Bennett College for Women News March 8, 2012 CONTACT: WANDA MOBLEY - 2012 336-517-2267 Bennett College to host 2012 Women's Leadership Conference Honoring Distinguished National, State & Local Leaders Bennett College will convene its 4th Annual Women's Leadership Conference, "Women Entrepreneurs in a Global Economy: A Driving Economic Force," on Thursday, March 29, 2012 at the Grandover Conference Center, 1000 Club Road in Greensboro, NC. The event will bring together corporate, small business and community leaders, along with faculty and students from across the Southeast to celebrate excellence in leadership and encourage the pursuit of entrepreneurship with sessions on the issues and challenges women face as aspiring entrepreneurs. Dr. Avis A. Jones-DeWeever, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), will keynote the conference's Heights of Excellence Scholarship Luncheon at 12:00 noon on March 29th. During the luncheon, the 2012 Women Leaders of the Year will be recognized. The honorees are: Leader of the Year-North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue; Trailblazer of the Year-Cathy Hughes, TV One; Minority Entrepreneurs of the Year-Stephanie Tyson and Vivian Joiner, owners, Sweet Potatoes; Entrepreneur of the Year-Betty Cone, Grassroots Productions and Past Chair of DGI; and Bennett Belle Entrepreneur of the Year-Dr. Veita Bland '74 The luncheon raises scholarship dollars for the Heights of Excellence Scholarship, the College's presidential award which annually funds full scholarships for students and is named for the renowned civil rights activist and founder of NCNW, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. NCNW is the nation's oldest organization dedicated to the advancement of both civil rights and women's rights and has influenced the lives of more than four million women of African descent within the United States and around the world. Dr. Jones-DeWeever is an accomplished writer, scholar and public speaker, having held leadership positions with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the Institute for Women's Policy Research and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She is a highly-sought commentator for her views on race and gender in the American economy; poverty in urban communities; inequality of educational and economic opportunity; and issues of privilege, power and policy in the United States which are heard on CNN, PBS, BET News, Voice of America, and Canadian Television News. Registration for the Conference and the Heights of Excellence Scholarship Luncheon is $75 per person inclusive. For more information about attending these events, please contact Cynthia Clemons, director of entrepreneurship studies, at 336-517-2326 or log onto www.cesatbennett.com<http://www.cesatbennett.com>. Bennett College is a private four year liberal arts college for women affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It is the only historically African American college for women in North Carolina and is one of two in the country. Founded in 1873, the College held its first sessions in the basement of Warnersville Methodist Episcopal Church, now known as St. Matthews United Methodist Church in Greensboro, NC. The college was founded through the inspiration of newly emancipated slaves who purchased the land on which the College now stands. In 1889, Bennett Seminary was chartered as Bennett College. It is the College's intention to help young women discover their purpose, embrace their dreams and possibilities, and move forward, with distinction, into our ever-changing world. And it is our intention to create a space that is safe, wholesome, nurturing and sisterly, an oasis in our rapidly changing society. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 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. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.