Front Row left to right: Valerie Smith, Lauren Mitchell, Cecilie Lane, and Brittany Holleman. Back Row left to right: Adam Choate, Derek Fletcher, Amanda Watson, Deana Hughes, and Tommy Clark
MAGNOLIA – The Phi Beta Lambda chapter at Southern Arkansas University recently attended the 2011 National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., where it was recognized as a National Outstanding Chapter.
Eleven chapter members and adviser Traci Hughes attended the four day conference, which included numerous leadership workshops, national competitive events, and national officer elections. Members attending included: Adam Choate and Valerie Smith from El Dorado; Kayla Samples, Amanda Watson and Hannah Harrington from Emerson; Deana Hughes from Arkadelphia; Brittany Holleman from Prescott; Tommy Clark from Malvern; Lauren Mitchell from Camden; Cecilie Lane from Kingsland and Derek Fletcher from Magnolia.
At NLC, PBL members are given the opportunity to compete in 50 different events representing a wide range of activities and the business and leadership development focus of FBLA-PBL. The winners of these highly competitive and prestigious awards are selected from among FBLA-PBL’s membership of over 250,000 students and advisers and represent some of the best and brightest students across the nation.
SAU-PBL’s Free Enterprise project placed sixth in national competition. The project report was written and presented by Valerie Smith, a junior accounting major from El Dorado. Smith also serves as the Arkansas PBL executive vice president of members and was recognized for her service on the PBL Southern Region Action Council.
Adam Choate, a MIS graduate from El Dorado, placed sixth in Strategic Analysis and Decision Making.
SAU PBL’s parliamentary procedure team placed fifth in national competition. The team members were Brittany Holleman, a senior MIS major from Prescott; Cecilie Lane, a junior accounting major from Kingsland; Kayla Samples, a freshman agriculture education major from Emerson; and Hannah Harrington, a junior agricultural science and chemistry major from Emerson.
Tommy Clark, a senior management and finance double major from Malvern, led the Arkansas delegation as the 2011-2012 Arkansas PBL state president. In total the Arkansas PBL delegation brought home 35 national awards.
Future Business Leaders of America – Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. (FBLA-PBL) is the national business education association that prepares students for their future careers. Its members, belonging to more than 6,000 chartered chapters, include students from the United States, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Phi Beta Lambda is the post-secondary division of Future Business Leaders of America. PBL members rely on corporate sponsorship, donations, and fundraisers to cover the expense of attending the National Leadership Conference. Membership is open to all interested students.
For more information about PBL contact the SAU-PBL chapter at (870) 235-4298.
