The Greenville Chamber and Riley Institute at Furman announce keynote speaker of the 13th annual Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner

The Greenville Chamber and the Riley Institute at Furman announced today that Michael. B. Moore, President and CEO of the African American International Museum (IAAM), will serve as the keynote speaker of the 13th Annual Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner. The event will be held Wednesday, May 10 at the Hyatt Regency Greenville and will begin with a networking reception at 5:00pm followed by the dinner and program at 6:30pm.

Moore is an experienced business executive – having managed iconic global brands, led technology and consumer products companies, and served as a trusted adviser to CEOs. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the Maxwell School of Government at Syracuse University and a MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

The African American International Museum, slated to be built in fall of 2019, will be located at the historical site of Gadsden’s Wharf on the Cooper River in Charleston, S.C. Nearly 80 percent of African Americans can potentially trace an ancestor who arrived through Charleston. The IAAM will teach visitors this history, and encourage them to explore it at historic houses, plantations, buildings, and other sites that speak to African American heritage.

This Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner was created by the Diversity Leaders Initiative at the Riley Institute at Furman as a way to promote and celebrate diversity in the Upstate. The event will also honor Upstate individuals and organizations with Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards.

Tickets to the event can be purchased for $85. For more information or to register, visit www.greenvillechamber.org.  

To learn more about the International African American Museum, please visit https://iaamuseum.org/.

 

About the Greenville Chamber

The Greenville Chamber, now in its 129th year of operation, is the largest business organization in Upstate South Carolina with over 2100 Investors supporting the vision of a globally competitive Upstate economy where businesses succeed and people prosper. For information, visit greenvillechamber.org.

 

About the Riley Institute at Furman

Launched in 1999, the Institute is named for former South Carolina governor and former United States Secretary of Education Richard W. (Dick) Riley.

The Riley Institute at Furman broadens student and community perspective about issues critical to South Carolina’s progress. It builds and engages present and future leaders, creates and shares data-supported information about the state’s core challenges, and links the leadership body to those solutions to drive sustainable solutions. For more information, visit riley.furman.edu.

 

About the IAAM

The International African American Museum (IAAM) at Gadsden’s Wharf will be a unique center of learning where individuals, families, and groups will advance their understanding and appreciation of American History, particularly the role of African Americans in creating the country known today. Standing at the primary site of enslaved Africans’ entry into North America, IAAM at Gadsden’s Wharf will afford a distinct opportunity to convey the shared and individual journeys of African Americans as part of the American narrative.

IAAM at Gadsden’s Wharf will include immersive, interactive exhibits, and multimedia experiences for visitors of all ages. There will be an active changing exhibit program highlighting such subjects as the Gullah Geechee Community; African Origins; African American Spiritual, Music, and Food Ways; African American Literature; and The Era of Jim Crow. There will also be family gatherings, music and dance programs, public lectures, readings, and a variety of other learning opportunities for audiences of all ages.

IAAM at Gadsden’s wharf will include a “Family History Center” where individuals and families will advance the exploration of their own personal histories through DNA testing and analysis and research assisted by family history counselors.

IAAM at Gadsden’s Wharf will be a gateway to historic sites in South Carolina’s Lowcountry important to African American History including Magnolia Planation, Middleton Gardens, The Avery Center, The Penn Center, Aiken Rhett House, and the Slave Market Museum.

IAAM at Gadsden’s Wharf will be a national and international resource and a significant addition to the cultural, educational, and economic assets of Charleston, the Lowcountry, and South Carolina.