Advisory Board

Earl Cooper, II, known as “Skip to friends and colleagues, is the President/CEO of the Black Business Association (BBA), headquartered in Los Angeles, California.  He has been a leader of the BBA since 1974 occupying positions as Member of the Board, Executive Director, President, General Manager, and Chief Executive Officer.  Under his leadership the BBA has become recognized as one of the most viable minority business organizations in the nation.  “Skip” is also Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of the award winning Black Business News “Your Link to Black Business Enterprise in Southern California”.

“Skip” has built a storehouse of knowledge and experience he shares with the small business community and the agencies and corporations they interface with through his work with the BBA and through several key positions and services he has performed over the years.  “Skip” has served in a consultant capacity as Special Assistant to former Los Angeles City Councilman Gilbert W. Lindsey; provided consultation services to the Southern California Rapid Transit District (METRO), the Los Angeles Dodgers, California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), Southern California Gas Company (Sempra Energy), Verizon, the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Airports.  He has led the BBA’s projects with U.S. Department of Transportation’s Minority Business Liaison Outreach and Services Program (LOSP) and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“Skip” has been instrumental in the advancement of the affirmative action program through his innovative approach to bring the government, corporate and minority business world together.  “Skip” initiated the celebration of Black Business Day in Los Angeles in 1987 during the tenure to Mayor Tom Bradley.  He organized the original Procurement Trade Mission to Washington, DC so that local African American and other minority business owners would have the opportunity to meet Federal Procurement Officers face-to-face.  Through the trade mission process, that continues annually, millions of dollars in federal government contracts have been awarded to Los Angeles area businesses.

“Skip” maintains his broad view and knowledge of the needs of private business and government services through his memberships and work with organizations including: Greenlining Institute, Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc., Board of Advisors for Operation HOPE, Inc., Board of Advocates for Consumer Equity, Inc., Advisory Committee of the African American Tobacco Education Network, and Board of Directors of the National Black Business Council, Inc. (NBBC), California Black Chamber of Commerce, past President of California Council of Black Chambers and Southern California Gas Company Community Advisory Committee.

“Skip” also aids entrepreneurs and procurement officers by conduction seminars and workshops on contract procurement, management, and finance.  “Skip” provides advisory services to members of the BBA but also to any small business owner in need of guidance in the conduct of business.

A native of Oakland, California, “Skip” earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Golden Gate College in San Francisco and a Maters degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

Although a highly visible public profile keeps him at the top of the list of outstanding leaders, his commitment to assisting in the success of the minority business owners is his main focus.  Through his extensive career of service and leadership in all areas of business, Earl “Skip” Cooper, II has made contributions rewarding to literally hundreds of people in the continued avocation of entrepreneurship and minority business development.

 Ambassador Kone Tanou Leon was ECOWAS Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN). He holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Public Administration from the South-Eastern University in Washington D. C, Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree, from the University of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire as well High Studies Diploma in Commercial Policy from the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) course in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Mr. Tanou began his public service life in 1983 as Head of the Department of Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Cote d’Ivoire. Before his current appointment, he was Minister Counsellor and Deputy High Commissioner, Embassy of Cote d’Ivoire in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Benin. Ambassador Kone Tanou Leon was the Counsellor in charge of Economic and Commercial Affairs, Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in Algeria and later Tunisia between July 1987 and October 2002. Mr. Tanou had been the President of the 62nd edition of the trainees of the GATT in Geneva, Switzerland 1986 and a member of the Ariana La Rose Rotary Club of the District 9010, Tunis. He was also the chairman of the Diplomatic Club of Algiers between 1992 and 1993 and had been a member of the Italian Club of Tunis in the years 1999 to 2000. He is fluent in both French and English and has a working knowledge of Spanish

 Sheila Siwela is a Zambian and former Ambassador to the United States of America; the European Union; Bel- gium; the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries; Zimbabwe and Deputy High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As Ambassador of Zambia to the United States of America (USA), Ambassador Siwela had to deal with a number of issues including but not limited to trade, environment and development cooperation as well as empowerment of women. More specifically, she was fully involved in matters of Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its associated Africa Women Entrepreneurship (AWEP); the Third Country Provisions within the framework of AGOA, which she co-chaired and the Millennium Challenge which is being implemented in Zambia; negotiation of a grant of US Dollar 350 million from US Government for the water, drainage and sanitation system in for Lu- saka, Zambia.