About the South Florida HBCU Alumni Alliance

Vision

To stand as a pillar in South Florida's professional African-American community and spearhead a movement where South Florida is regarded as a black metropolis of entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders.

Purpose

The South Florida HBCU Alumni Alliance was formed to create a progressive and nurturing social and professional environment for South Florida's professional African-American community. South Florida has a growing dilemma- attracting and retaining South Florida's black middle class; a dilemma that has been labeled "Black Flight" and the "Black Brain Drain" and has been regarded as serious enough that Florida International University's Metropolitan Center commissioned a study in 2007 to understand this issue. How can a metro area truly maintain its diversity and sustain its competitive advantage against other cities when the area fails to retain its most talented residents from a particular population group? What the South Florida HBCU Alumni Alliance strives to accomplish is to create and foster a progressive environment where the black middle class can be retained.

The Challenge

For some, it’s the sandy beaches and the warm weather that attracts them, and the South Beach lifestyle certainly helps. For others, it’s the gateway to freedom and the land of opportunities, but for those in between it’s driving them away up north to what’s now called The New South: Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, and even Orlando. It's quite astounding how local businesses and government alike have ignored (or at least overlooked) the Black Brain Drain and have essentially missed the mark on targeting this untargeted demographic. It's obvious that this demographic has high purchasing power and disposable income that would make them a prime market segment, yet it's become uncharted territory.

Purpose

The purpose of the South Florida HBCU Alumni Alliance is to position South Florida more as a live, work, play community for young black professionals through networking and social events, professional and business development opportunities, and community service and development. The end result is the retention of the black middle class.

So why a local HBCU alumni alliance?

Historically, HBCUs (otherwise known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities) have served as the backbone of the growing black middle class and have awarded more undergraduate and graduate degrees to African-Americans than any other type of educational institution. So, by forming a local HBCU alumni alliance there will be more collective efforts to unite and progress the professional African-American community of South Florida.

South Florida HBCU Alumni Alliance Advisory Board

Fabiola Fleuranvil- Founder, South Florida HBCU Alumni Alliance
Principal, Blueprint Creative Group/N.Y.L.A. Entertainment Group, marketing and public relations firm, and licensed Realtor in Georgia. Ms. Fleuranvil currently serves as the National Director of Public Relations for the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association.
Email: Fabiola@BlueprintCreativeGroup.com

Shamarco Forbes
Mr. Forbes is a proud alumnus of Howard University and a member of the Howard University Alumni Club (HUAC) of South Florida. He is also Founder and Partner of Eye on Entertainment LLC, a marketing and production company, and CEO of South Florida Professional Organizations LLC, a directory of South Florida organizations and consultant in business development.
Email: marcopo@hotmail.com

Bernard WH Jennings
Currently serving as the Director of Marketing & Public Relations for Florida Memorial University National Alumni Association, Mr. Jennings is also CEO of IKJ Governmental Affairs Consulting Services, a Mortgage Banker with 1st Continental Mortgage, Volunteer Coordinator for President Barack Obama's UsaService.org and ChangeForAmerica.org initiative, and an elected Delegate and member of the Democratic Executive Committee.
Email: ikjconsultant@aol.com

Edwin Sylvain

Founder of Creative World Productions and Director of New Artist Division with Lex Promotions and Marketing Group, Edwin Sylvain (bka Ed the World Famous) is an alumnus of Florida A&M University and FAMU's World Famous Marching 100 band. Sylvain is also a radio personality and DJ hosting and entertaining audiences throughout the country via his World Famous Radio show and The Core DJ Radio Show.
Email: worldfamousradio@gmail.com