The mission of BPACF is to create opportunities for African Americans through scholarship, education and leadership development.

The Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation (BPACF) has announced that Mayor Frank G. Jackson has received the prestigious recognition of Black Professional of the Year for 2012. Mayor Jackson is the 30^th Black professional from Northeast Ohio to receive this distinguished honor in the organization’s history.

Each year, BPACF conducts a selection process that begins with the soliciting of nominations from the corporate, public, and faith-based sectors. “The process begins with nominations gathered from the general community. A Nominee Review Committee is formed, made up of past and present leadership of BPACF as well as past Black Professional of the Year honorees. That committee then presents a cohort of the top three candidates to the board of trustees of BPACF, and a final candidate is selected” said Marcella Brown, the executive director of BPACF, about how the process unfolds.

“It really is an exciting process, and we are very pleased with this year’s honoree,” said Natoya Walker Minor, the President of BPACF.

Mayor Jackson was unanimously selected as worthy of recognition by BPACF based on his longstanding commitment to quality education for all children in Cleveland and having the political courage to pursue reform.

“Mayor Jackson has taken a bold stance on education this year, which is at the core of our mission. Our desire is to see more young people from our community complete high school, and attend an institution of higher learning, so that they are fully prepared to enter the workforce and hopefully will remain in our region,” said Brown.

The BPACF Board of Trustees also applauded Mayor Jackson’s exceptional stewardship of city resources in steering Cleveland through the most challenging economic times since the Great Depression, and the fact that, under his leadership, Cleveland has seen more than $7 billion of investment in physical development -either under construction or in the planning phase.

Black Professional of the Year Award

The Black Professional of the Year Award is given to an individual in Northeast Ohio who is a “high achiever” in their profession and a role model for African American youth. The selection criteria include a review of the individual’s professional contributions, civic engagement, personal standards/ethics, and visibility. All individuals nominated are scored in each of these areas, and the final candidate is the person who receives the highest total score.

About BPACF

The mission of BPACF is to create opportunities for African Americans through scholarship, education and leadership development. Our vision is to be a catalyst that prepares and develops students and leaders to elevate our community of professionals. Founded in 1985, BPACF has honored a Black Professional from Northeast Ohio each year for more than three decades, to raise an awareness of what our community has contributed to the business, social, cultural and civic life of our region, and to provide scholarship support and professional development opportunities to low and moderate income college-bound students.