Urban League of Greater Madison: Urban League announces 2014 Whitney M. Young, Jr. awardee

Contact:
Noble Wray
nwray@ulgm.org
608-729-1200

2014 awardee Dr. Floyd Rose embodies the Spirit of Young

Madison, WI — The Urban League of Greater Madison Board of Directors has announced the recipient of its 2014 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award: Floyd Rose, Ph.D.

The award is the most prestigious given by Urban League Boards across the country. It’s given in honor of the great civil rights leader and former head of the National Urban League. Young is known for turning the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively worked for equitable access to socioeconomic opportunity for the historically disenfranchised. Young was an important advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon and his push for a “domestic Marshall Plan” was partially incorporated into President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty.

As President and founder of the Supplier Information and Data Assistant Tool, LLC., Dr. Rose has worked for over 36 years in the private sector developing and managing programs that address supply chain management and sales growth. During 2011, the businesses associated with Dr. Rose have purchased more than $4.3 billion of goods and services from diverse business. He co-founded the Wisconsin Business Management Seminar with has brought executives and entrepreneurs from across the county – and more recently from across the globe – to Madison since 1987 to learn from some of the country’s most distinguished business faculty.

His volunteer efforts are extensive. Dr. Rose founded the African American Communication and Collaboration Council (AACCC) to facilitate greater dialogue and collaboration among African American organizations in Greater Madison. The AACCC publishes a monthly electronic newsletter with more than 8,000 subscribers. He currently serves as president of 100 Black Men of Madison, a civic organization and service club that works to educate and empower African American children and teens. Dr. Rose is also Founder and President of the Consortium for the Educational Development of Economically Disadvantaged Students, (CEDEDS). The mission of CEDEDS is to equip economically disadvantaged youth with the knowledge and experiences that will allow achievement in all areas of human endeavor.

Dr. Rose serves on the AVID/Tops Steering Committee and the boards of the Center for Family Policy and Practice, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County. He is also a former board member of Edgewood Elementary School.

He has been married to his life partner, Mary, for more than 40 years, and they have been blessed with three children.

Said Board Chair, C. Wade Harrison, “Dr. Rose epitomizes Whitney Young’s leadership and lifetime dedication to serving his community. Likewise, he shares Young’s business acumen, and ability to work as a bridge between business leaders and those who have been historically disenfranchised.”

The awards will be presented as part of the 2nd Annual Urban Cabaret on Friday, September 19th at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. The Cabaret is expected to raise more than $100,000 to support Urban League empowerment, employment, and education programs. This year’s Cabaret will offer a diverse mix of urban arts including dinner theater, high-flying performances, a riveting musical journey, and more.

Tickets are still available at http://www.ulgm.org/urbancabaret or by calling 608.729.1268.

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About the Urban League of Greater Madison

The Urban League of Greater Madison’s mission is to ensure that African Americans and other community members are educated, employed and empowered to live well, advance professionally and contribute to the common good in the 21st Century. We are committed to transforming Greater Madison into the Best [place] in the Midwest for everyone to live, learn, and work. We are working to make this vision a reality through a comprehensive strategic empowerment agenda that includes programs & services, advocacy, and partnerships & coalition building. http://www.ulgm.org