Our Leaders of Tomorrow

Since its inception in 1991, the NBMBAA® Leaders of Tomorrow® Program has mentored over 8,000 youth aspiring to leadership roles in professional fields.

Leaders of Tomorrow Pillars

Leaders of Tomorrow is a comprehensive programmatic approach for providing leadership development to high school students.
The program offers participants resources, knowledge, and opportunities in the way of mentoring relationships, scholarships, and internships.
The program is driven by mentoring across four developmental areas:

Leadership

Teach fundamental leadership skills and provide opportunities to practice and refine those abilities.

Financial Literacy

Instill financial responsibility with real-world examples, like setting goals, budgeting and exploring personal finance

College Prep

Prepare students for higher education by providing test prep, on-campus experiences, and open dialouge.

Career Prep

Exposes students to potential career paths by providing mentors and exposure to real-world experiences.

Participating in the Program

Leaders of Tomorrow aims to provide mentors to high school students who have leadership potential and could benefit from exposure and mentorship.
Participating in the program includes:

Monthly
Workshops

Workshops are held monthly during the school year. Speakers present and conduct workshops on career-related topics.

Community
Involvement

Students have the chance to visit local companies, participate in community service and experience different cultures.

National
Conference

Opportunity to attend the National Black MBA National Conference, the largest annual gathering of black business professionals in the world.

Scholarship
Assistance

Students will have assistance identifying and participating in case competitions to win College Scholarships.

From One Leader to Another

Mica Caine

Where could I find a place where I can be surrounded by intelligent, ambitious, high achieving black students? Living in a predominantly white school district, I thought this racial detachment was permanent, but my question was answered when I joined the National Black MBA Association Leaders of Tomorrow Program (LOT). LOT has allowed me to expand my fluency in business and professionalism in monthly workshops. I was a member of the Columbus Chapter’s Case Competition team, where we competed at Emory University June 2012. Case Competition was a challenge; the preparation required us to analyze a Harvard Business Case and find new revenue streams for Facebook. Although our team did not win, I learned how to create a SWOT analysis and the Porter’s Five Forces model. Moreover, I became a more confident speaker and discovered a deeper meaning of professionalism. A few months later, I was elected National Chief Operations of LOT at the 2012 National Annual Conference. I brought the perspective of a National Officer back to my chapter, and I spoke at many workshops to entice leaders to attend Conference and Case Competition.

This past September, I attended my second Annual Leaders of Tomorrow Conference. We heard presentations from a myriad of professionals. Valorie Burton, founder of the Coaching and Positive Psychology Institute, spoke exclusively to the young women on how living a happy life can be a consistent reality by embracing our creativity and being confident. David Nelson, Founder and CEO of the Efficacy Institute, gave us the tools on how to deal with difficult people from co-workers to superiors in a professional setting. The list goes on. It was also because of the National Black MBA Association that I was chosen, out of hundreds of leaders, to conduct and interview with Robert Johnson, the first African-American billionaire at the 2013 Annual Conference Luncheon in front of thousands. But there is one thing that made the 2013 Annual Leaders of Tomorrow Conference unforgettable. After a competitive series of speeches, I was elected National President and CEO of the Leaders of Tomorrow. I am so humbled by my peers’ selecting me to lead them during the 2013-2014 LOT Year.

So far, I’ve created the “Leaders of Tomorrow Council of Chapter Leadership” Facebook page which has been an unprecedented, efficient medium of inter-chapter communication. This year we plan to see six chapters unite in pairs and hold joint workshops and/or community service projects. Seeing this is my final year in LOT, I plan on making it the best yet on the chapter and national level. Looking back, LOT has truly changed my life. It has allowed me to develop many meaningful relationships all over the world. My fellow LOT brothers and sisters reject the word “underrepresented” and embrace the word “powerful,” because we stand together to defy negative social stigmas. LOT has also given me direction, and I now know that I am pursuing a career in business. I owe my whole high school experience to LOT.

Be a Speaker, Be a Mentor

We are always looking for adults to teach, motivate, and guide our LOT students!
Interested in becoming mentoring Tomorrow’s Leaders? Email us at lot@columbusbmba.org.