The shocking and unexpected news that Indiana Black Expo President Joyce Rogers is leaving for a high profile job at Ivy Tech raised many questions and concerns and makes many in our African-American community uneasy.
Rogers’ departure, after just seven years with Black Expo, nearly three as president, creates a leadership vacuum at a time when Expo faces critical challenges.
Black Expo hired Rogers in 2001 after key funders demanded Expo institute greater fiscal and management structure and organization. Rev. Charles Williams embraced that change and hired Rogers, who was praised for bringing financial discipline to IBE.
Rev. Williams and Rogers were a good team. And when Williams learned he was suffering (and dying) from prostate cancer, he mentored Rogers, preparing her to eventually take the reins.
Williams had a succession plan. Rogers leaves Expo without a clear-cut successor. For months Expo’s been searching and hasn’t filled their critical chief operating officer position.
Indiana Black Expo’s challenges are numerous.
IBE’s Summer Celebration must operate next year without the comfort of the extra 95,000 square feet provided by the RCA Dome, the location of many key Expo events.
Attendance at Summer Celebration’s Convention Center events has been eroding for several years. Expo’s spent tens of thousands of extra dollars trying to lure whites and Hispanics to Summer Celebration. An expensive experiment that’s been a dismal flop, with no appreciable rise in non-Black attendance, while overall Black attendance has declined.
While attendance at this year’s Circle City Classic rose 35.5 percent to 42,821, attendance is still way off from when the Dome was sold out and people with tickets actually showed up.
Then there are fiscal concerns. Between 2005 and 2006, Indiana Black Expo’s expenses increased $193,643, while contributions, grants and ticket revenue declined $127,015. During that same period, Expo’s excess income less expenses, profit allowed a non-profit, declined $320,658.
When Black Expo was an all-volunteer organization, the board ran the organization. But with a paid professional staff, the Expo board became like many non-profit boards. More advisory than supervisory. A board that for years has suffered from an unfair perception that it’s interested more in perks and tickets than governance and oversight.
Now, Expo’s board faces its most critical decision ever.
Who will follow the Charles Williams/Joyce Rogers legacy? Can the board find an individual who combines the skills, strengths and attributes of both Williams and Rogers? As Expo faces its challenges, what qualities and skill sets should Indiana Black Expo’s next president have?
There are plenty of quality individuals on the Expo Board. But it’s essential that Elkhart civic leader Arvis Dawson, the Expo board’s current president and the full board move quickly, but not in haste.
Dr. Frank Lloyd, the legendary African-American leader, taught me that when looking for key employees, it’s important to take the time to seek out and identify all the potential candidates that might be out there.
I feel strongly that Black Expo must heed Dr. Lloyd’s wise counsel.
Indiana Black Expo’s next president must be someone who can organize and manage what is a $7.6 million enterprise. She/he must be comfortable assembling a gender-diverse workforce, including gender-diversity in department heads. Something Expo now lacks.
He/she should emulate Dr. Lloyd, Charles Williams and Julia Carson and be an individual comfortable communicating with donors and powerbrokers; and equally comfortable hanging at the White Castle in the hood at 1 in the morning.
Expo’s next president must be able to connect with and inspire the community; to convince Indiana’s 600,000 African-Americans to get engaged again with Indiana Black Expo.
Yes, that’s a tall order and some say that person doesn’t exist. But I believe they do.
The board mustn’t go for the quick fix. An experienced search firm should be employed and given crystal clear directions on the criteria and qualities of Expo’s next president.
And the Black Expo board must understand that Expo belongs to our entire community, not just Expo’s board and employees. It’s imperative that the board quickly consult with key donors and supporters. I heard that over and over again this past Classic weekend.
Expo’s donors and supporters don’t want to tell the board who to hire, but they feel strongly on being consulted in this process on the qualities needed in Expo’s next president.
The selection of Indiana Black Expo’s third president/CEO will be the most important decision in the organization’s 37-year history. And they get just one chance. There is no margin for error. No opportunity for screw-ups.
The eyes of 600,000 Black folks in Indiana are watching – closely!
What I heard in the suites at Classic
In my last year roaming suite level at the RCA Dome during the Classic, all the talk was about Joyce Rogers leaving Expo and how Expo must handle the situation.
But there was plenty of other politics at the Classic, too.
Both Mayor Bart Peterson and Gov. Mitch Daniels politicked during the Classic Parade. Daniels stole the show greeting folks wearing a Black Expo shirt.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Shellinger made the rounds of the suites, while opponent, Jill Long Thompson, who leads in opinion polls, was absent.
Also conspicuous by his absence was Republican mayoral candidate Greg Ballard. He wasn’t at the game, nor do I believe he was at the Parade or other Classic events.
And if Ballard attended Classic events, then his campaign’s staff failed to inform Black media about it.
While game attendance improved, there was an unexpected increase in empty seats at the Coaches Luncheon, where Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy and WNBA superstar Tamika Catchings were honored.
Classic Parade crowds were super, though there were still a bunch of empty seats in the paid seating area. And I heard plenty of complaints about the lack of Indianapolis-area bands in the parade. The Classic can’t get any township school bands (i.e. Pike) to participate?
IPS Board member and Christamore House head Olgen Williams bitterly complained to me that WISH-TV/Channel 8’s parade coverage excluded local Black youth groups. If groups had to be cut for commercials to fit the tight two-hour broadcast time, then maybe WISH-TV should rebroadcast an uncut version of the parade on their MyNDY/Channel 23. That would allow the community to see a great parade again, with every unit, local and national, included.
See ‘ya next week.
Amos Brown’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. You can contact him at (317) 221-0915 or by e-mail at ACBROWN@AOL.COM.
