughout the U.S. The theme of this year's conference is "Entrepreneurship: Transforming Education, Government and Industry." "The conference is geared for not just the higher education community, but also for government officials, small businesses, corporations, federal, state and local agencies to learn how to work with the different constituents to improve economic development in regions nationwide by using HBCU resources," said Deborah Scott Thomas, ASU alumna and president of Data Solutions & Technology Incorporated (DST). Thomas said the goals of the conference are to offer attendees an opportunity to learn about business development, entrepreneurship, grants, contracting and fellowships. "The HBCU entrepreneurship conference brings together industry, government and education," Thomas said. "Conference participants have an opportunity to develop relationships and partnerships that can help them be successful in their undertakings." The conference also will place a special focus on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. "Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are where a lot of funding is available and one of the places America feels will help give us a competitive edge to help keep us a global leader," Thomas said. The conference will feature several keynote speakers and panelists who possess a wealth of experience in leadership, private enterprise, economic development and education innovation. Some include: Linda Y. Cureton - chief information officer (CIO) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Malcolm Jackson - EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Environmental Information and Chief Information Officer. Senora Coggs - senior policy advisor for the Policy and Evaluation Division, Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Commerce Willie J. Gripper, Jr. - director for the Joint Security and Hazardous Materials Safety Office-East for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Michael Hudson - Motivational Speaker, Financial Coach, Entrepreneurial Coach, Executive Business Coach, Sales Coach, Speaking Coach and CEO of Money Talks International. Anthony V. Junior - program office director at the Department of the Navy's Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions. Calvin R. Stamps - founder, managing partner and portfolio manager of Bretwood Captital Partners LLC. To register and see the full conference agenda, including a complete list of participating speakers and panelists, visit www.asu-hbcu.org. For general inquiries contact Tammi L. Thomas at 240-487-1479 or email: tthomas@dstincorporated.com. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.