NSHMBA Chapters for Orange County & Los Angeles Partner for LEAD SoCal 2006 Conference

The Leadership, Education and Diversity Conference (LEAD) Offers Professional Development, MBA Info Session, Career Development and Networking Opportunities

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23 -- The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) Orange County and Los Angeles County Chapters are proud to co-sponsor the LEAD Southern California 2006 event hosted by Toyota at Toyota North America headquarters on Sept. 9, 2006. The LEAD SoCal event is a noted professional development and career enhancement program, focusing on promoting Leadership, Education and Diversity. The event features professional and personal development workshops, presentations by innovative speakers and a career expo.

Industry Veterans from organizations such as Toyota, Pepsi Cola Inc., Verizon Wireless, State Farm, Countrywide, Mendoza Berger & Company, LLP, Greenhouse Marketing Group, iHispanic Marketing Group, Conexion, Razer Games and Aflac will address a range of topics from leadership, finance, and strategic marketing tactics during professional workshops. Personal Development firms like Potential Quest, In2:InThinking Network, barro global search, and Bootcamp for your Mind will be attending the LEAD SoCal 2006 to provide insights for personal and career developments.

Additionally, the MBA workshop at LEAD SoCal 2006 will provide tools to obtain an MBA and define career paths with the broadest spectrum of career/industry coverage. Renowned panelists from Pepperdine, UCLA, USC, Cornell University, Kaplan, Citigroup and The Consortium will be at the LEAD SoCal 2006 to address questions as well as offer strategies to pursue and finance an MBA. Attendees will have the chance to meet with local area companies who actively seek diverse talent during the career expo. Participants include Toyota, Yum! Brands, Inc., Union Bank of California, Domar Group, State Farm, Southwest Airlines and State Farm Insurance and many more!

"The LEAD event is designed to serve the business community in Southern California," says Carolina Toro, Los Angeles chapter president of National Society of Hispanic MBAs. "The event provides talented and diverse professionals with the possibility to network with organizations and companies that provide challenges and growth opportunities to help them develop as leaders."

Marcelo Espinosa, Orange County chapter president of National Hispanic Society of MBAs adds, "LEAD also provides prospects for graduate programs in business management at top-tier universities such as Carnegie Mellon University, Emory University and University of Southern California for individuals who wish to learn the technical and soft skills to succeed. And of course, the event offers businesses the chance to connect with talented professionals."

  Time:           8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  Date:           Sept. 9, 2006
  Place:          Toyota Motor Sales, USA (South Campus)
                  19001 South Western Avenue
                  Torrance, CA  90501
  Registration:   http://www.leadsocal.com/register.html
  Type of Event:  Professional Development/Education and Career Fair
  Cost:           NSHMBA Members: Early Bird Registration (ends Aug 26th)
                  $15, Onsite $30 Non-members: Early Bird Registration
                  (ends Aug 26th) $20 , On-site $45.
                  Career fair is $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

LEAD corporate event sponsors include: Toyota, Yum! Brands, Inc., Union Bank of California, Southwest Airlines, State Farm Insurance, Aflac, Verizon Wireless, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, The Consortium and Nestle. Education sponsors include Pepperdine University, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC), Webster University and Keller Graduate School. The following universities are represented through the Consortium: Carnegie Mellon University, Dartmouth College, Emory University, Indiana University-Bloomington, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, New York University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, University of Virginia, Washington University in Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California Los Angeles and Pepperdine University.

About NSHMBA -- "The Premier Hispanic Business Association"

The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) was created in 1988 as a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. There are currently 30 chapters throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. NSHMBA's mission is to foster Hispanic leadership through graduate management education and professional development. The society works to prepare Hispanics for leadership positions throughout the U.S., so that they can provide the cultural awareness and sensitivity vital in the management of the nation's diverse workforce. For further information about NSHMBA, visit the organization's Web site at www.nshmba.org.

About Toyota

Toyota established operations in North America in 1957 and will operate 15 manufacturing plants in North America by 2008. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sell more than 2.5 million vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs over 38,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $16.8 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $28 billion. According to a 2005 Center for Automotive Research study, Toyota, along with its dealers and suppliers, has generated nearly 400,000 U.S. jobs, including jobs created through spending by direct, dealer and supplier employees.