Future Business Leaders of America Pearl-Cohn Advisors:    Debbie Hirsch, CTE Teacher                                 Jamie Lakey, CTE Teacher           Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. The association has four divisions: Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) for high school students; FBLA-Middle Level for junior high, middle, and intermediate school students; Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) for postsecondary students; and Professional Division for business people, FBLA-PBL alumni, educators, and parents who support the goals of the association. FBLA-PBL is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and organized on local, state, and national levels. The FBLA concept was developed in 1937 by Dr. Hamden L. Forkner of Columbia University. The first high school chapter was chartered in Johnson City, Tennessee on February 3, 1942. Membership FBLA-PBL is the largest business career student organization in the world. The high school division has 215,000 members, while the postsecondary division reaches over 11,000 college students. Funding & Endorsements FBLA-PBL, Inc. is funded by membership dues, conference fees, corporate contributions, and grants. FBLA-PBL is recognized by the Association for Career and Technical Education, International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, National Association of Parliamentarians, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Business Education Association, and the U.S. Department of Education. Competitive Events Program FBLA-PBL's National Awards Program recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. Through state-based competition at the spring State Leadership Conferences, students compete in events testing their business knowledge and skills. Top state winners then are eligible to compete for honors at the National Leadership Conference each summer. Publications Published four times a year, Tomorrow's Business Leader is the exclusive publication for FBLA and FBLA-Middle Level students and advisers. Distributed three times a year are the FBLA Advisers' Hotline for high school teachers. The Professional Division receives the The Professional Edge. National Leadership Conference FBLA-PBL members have the competitive edge, as the best and brightest of FBLA and PBL convene to compete in leadership events, share their successes, and learn new ideas about shaping their career future through workshops and exhibits. National Fall Leadership Conference Each fall, new leaders and advisers from chapters across the nation gather for one of four conferences designed to guide and motivate their success for the year. This includes workshops, seminars, exhibits, and general sessions, as well as the benefit of networking among their peers from other cities and states.