WASHINGTON, July 12, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Carl Brooks, the recently retired Vice President of Human and Technical Resources for GPU Energy in Reading, Pa., was named President of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) at the organization's Spring General Meeting. Brooks' appointment follows a national search for a new president after the former president, James Fowler, Jr., returned to corporate life.
Founded in 1986, ELC is a nonprofit networking and professional development organization for African-American senior level corporate executives working in Fortune 500 companies globally. The organization's mission is to diversify the corporate executive landscape, train the next generation of African-American corporate leaders, and to influence public policy and urban development initiatives that support economic justice and equity.
A longtime member of ELC, Brooks was recently Chair of the Executive Leadership Foundation. The Foundation was created in 1989 to raise support for programs developed by Council members. Under his leadership, a series of groundbreaking programs to build the next generation of African-American executives were enhanced. Programs include:
-- The Technology Transfer Program (TTP) is aimed at eliminating the digital divide at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions. The program has leveraged more than $7.5 million in hardware, software and consultant services from corporations to provide faculty and students at TTP institutions with access to the latest technology and training.
-- The Shadow Mentoring Program pairs graduate business students with ELC executives who serve as career mentors. The students spend the day with executives to get an up-close view of corporate life.
-- The National Business Commentary Essay Competition provides scholarships and corporate internship opportunities to college students who excel at researching and writing about a leading business issue of the day. Ten winners are selected annually. Awardees spend a week in New York participating in Honors Symposia at ELC member corporations before coming to Washington, D.C. to attend ELC's annual black tie gala honoring African-Americans in business.
-- The Mid-Level Managers' Symposium has provided professional development to more than 3,000 African-American corporate managers since its inception seven years ago. The annual Symposium is held in Washington, D.C. the third Friday in October, the day following the Annual Recognition Awards Dinner attended by some 1,500 corporate executives, CEOs, public policy leaders and educators. Last fall, a regional version of the Symposium was created to provide more opportunities for leadership development.
"Carl is the right leader at the right time to guide ELC's strategic direction in the new millennium," said Ira Hall, Treasurer of Texaco, Inc. and Chair of the Council's board of directors. "He has the energy, vision and professionalism to guide a strategic course for ELC's growth and success. I am excited to be working with him in this new role."
Of the many challenges confronting the organization's mission, the relative absence of diverse leadership in the senior ranks of corporate America remains the most troublesome. Currently, only two African-Americans are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Kenneth Chenault -- the newly appointed CEO of American Express -- is an ELC member. Diversifying corporate boards is another concern of the organization.
"We still rarely rise to the top positions," said Brooks. "True diversity everyday, at every level, is still too often the plan rather than the reality." Yet many companies are trying diligently to diversify their executive ranks, says Brooks. They possess the goodwill if not the process for making diversity a meaningful part of their leadership objectives. Identifying and working with these companies to foster mutual diversity objectives will be a priority, he said.
In his previous position at GPU, Brooks oversaw 1,100 employees in his responsibilities for Human Resources, Labor Relations & Safety, Material & Services, and Information Technology. He chaired GPU's Diversity Action Council and guided the development and implementation of their diversity strategy.
Brooks joined GPU in 1977 as the manager of contracts for the former Jersey Central Power & Light Company. He rose steadily through the ranks and was elected Vice President of Materials and Services in 1990. He serves as a member of the executive board and board of directors of the National Minority Supplier Development Council; the Princeton Leadership Group; the Northern New Jersey INROADS, Inc.; and the Children's Home for Reading.
He received a bachelor's degree from the Hampton Institute of Virginia and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. He is also a graduate of the Tuck Executive Program at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.
Brooks is married to the former Drena Hastings. They have two children, Tarik and Karima.
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CONTACT: Executive Leadership Council, Washington
Joann Stevens
(202) 298-8226, Ext. 206
jstevens@elcinfo.com