August 20, 2009, WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), U.S. Department of Commerce, proudly announces the winners of the Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement for Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week 2009. The recipients, Russell Simmons of Rush Communications and Judith Roussel of the Small Business Administration, will be honored at the Annual Awards Gala held August 28, 2009 from 7:00pm-10:00pm at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement is given to an individual who has played an integral role in the creative, technical or professional progress of minority business development over the course of his or her life.
The winners of MED Week 2009's Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement are:
Russell Simmons – Rush Communications of NYC
Russell Simmons has built a half-billion dollar music and fashion empire and played a major role in minority business development since the early 1980s. He is the founder of Rush Communications, one of the largest African-American-owned media firms. Rush Communications continues to draw on its roots in hip-hop, targeting young consumers through urban and hip-hop culture. In 1983, Simmons formed Def Jam Recordings along with Rush Artist Management, the core of Rush Communications, which launched the careers of artists such as the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Run-DMC and Whodini. Simmons later extended Rush Communication's range to include movie production and magazine publishing, transforming Rush Communications into a broad based media empire.
Rush sold Def Jam to Universal Music to focus on various product lines, such as Rush Mobile, UniRush Financial Services, and Simmons Lathan Media Group, producer of Def Poetry and Def Comedy Jam. His community involvement includes founding the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation which brings arts education to inner city kids. He has received many awards, including a Tony Award, and the Best Theatrical Performance and Peabody Award for Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam.
Judith Roussel – Acting Regional Administrator, Illinois District Director of the Small Business Administration (SBA)
Judith Roussel currently serves as Acting Regional Administrator for SBA's Region 5, headquartered in Chicago. She has served as Illinois District Director of the SBA since December 1999. For nearly a decade, Roussel also served as Associate Administrator in business development and procurement policy-making positions at SBA's Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She was responsible for development of programs and strategies to ensure small businesses received a fair share of the nearly $300 billion annual federal contracting budget. Chief among her accomplishments was the negotiation and implementation of a 3-year public/private partnership agreement with General Motors, Ford and Daimler Chrysler that increased purchases from minority-owned businesses by more than $3 billion over the period of the agreement. During her tenure in Washington, Roussel served as the SBA Senior Procurement Executive and was the 1998-1999 Co-Chairman of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Board of Advisors. She served as the U.S. Government's Representative to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Small Business Procurement Subcommittee and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) SME Procurement Summit in Taipei, Taiwan.
In April 2007, Roussel was presented the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, the highest level of recognition accorded a member of the U.S. Government's Career Senior Executive Service.
To learn more or to register for MED Week, please visit www.medweek.gov
About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
MBDA (www.mbda.gov), U.S. Department of Commerce, serves minority entrepreneurs across America who are building and growing businesses. For the last 40 years, MBDA has promoted the growth and competitiveness of minority-owned firms. These firms are then better equipped to create jobs, impact local economies and compete successfully in domestic and global marketplaces. With a nationwide network of nearly 50 business centers and strategic partners, MBDA assists minority entrepreneurs and business owners with consulting services, contract and financing opportunities, bonding and certification services, building business-to-business alliances and executive training.
Contacts
MBDA
Lahne Mattas-Curry, 202-482-4690
lmattascurry@mbda.gov
www.mbda.gov
