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Meet the Leadership Team


H. Beecher Hicks III President/CEO

H. Beecher Hicks III
President/CEO

H. Beecher Hicks III is an accomplished executive with a background as an investment banker, private equity investor, working in the executive branch of government, and as an entrepreneur. A lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), Henry will assume the President and CEO role in October 2023.

Most recently he served as the President and CEO of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) since 2013. During his tenure at NMAAM he completed a $60mm capital campaign, facilitated the museum design and construction, introduced public and school programming, and opened the iconic institution in January 2021, in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic.

Henry earned a bachelor of arts degree in marketing from Morehouse College and earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He is a sought-after public speaker and writer, anticipating that his first book, Power in the Name, a story of family legacy, will be published in 2024.

Henry is husband to Crystal, a gifted elementary school teacher, and proud father to two grown sons.

Paula Fontana
VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC PROGRAMMING INITIATIVES

National Black MBA Association®

Paula’s commitment to understanding member needs and creating initiatives and programming to fill those needs, intertwined with her passion for impacting and enriching lives provides the platform to make an impactful difference in serving National Black MBA Association® members.

As Vice President of Strategic Programming Initiatives, Paula leads the team whose efforts are focused on the development, coordination, and implementation of new and existing programs and initiatives that help the NBMBAA® to fulfill its responsibility to members.

As a testament to her leadership and commitment to black excellence, Paula was nominated and selected to be a recipient of the 2022 BMe Vanguard award! BMe Vanguards are a collection of some of the brightest minds in fields such as business, education, public policy, culture, and social impact.

With a global mindset, Paula led the Association’s trade mission to Liberia and Ghana and currently serves on the board of the Forum on Education Abroad.

Elaine

Elaine Richardson, CMP
Vice President, Conference and Operations

In her role as Vice President, Conference and Operations, Elaine is responsible for the event strategy, design, planning, logistics and execution for NBMBAA’s in-person events. She is the chief architect of the NBMBAA® Annual Conference and Exposition, where she also manages Career Expo exhibit sales and the NBMBAA® Job Board. In her role, Elaine is also responsible for NBMBAA’s membership department, with a focus on member growth and retention strategy. She also supports NBMBAA’s overall live events portfolio, including the NBMBAA Leaders of Tomorrow®, board and other meetings.

Elaine has served as the main planner for the NBNBAA® Annual Conference and Exposition as an outsource partner since 2016, and then as a staff member since 2021. She shepherded the association through the pandemic switch and drove execution on the organization’s first fully virtual Conference in 2020, as well as its first hybrid Conference in 2021.

With more than 20 years of experience serving associations, Elaine’s relationship with NBMBAA goes back to 2007, when, as an outsource partner, she built the organization’s media strategy and led the relaunch of Black MBA Magazine. For the last 16 years, Elaine has supported NBMBAA’s events, and media/communications as a writer/editor, NBMBAA’s publisher and then as a business event strategist. She has served as a strategic advisor to the last seven organization CEOs.

Prior to joining NBMBAA full time, Elaine spent 17 years at Naylor Association Solutions, where she supported media and event needs for non-profit associations across the country, working for national association clients, including the National Association of Home Builders, Association of Old Crows, National Urban League and Intermodal Association of North America, among many others. An award-winning journalist, Elaine served as the publisher and editor of Black MBA Magazine for five years and as publisher and managing editor of the Journal of Electronic Defense for more than 10 years. She has also written for The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Southtown, Money and Print magazines.

A native of the Chicago area, Elaine received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently an MBA candidate at the Quantic School of Business and Technology. She holds a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) Designation issued by the Events Industry Council and is a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

Annual membership contract, paid in monthly installments with automatic renewal Service begins as soon as your initial payment is processed. You will be charged 1/12 of the annual membership fee at the time of purchase, every month for the duration of your annual contract. Your membership contract will renew automatically, on your annual renewal date, until you cancel your membership in writing no later than 30 days prior to your annual renewal by contacting membership support. Renewal rates are subject to change, but you will be notified at least 30 days prior to your annual renewal date if your renewal rate will change. Should you cancel before your one-year term has expired, you will be charged 100% of your remaining contract obligation and your service will continue until the end of until the end of your contracted term. Cancellations can be made any time by contacting membership support in writing. Annual prepaid membership contract, with automatic renewal Service begins as soon as your payment is processed. You will be charged, immediately in full, the annual membership fee at the time of purchase. Your contract will renew automatically, on your annual renewal date, unless you cancel your membership in writing by no later than 30 days prior to your annual renewal date by contacting membership support. Renewal rates are subject to change, but you will be notified at least 30 days prior to your annual renewal date if your renewal rate will change. Should you cancel before your one-year term has expired, your payment is non-refundable, and your service will continue until the end of your contracted term. Cancellations can be made any time by contacting membership support in writing. Activation of Membership Memberships will become active upon processing of all materials at National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) headquarters. Existing Lifetime and Associate Lifetime Members The Lifetime or Associate Lifetime membership is no longer offered. Existing Lifetime or Associate Lifetime members who have paid in full are active for the duration of his or her lifetime, from their membership activation (see activation of membership). Lifetime or Associate Lifetime members are no longer eligible for any other membership type. Student Members Student memberships are active for 12 consecutive months, beginning at activation (see activation of membership). You will be considered a student member as long as you are actively enrolled in a recognized undergraduate or graduate degree program. Your membership should be upgraded to a Professional or Associate membership upon the expiration of your current membership, subsequent to graduation. You are required to submit proof of your current enrollment. The following items will be accepted as proof of current enrollment: • Letter from the registrar acknowledging your current enrollment status • Copy of your tuition bill • Class schedule reflecting your current enrollment. Should you fail to submit proof of current enrollment within 60 days, your membership may be terminated, and your payment will not be refunded. You will then need to reapply for membership. Refund Policy The NBMBAA will only provide refunds for the following reasons: • Verified duplication of billing • Verified overcharges • Submission of incorrect member type resulting in one of the above Refunds will be provided as follows: • Credit card payments will be credited to that same credit card. • Cash and check payments will be credited by NBMBAA check after 30 days, and only after initial payment has cleared our financial institution. * Refunds will be issued only upon request of the individual. The NBMBAA will vigorously defend itself against credit card charge backs. In the event that your credit card company requests a credit for charges, we will comply only to the extent that the request meets the requirements of the refund policy. (See above). Recurring Payments If you choose a recurring payments option to automatically renew your membership, you are responsible for canceling it prior to annual recurrence to avoid charges. Once charged, your membership will not be refunded. Notice of Photography and/or Videography As a condition of membership, individuals grant the National Black MBA Association an irrevocable nonexclusive license to use their name, image, voice and likeness for the purpose of advertising and promoting NBMBAA events, activities and products without any further approval from you or payment to you. It is the NBMBAA’s right to make visual and audio recordings, and still images of its members (collectively “Photography”) and to use the Photography and member’s name. However, none of the above shall be deemed as an endorsement for any NBMBAA product or service. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, members agree that the rights granted hereunder shall include the perpetual, worldwide right of NBMBAA to edit, telecast, rerun, record, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise exploit, in any manner and in any medium or forum, whether now known or hereafter devised. Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notification. Revised: April 5, 2017. NBMBAA®