On the evening of June 28, 2017, over 500 individuals gathered at the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) 10th Annual Leadership Gala to celebrate corporate excellence, diversity and inclusion, and giving back as a community. CUP is the largest leadership organization that connects, empowers, and mobilizes diverse business and civic leaders. This evening was extra special for IMBDC since our CEO Tarrus Richardson received the Founder’s Inspiration Award. Tarrus is one of the visionaries behind CUP and has helped to steward the organization to excellence over the last 10 years so it is no surprise that this inaugural award was bestowed on him. CUP’s achievements mirror what we are trying to achieve with IMBDC and our partner companies. The evening’s honorees, which also included Luvvie Ajayi (NY Times Best-Selling Author) , Oscar Munoz (CEO, United Airlines), and Steve Pamon (COO, Parkwood Entertainment), revealed a few relevant themes:

• Create a strong vision and follow-up with methodical execution The vision for CUP started with the seed of an idea from Hillary Clinton on how to mobilize and empower a community. It has grown into an organization of distinction because of passionate leadership and hours and hours of strategy coupled with strong execution.
• Create pathways for parallel success for you and others The sweetest form of success is when you bring others along with you. No man is an island and we should work to create opportunities for ourselves and those around us. Building great teams makes everyone rise more quickly and the rewards that much greater.
• Diversity and inclusion is not a “nice to have” but is a competitive advantage Oscar Munoz touched the audience with his authenticity as a leader and his compassion for his workforce, customers, and family. His quip about diversity and inclusion reminds us that work forces that better reflect our society is what makes a difference in achieving business and financial success.

Each one of the honorees set an example of authenticity, patience, hard work, and dedication that has contributed to their success. We wish them all the best in their continued journeys and will continue to embody these principles in our own organization.