Posted: February 17, 2012

John E. Saunders III, NFBPA executive director

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

In April, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators will bring its annual conference to Hampton Roads for the first time.

The organization, whose mission is to bolster the number of blacks in high-level public administration positions, is holding its national conference at the Virginia Beach Convention Center from April 21 to 24.

Group organizers said the several hundred executives who attend the national conference each year spend about $1 million in host cities.

"At least 800 high-income professionals from around the country will attend," said John E. Saunders III, NFBPA executive director. "We also think Virginia Beach is a destination in and of itself."

NFBPA, which was founded in 1983, is based in Washington, D.C. Each year its conference is held in cities where the organization has local chapters.

Last year the conference was held in Chicago, and the year before, in Greensboro, N.C. In 2009, it took place in Oakland, Calif.

Saunders said one of Virginia Beach's strong points as a host city, aside from it being a vacation destination, is that it's smaller.

"Tier 1 cities aren't always as supportive with their [convention and visitors] bureaus," he said.

In Virginia Beach, NFBPA has received personalized attention from city officials, he added.

Saunders spoke about the upcoming conference last Tuesday at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Jim Ricketts, director of the Virginia Beach CVB, and Al Hutchinson, the city's vice president of convention sales and marketing, were at the meeting.

Virginia Beach, which had bid to host the conference since around 2005, pulled out all the stops once the 2012 conference location was solidified for the Beach.

Last year, when Virginia Beach hosted a reception at the Chicago conference, the CVB worked to make a good impression.

"They brought their own chef who served shrimp and grits," Saunders said. "The reception is an opportunity to promote [next year's] host city with literature, videos and in a variety of other ways."

Virginia Beach's showcase was a big hit at the Chicago conference, he said.

NFBPA expects to book more than 2,000 room nights for the conference.

This year, officials from Atlanta, the 2013 host city, will host a reception at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art at 2200 Parks Ave. in Virginia Beach.

Events will also be held at the Jewish Mother in Norfolk, the Virginia Beach Town Center and the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront hotel.

Professional development workshops, awards ceremonies, and a mentor graduation ceremony and brunch are some of the events scheduled for the four-day conference.

V. Toni Adams, a 2012 conference chair for NFBPA, said that, in addition to the workshop and training events, a major benefit of the conference is the opportunity to meet other black executives.

"Quite frankly, it's an opportunity to network," Adams said. "Many of us have found new jobs through [NFBPA]."

Deborah Morton, the assistant director for Norfolk's Department of Recreation, Parks and Open Space, is an NFBPA member who networked to a next position.

Morton, who is on the NFBPA board of directors, was at the meeting, where she said she was recruited by Norfolk several years ago to work in her current position.

At the time, she worked in Richmond and came across the job opportunity through her involvement with NFBPA.

Another local leader affiliated with the organization is former Norfolk City Manager Regina V. K. Williams. She is one of the original founding members of NFBPA, and served as its president from 1995 to 1996.

On April 21, there will be a free event open to the public at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

The public policy forum will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Speakers will talk about the financial aspects of municipality management - balancing budgets without making severe cuts to spending.

Chesapeake City Manager William Harrell, who is leaving his position March 31 to be the new CEO and president of the Hampton Roads Transit, will moderate the forum, "The Balanced-Budget Debate: Past Sins, Present Sacrifices and Future Standards."

During the conference, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will speak during an ethics workshop about his own "fall from grace" and how to avoid ethical pitfalls, Saunders said.

The workshop, "Surrendered: A Conversation with Kwame Kilpatrick," is open only to registered NFBPA members. nib