Conference Information
General Conference information | Conference Schedule | Program Participants
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General Conference Information

Date:	Tuesday, February 19 – Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Location:	Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) East Meeting Rooms – 3rd Floor 2101 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. Birmingham, AL 35203
Cost:	Full Conference Registration:       $125.00 Early Bird Registration:          . $75.00 (Deadline – February 1, 2008)

Conference Schedule

Date / Location	Time	Event
Monday, February 18, 2008 Innovation Depot 1500 1st Avenue North Birmingham, AL 35203	5:30 – 6:30 PM	Young Professionals Reception Kick off event with conference organizers and local young professionals.  This reception features food, fun great networking opportunities and information about upcoming conference activities.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) East Meeting Rooms – 3rd Floor 2101 Richard Arrington, Jr. Birmingham, AL 35203	5:00 – 5:45 PM	Honoree Reception Past and present A.G. Gaston award recipients are honored at a reception preceding the conference’s opening program and panel discussion.
	6:00 – 7:30 PM	Panel Discussion Focus on Empowerment Through Community Development
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) East Meeting Rooms – 3rd Floor 2101 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. Birmingham, AL 35203	8:00 AM – 12:30 PM	Registration
	9:30 – 10:15 AM	Presentation of 2008 White Paper “The Role of the Church in Community Economic Development”.
	10:30 – 11:30 AM	General Session with Dr. Floyd Flake
	12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM	Luncheon & Presentation of Conference Awards Featured Speaker – Mr. Michael V. Roberts

 

Program Participants
This year’s A.G. Gaston Conference Theme is “Economic Empowerment Through Community Collaboration”, and several key participants have been identified. 


The Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake is the senior pastor of the 20,000 plus member Greater Allen A.M.E Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens, and President of Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Under his 31-year pastorate, the church's annual operating budget has grown to $34 million. It has expansive commercial and residential developments, a 750-student private school, and various commercial and social service enterprises. It is also one of Queens’ largest private-sector employers. Allen A.M.E.’s achievements have made it a national paradigm of faith-based development for public/private partnerships, education and economics.
Rev. Flake also served 11 years as a U.S. Representative. He helped create provisions of the Bank Enterprise Act that provided incentives for financial institutions to make market-oriented commercial and residential investments in destabilized urban and rural economies.

He is the author of a best-selling book, “The Way of the Bootstrapper: Nine Action Steps for Achieving Your Dreams,” and other titles.  

 

 

Michael V. Roberts is the Chairman and CEO of The Roberts Companies, a $900-million empire of more than 60 businesses, from real estate, to hotels, to radio and television broadcasting. Roberts, with his brother Steven (the company’s President and COO) established the business, building in inner-city St. Louis, MO, at a time when few would. Through his experiences as a City Alderman and business owner, Roberts developed a broad range of professional knowledge that encompasses innovative financing strategies to fund large projects, public/private partnerships negotiation strategies, and successful management principles for urban commercial properties.

Born to hard-working parents, Roberts is the classic American entrepreneur: he attended public schools, and worked his way through college and law school to become one of the country’s leading capitalists. Roberts maintains a strong commitment to create jobs and other economic opportunities within the African-American community from which he came.

He is the author of “Action Has No Season: Strategies and Secrets To Gaining Wealth and Authority.”  

 

Other Program Participants
Rev. Gerald Austin, Sr., Founder and CEO, The Center for Urban Missions
After a career as an engineer, Rev. Austin has dedicated his life to ministry.  Concentrating on the inner city of Birmingham, Alabama, Rev. Austin founded the New City Church, as well as The Center for Urban Missions, both of which serve downtown Birmingham and beyond.   

Janice L. Mathis, Atlanta Satellite Chief and Vice President, The Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Ms. Mathis was formerly Chief of Staff and General Counsel to Rainbow PUSH. In that role, she represented the organization in negotiations with some of the largest publicly traded companies in the country, including John Deere, General Motors and Toyota.       

Cedric D. Sparks, Sr., Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Youth Services, City of Birmingham
Mr. Sparks serves as the Program Facilitator of Project Corporate Leadership, a program sponsored by the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce.  Mr. Sparks also serves as Chairman of the Western Area YMCA Board of Directors and President of 100 Black Men - Birmingham Chapter, which recognized him as its 2007 Mentor of the Year.