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Meet the Leadership Team

BRUCE E. THOMPSON
INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO

Bruce E. Thompson has been appointed Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Black MBA Association®. He is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of wide-ranging, high impact experience. His C-suite background includes serving as President of Hospitality Development Company, a hotel development, operating and ownership group; Chief Separation Officer at Arconic, with responsibility for leading the successful separation of a $14 billion company into two $7 billion companies; and Chief Financial Officer of VITEC LLC, a Tier One automotive supplier.

Bruce previously held the global role of Vice President – Internal Audit for Alcoa and its successor company, Arconic. He also served as Vice President – Business Analysis and Planning for Alcoa and in the global role of Vice President of Finance in the Building Efficiency group of Johnson Controls. He has led Finance organizations at Ford Motor Company and also has leadership experience in accounting, internal audit, SOX compliance, treasury, information systems, marketing, strategic planning, acquisition integration, project management, business separation and manufacturing operations.

Bruce served for three years as NBMBAA’s Board Chairman. In this role, he led development of a transformational five-year strategic plan, oversaw double-digit growth in assets, membership and scholarships, and helped to ensure the Association’s ongoing viability by driving achievement of fundraising targets, and improving financial oversight and controls. In addition to serving for nine years as a board member, Bruce led the board’s Audit and Advancement & Development committees. Earlier in his NBMBAA® career, he held roles as Detroit Chapter President, Vice President and Treasurer as well as National Conference Co-Chair.

Bruce was a member of the Board of Directors of Arconic Foundation, a $320 million grantmaking organization where he was responsible for approval of major grants focused on STEM education. He also served on the Board of Directors of Iconics, a leading industrial automation technology company, and as Treasurer and a board member of CTK Credit Union.

A tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion, Bruce served as Steering Committee Chairman of the Alcoa/Arconic African Heritage Network and implemented programs that improved recruitment, retention and advancement of diverse employees. In addition, he played an active role in recruiting and student development as Campus Executive for Howard University. A champion of entrepreneurship, Bruce taught a graduate-level Entrepreneurial Finance course at Wayne State University. His civic and charitable involvement includes community and church volunteer work as well as sponsorship and fundraising for minority student programs, educational and cultural institutions, and scholarships.

A native Detroiter, Bruce holds an MBA from Stanford, an MPA from Princeton, and a BA from Howard University. He is the proud father of Ashlynn and husband of Veronica, an NBMBAA® lifetime member.

ABIOLA BANKOLE
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Abiola Bankole serves as the NBMBAA’s Chief Financial Officer, where her primary responsibilities are strategy and financial and operational management.  As a member of the senior leadership team, Abiola provides recommendations to the President based on financial analysis and projections, cost identification and allocation, and revenue/expense analysis.  She oversees long-term budgetary planning and cost management in alignment with NBMBAA’s strategic plan and engages the Director of Development to align financial management with short- and long-term financial planning and projections.  In this role, Abiola oversees the implementation of budgets, and oversees the preparation of financial reporting materials and metrics for funding and the National Black MBA Association® board of directors; preparing and communicating monthly and annual financial statements and related reports and analysis. She also engages the board finance committee around issues, trends, and changes in the operating model and revenue/cost structure.

Read Abiola’s Full Bio

Paula Fontana
Vice President, Strategic Programming Initiatives

As Vice President of Strategic Program Initiatives, Paula Fontana’s 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 our membership. Paula works to ensure that all programming is in accordance with the mission and goals of the NBMBAA®, which includes new initiatives to support the strategic direction of the organization.  To achieve successful outcomes of programming, Paula develops and implements long-term goals and objectives as well as establishing an evaluation framework to assess the strengths of the program and to identify areas for improvement.

Read Paula’s Full Bio

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®