The Urban Financial Service Coalition - “Welcome to Minneapolis Event,” Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at Babalu Restaurant
On Wednesday, June 18, 2008 the Urban Financial Services Coalition will hold their “Minneapolis Sound Purple Party” hospitality welcoming event at Babalu Restaurant located at 800 Washington Avenue North – starting at 8:30 p.m.; This event sponsored by M & I Bank-Milwaukee/Minneapolis, BMA (Black Music America), the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Newspaper, Babalu Restaurant, Minneapolis Black Professionals and Twin City Business. This event will feature some of the best in music created and grown in the Twin Cities from the style book of the famous, “Odell Rockwell”, Minneapolis’ most comprehensive Old School and Minneapolis Sound Music Entertainer.
This is your chance to come out and meet the 100 most important people in the Financial Service Industry who shape the future of Banking. There is no cover for this event. There will be food and beverage specials and a chance for you to network and shake your pants! (Cameo)
Consider this your personal invite to join us on this coming Wednesday, June 20, 2008 at Babalu Restaurant for the Urban Financial Services Coalition “Minneapolis Sound Purple Party” hospitality welcoming event.
Why is the UFSC in Minneapolis?
Answer: The Urban Financial Services Coalition is holding their 34th Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN, from June 18th -22nd. The conference will bring together hundreds of members of the nation’s preeminent organization for minority professionals in the financial services industry.
This year’s conference – the organization’s 34th annual session – will take aim squarely at that old fact of professional life that who you know matters as much as what you know, with an exciting program entitled “Destination Success: Powering Our Network for Optimal Performance.” The conference schedule reflects the uniqueness of the Urban Financial Services Coalition’s mission, as it connects individuals ranging from the top executives in town for the conference’s CEO Symposium to the talented young people of color attending the Mark 1 Emerging Leaders Program and the Diversity Career Expo.
Formerly known as the National Association of Urban Bankers, the organization has grown tremendously since it was founded in 1974. It now encompasses 21 professional chapters and two student chapters all around the country, organized into five regions, plus a chapter in Toronto. The Urban Financial Services Coalition benefits the entire financial services industry as well as the individuals who get involved.
Longtime members like Michelle Rooks, Vice President, Business Development, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, and president of the Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter, speak glowingly about the value the UFSC has brought to their careers. “As a founding member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter, the Urban Financial Services Coalition has given me a valuable networking platform, one that I have successfully leveraged to expand my business-to-business relationships and identify opportunities for career advancement,” she said.
The value of the Urban Financial Services Coalition’s contributions to the financial services industry can be seen in the list of conference sponsors, which include JPMorgan Chase as the title sponsor, Citi, RBC Dain Rauscher, US Bank, SunTrust Bank, Robert Half International, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Target. These companies’ involvement also signifies the importance of building a workforce that is truly reflective of the country’s increasingly multi-cultural population.
“Thanks to this critical support by JPMorgan Chase, the UFSC is able to fulfill our mission to ensure the full and equitable participation of people of color at all levels in the financial services industry,” says Urban Financial Services Coalition President L. Diane Evans. Evans is the Diversity Officer at Treasury & Securities Services, JPMorgan Chase.
- All men are encouraged to attend a special Prostate Awareness and Education Day featuring the first African-American Vice President of a major bank in the USA, former president of the UFSC and prostate survivor Mr. Bob Samuels on Friday, June 20 from 4:30pm to 6pm at the Minneapolis Urban League, located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North, for more information call (612) 986-0010.
To see a list of events including the Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, June 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with Political Strategist Donna Brazile, MUL President Clarence Hightower, House Representative Willie Dominguez and other events go to the UFSC website at www.ufscnet.org or call Twin City Business at 612-986-0010.
Twin Cities Black Journalists “FUNK JAM” - Friday, May 16
It’s time to “shake your groove-thang” to help raise scholarship dollars for African-American students and students of color interested in pursuing a post-secondary education in journalism.
Mark your calendar to attend the Twin Cities Black Journalists FUNK JAM, Friday, May 16 at the Zuhrah Shrine Center, 2540 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis. Pay $15 in advance and dance from 8 pm—1 am to old school, hip-hop, funk and slow jams. “We are quite proud of our track record for helping African-American students with scholarships that lead into the journalism profession,” said Duchesne Drew, president of the TCBJ chapter. “Every dollar we raise will go directly toward a student’s education.” TCBJ awarded more than $10,000 in scholarships to journalism students between 2004 and 2007, and awarded thousands of dollars more during the years prior. TCBJ scholarship recipients have attended Carleton College, Northfield, MN; Minnesota State University-Mankato, Mankato, MN; University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Macalester College, St. Paul, MN; and Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL; and University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
Tickets to FUNK JAM must be purchased in advance. Contact Duchesne Drew at (612) 673-7111, or Dee DePass (612) 673-7725.
