The panel was comprised of representatives from Congress, the media, corporate America, and non-profit and community organizations. Panelists included Karla Ballard, president, National Urban League Young Professionals; Carole Bilson, director, Product Design & Usability, Pitney Bowes Mailing Systems; Keith Clinkscales, chairman and chief executive officer, Vanguard Media, Inc. and publisher, SAVOY Magazine; The Honorable Harold Ford, Jr., U.S. Representative (D-Memphis); Reverend Markel Hutchins, national president and chief executive officer, National Youth Connections; and Ernest Drew Jarvis, president, Metropolitan Access.

Hugh B. Price, president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League said, "Pitney Bowes unwavering dedication and support of this event — and to the League overall - helps us further our mission for progress in African American communities. The company’s genuine dedication to diversity is one of the reasons why it is consistently recognized for its diversity best practices."

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Michael J. Critelli, chairman and CEO, Pitney Bowes, serves as Vice Chair of the NUL Board. Critelli said, "We are proud to be allied with the National Urban League, a premiere social service and civil rights organization in America. As the founding sponsor for the NULYP event, we understand that reaching out to younger African American professionals is vital to the League’s growth," he said.

Pitney Bowes is a $4 billion global provider of integrated mail and document management solutions headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The company serves over 2 million businesses of all sizes through dealer and direct operations. For information on the company, its products and solutions, visit www.pitneybowes.com.

NULYP is the young professionals (ages 21 to 35) auxiliary of the National Urban League. The organization is made up of members across the country who are dedicated to serving their local communities through social and community activism. There are 60 Urban League Young Professional "chapters" in cities throughout the country, over which NULYP serves as the umbrella organization.

The Urban League is the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. The National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the nonprofit, nonpartisan movement, while Urban League affiliates operate in more than 100 cities in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Photo caption: (left to right): Hugh B. Price, president and chief executive officer, National Urban League; Melinda F. Emerson, president, Quintessence Entertainment co-founder, National Urban League Young Professionals and National Urban League Trustee; Henry O. Hernandez, Jr., executive director, Global Diversity Leadership, Pitney Bowes Inc.