T. HOWARD FOUNDATION VICE PRESIDENT NAMED ONE OF 2004’s “FIFTY MOST INFLUENTIAL MINORITIES IN BUSINESS”

Alexandria, Va., May 25, 2004 – The T. Howard Foundation today announced that Cynthia Dinkins, vice president of program and business development, was named as one of the “Fifty Most Influential Minorities in Business for 2004” by the Minority Business and Professionals Network (MBPN). This award is given out annually by MBPN and recognizes the achievements of fifty men and women entrepreneurs that have promoted business partnerships for minority enterprises in both the public and private sectors.  

The T. Howard Foundation works with women and minority students placing them in internships within the consumer satellite industry. Dinkins works on identifying partnerships, external funding sources, and serves as an outlet to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HIS) for the foundation. During Dinkins’ tenure the foundation has been very successful, placing interns with companies such as HBO, Showtime, Discovery and Black Entertainment Television (BET) each year. These companies show additional support for the T. Howard Foundation by having representatives serve as foundation board members and sponsoring events such as the T. Howard Foundation’s upcoming golf tournament on June 15th outside Washington, DC.

“I am honored to be the recipient of such a distinguished award,” said Dinkins. “I am so grateful to the T. Howard Foundation for giving me the opportunity to do what I love. It’s not my job, it’s my passion. To receive an award is just an added bonus.”

Past recipients of MBPN’s “Fifty Most Influential Minorities in Business” include: Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; Michael A. Brown, president of the Ron Brown Foundation. In 2000, MBPN was presented with the "Economic Empowerment Vision Award" by the U.S Small Business Administration. A black tie dinner honoring all 50 recipients will be held on June 23rd at the Marriott Wardham Park Hotel in Washington, DC.

“We are all so proud of Cynthia! This is a great honor and no one is more deserving,” said Curtis Symonds, president of the T. Howard Foundation.

In addition to her work at the T. Howard Foundation, Dinkins is pursuing an executive Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the College of William and Mary.

The mission of the T. Howard Foundation is to increase the number of women and people of color in the satellite & telecommunications industry.  To accomplish this mission, the Foundation strives to increase the talent pool of quality applicants and to dramatically increase employment opportunities for people of color and women in entry and management level positions; to foster the participation of women and people of color in the development, deployment and utilization of advanced satellite/telecommunications technology; and to ensure that women and people of color are properly educated and aware of the value of various technologies and products in the satellite/telecommunications industry.  The T. Howard Foundation, a 501-c-3 non-profit organization, was established in 1994 and named for Taylor Howard, the widely recognized founder of the direct-to-home satellite industry.