The Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) chapter at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas, recently attended the 2012 National Leadership Conference (NLC) in San Antonio, Texas. Seven chapter members and chapter advisers Sheryl Edwards and Traci Hughes attended the four-day conference, which included numerous leadership workshops, national competitive events, and national officer elections. Members included: Kelly Birchfield from Camden, Heather Black from Norman, Tommy Clark from Magnet Cove, Megan Maye from Hatfield, Vincent Oliver from Bentonville, Kristen Temple from Mount Holly, and Amanda Watson from Emerson.
At the 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 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.
Tommy Clark, a senior business education major who will graduate in December, placed tenth in impromptu speaking. Clark also compiled and submitted the Chapter’s National first place Local Chapter Annual Business Report. The chapter received a $500 cash prize for the national win.
Recent SAU PBL Alum, Cecilie Lane from Kingsland, received recognition as Arkansas representative in the National Who’s Who in Phi Beta Lambda. Lane graduated in May from SAU with a degree in Accounting and currently resides in Temple, Texas.
Amanda Watson was recognized for completing the Presidential level of Chapter Member Achievement Program (CMAP). The Presidential level is the third and final level of the recognition program. Watson is a senior Accounting major and will be graduating in December.
In total the Arkansas PBL delegation brought home over thirty national awards and is the proud home of the 2012-2013 PBL National Treasurer, Bret Harris a student at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.
SAU PBL Chapter Adviser Traci Hughes was appointed to serve a three-year term on the FBLA-PBL National Awards Program (NAP) Committee. The NAP committee oversees all competitive events from FBLA and PBL.
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) 235-4300.
