Black Professionals Collaborate On Leadership

 Cleveland - Later this month, The Consortium of African American Organizations (CAAO) will host its Annual Leadership Retreat, which will bring the regions black professionals together to discuss various levels of collaboration best practices. “The topic of collaboration has been a very hot topic in Northeast Ohio over the last five years,” says Connie Atkins, Executive Director of CAAO. “We see more and more collaborations taking place with major non-profit organizations, government entities, and entrepreneurs. Collaboration is at the core of CAAO’s mission. We want to make sure the African American community in Northeast Ohio gets an opportunity to hear from some of the leaders in the community and their experiences with being part of collaborative efforts.”

This retreat will be hosted by Dr. Marilyn Mobley of Case Western Reserve University at the Squire Valleevue Farm in Hunting Valley, Ohio. The event will be on August 21st, from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM.  

The guest speaker for this event is Congresswoman Marcia Fudge. The guest panelists include Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, Dr. Rachel Talton, owner of Synergy Marketing Strategy & Research, Inc, Bud Atkins, owner of Texcel Inc., Marsha Mockabee, Urban League of Greater Cleveland, and Alexis Clark-Amison, President of the Northern Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council. The moderator will be Ben Holbert. The retreat includes three breakouts: Nonprofit Collaborations; For Profit Alliances; and Public/Private Partnerships.


About CAAO: CAAO’s mission is to utilize the resources of Northeast Ohio African American professional organizations to promote economic development in African American communities and to enhance career and entrepreneurial opportunities for African Americans. 

CAAO’s current member organizations include BDPA – Leaders in Information Technology, Karamu House Inc, Forest City Dental Society, National Association of Black Accountants, National Black MBA Association, National Society of Black Engineers, Presidents’ Council, 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland Inc., North Coast Black Bass Anglers, the Cleveland Chapter of the National African American Speakers Association, and the Urban League of Greater Cleveland.