We would like to invite you and your company to become a Partner/Sponsor of our historic initiatives. Further details of this historic program and the significant levels of benefits that your company will receive from such participation are outlined in the PDF below. Also take the time out and check out our current list of proud Partners and Sponsors.

Partnership and Sponsorship Package

LIST OF CURRENT PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

AirTran Airways, Inc. provides air transportation service primarily in the eastern United States AirTran Airways, Inc. provides basic air transportation with a simplified reservation systems and check in procedure. It operates 75 aircrafts making approximately a total of 436 flights per day serving 60 communities in 21 states. The schedules are designed to provide service and connections for the business and leisure travelers and to facilitate connections for the passengers traveling through Atlanta. The Group offers a range of fares based on advance purchases of fourteen days, seven days, three days and walk-up fares.

The BB&T Corporation is one of America's largest banks, offering full-service commercial and retail banking services along with other financial services like insurance, investments, retail brokerage, mortgage, corporate finance, consumer finance, payment services, international banking, leasing and trust. Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with $136.5 billion in assets (as of September 2008), BB&T operates more than 1,500 financial centers in the U.S. South, throughout the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Indiana, and in Washington, D.C.. BB&T claims to be a mission-driven organization with a clearly defined set of values. The "BB&T" acronym stands for "Branch Banking and Trust."

BET, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. is the nation’s leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET network reaches more than 80 million households according to Nelson Media Research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, BET Digital Networks - BET Jazz, BET Gospel, and BET Hip Hop, and BET Event Production.

Bentley University is one of the nation's leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of Business leader and one with the deep technical skills, the broad global perspective and the high ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. To achieve this goal, Bentley infuses their advanced business curriculum with the richness of a liberal arts education.

Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing also operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, and provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries. Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing employs more than 150,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries.

ConAgra Foods makes many leading brands, including: Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, and Banquet, among others. Our consumer brands are found in 97% of U.S. households and 24 are ranked first or second in their category. ConAgra Foods also has a very significant presence in commercial food products and is one of the nation’s leading specialty potato providers to restaurants and other foodservice establishments.

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education stands alone as the only source of critical news, information and insightful commentary on the full range of issues concerning diversity in American higher education. Diverse began writing about diversity in higher education long before diversity and multiculturalism became a “hot button” issue. Today, the mission is to provide information that is honest, thorough and balanced. Diverse is the only newsmagazine focusing on matters of access and opportunity for all in higher education. Its unparalleled coverage of such bread and butter issues as tenure, salary, faculty, student body, recruitment, retention and access and equity earned.

Excelsior College founded as Regents College in 1971 and chartered as a private, nonprofit institution in 1998, the College was renamed Excelsior College in 2001. Excelsior College is an accredited, recognized leader in removing obstacles to the educational goals of the adult learner. We provide efficient and affordable access to higher education through multiple avenues to degree completion.

Freedom Forum

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. With revenues of more than $5 billion, Hershey offers such iconic brands as HERSHEY'S, REESE'S, HERSHEY'S KISSES, KIT KAT, TWIZZLERS and ICE BREAKERS as well as the smooth, creamy indulgence of HERSHEY'S BLISS chocolates. Hershey is a leader in the fast-growing dark and premium chocolate segment, with such brands as HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK and HERSHEY'S EXTRA DARK. In addition, Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company, markets such premium chocolate offerings as SCHARFFEN BERGER and DAGOBA. For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and do business. Please visit us at www.thehersheycompany.com.

H. J. Russell & Co.

Harland Clarke was formed in 2007 by combining the products and services of Clarke American Corp. and the printed products segment of John H. Harland Company. Harland Clarke offers an expanded suite of direct marketing services, delivery and anti-fraud products, contact center services and checks and check-related products to the financial institution market, including banks, credit unions, thrifts, and securities firms. Harland Clarke is a leading provider to financial and commercial institutions as well as individual consumers and small businesses. The business subsidiaries and brands making up Harland Clarke include: Alcott Routon, B2Direct, Checks In, The Mail, Clarke American, Harland and Liberty. The company, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, has a national presence with over 16 manufacturing facilities and 11 customer service centers. M & F Worldwide Corp. is the indirect parent to Harland Clarke.

Hightowers Petroleum Co (HPC) is a full service petroleum distributor fueling petroleum needs for businesses, public entities and industries across the nation. We specialize in delivering creative solutions to meet the diverse fueling needs of our customers such as General Motors, The Ford Motor Company, Duke Energy & Waste Management, just to name a few. Welcome to our site where you will learn about how our complete line of fluid management services can add value to your business.

Launch Coast Services, Inc.

Launch Coast Services, Inc. is a janitorial services firm created in 1995 by G.J. Davis. It now conducts $5 million in business annually, with such clients as LCSI, C & P Telephone Company, Potomac Electric Power Company, Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral air Force Base among others.

McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 31,000 local restaurants serving more than 58 million people in 118 countries each day. More than 75% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women. We serve the world some of its favorite foods - World Famous Fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin.

Minority Entrepreneurship Education, Inc. (MEE)

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. On January 7, 2009, Northrop Grumman announced several structural actions that include streamlining its organizational structure, reducing the number of sectors from seven to five. The five sectors will be Aerospace Systems; Electronic Systems; Information Systems; Shipbuilding; and Technical Services.

OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to-business office products solutions and retail office products. The OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress™, technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 35,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more than 900 stores. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through schools, universities, government laboratories, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. It provides technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy and works with industry to improve technology manufacturing processes.

Radio One was founded in 1980 and is the Eighth largest radio broadcasting company in the United States and the largest radio broadcasting company in the United States primarily targeting African-Americans. Radio One, Inc. is led by our Chairperson and Founder, Catherine L. Hughes, and her son, Alfred C. Liggins, III. The market portfolio includes stations in Atlanta, Augusta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

SAIC is a leading systems, solutions and technical services company. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) was founded in 1969 by J. Robert Beyster, Ph. D., and a small group of scientists. With approximately 44,000 employees in more than 150 cities worldwide, SAIC engineers and scientists solve complex technical challenges requiring innovative solutions for customers' mission-critical functions. For us, success depends on bringing people together to solve some of the toughest problems facing our nation and the world. The SAIC family of companies is committed to delivering superior performance and technology to our clients

Our founder's philosophy of insurance coverage at a fair price, coupled with fair claim settlement, remains the cornerstone of our success. His original vision and values still guide us. Today, State Farm insures more cars than any other insurer in North America. We are the leading U.S. home insurer. More than 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million policies in the United States and Canada. We also provide our customers with a wide array of financial products and services to help them manage today and prepare for tomorrow including Property and Casualty insurance, Life and Health insurance, Annuities, Mutual Funds and Banking products.

SYNDICATED COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Established in 1977, Syndicated Communications, inc. combines more than two decades of entrepreneurial spirit and venture capital management experience in providing early stage growth capital to minority entrepreneurs and/or under-served market sectors. SYNCOM is also committed to creating and growing significant companies that produce a meaningful positive economic impact within the minority community.

Turning Technologies founded in 2002, It is currently the global leader of audience response. Developing its own software and designing its hardware with its customers polling and reporting needs in mind, they offer an assortment of easy to use polling software and response devices. More than half of all U.S. colleges and universities use Turning Technologies' response solutions on campus, and recognizable organizations like Hewlett Packard, Johnson & Johnson and the McDonald's Corporation take advantage of our polling solutions in a variety of formats from internal decision making to high-stakes events.

TrustHouse Services Group is the holding company for a group of regional foodservice businesses specializing in the provision of on-site contract foodservices primarily in the Healthcare and Educational sectors. Their regional companies provide services at over 300 client locations in Florida, the north-east, mid-Atlantic, and mid-Western States, serving over 75,000 meals every day.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), with $1.2 trillion in total assets as of December 31, 2009, is the fourth largest bank holding company in the United States.[1] Wells Fargo & Company is best classified as a diversified financial services company, and with over 80 distinct businesses, Wells Fargo offers a full range of financial products and services and targets all types of clients, from individuals to large corporations in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. During 2009, Wells Fargo posted a $12.3 billion net income on total revenues of $99 billion.

The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel is a 73-floor landmark located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. This Atlanta hotel offers deluxe amenities and dramatic city views with luxurious guest rooms, featuring Westin's Heavenly Bed® & Heavenly Bath®. Enjoy delectable cuisine at the Sun Dial Restaurant, our signature revolving rooftop restaurant and experience "Atlanta's Best View of Atlanta."