January 23, 2007    
Linda Sparks
Or Kina Cleveland
615.963.5331

BlackRock executive to open Honors Week at Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University’s Honors Program will kick off Honors Week (Feb. 11-16) with its Inaugural Student Leadership Conference Feb. 9-10. The conference theme is “21st Century Global Leadership: Vision, Strategy, & Execution.”

 The keynote speaker for Friday, February 9, will be 1967 Tennessee State University and 1972 Harvard Business School graduate Obie McKenzie, who will speak on his experience as a managing director for BlackRock, Inc., a provider of global investment management, risk management, and advisory services to institutional and retail clients. Assets under BlackRock’s management exceeded $1 trillion in 2006.

 Young alumni representing PricewaterhouseCoopers, Boeing, Caterpillar, and other Fortune 500 companies will conduct a morning panel discussion on Saturday, Feb. 10, and professional speaker, author, entertainer, and television personality Delatorro McNeal will close the conference with a presentation Saturday evening. McNeal is CEO and president of  Delatorro Worldwide Empowerment and was recently named “One of the Top 30 Under 30” by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

 After the leadership conference, Honors Week will begin Sunday, February 11, and end Feb. 16. This year’s theme is “A Different World.” Activities include a gospel extravaganza, seminars, and a formal ball. 
 
 There is a $75.00 registration fee for students attending the conference.
 
 For times and locations of conference events, call Tennessee State University Honors Program associate director Williams Latham at 615-963-5731 or 615-445-5856.