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BY PENEL0PE BLAIR Educators fromaround the countrywillmeet at the Lowes AtlantaHotel inAtlanta,GAfromMarch 22-24, 2012 for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) conference. This year's theme is "Healthy Communities Through Access, Education, Research and Collaboration." Since its incep- tion the association has been ded- icated to several fundamental goals. They are to promote,uplift, support and address the profes- sional needs and accomplish- ments of Blacks in higher educa- tion. TheAABHEhas been com- mitted to several initiatives such as "addressing the pipeline of Black faculty and staff in higher education, bringing issues pertinent to Black faculty and staff to the attention of the larger academic community and recognizing African- American achievements and accomplishments to higher edu- cation." The last threeAABHE conferences have been held in Atlanta, GA. The 2013 conference is slated for Atlanta, GA as well. Their next open conference date is 2014. Log onto to theirwebsite atwww.blacksinhighered.org to register. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) will host their 38th annual convention at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from March 28 – April 1, 2012. The theme of the 2012 convention is "The NSBE Blueprint: Leader- ship,Teamwork and Inspiration." Last year more than 8,000 atten- dees came together in St. Louis, MO. This year even more are expected as NSBE convention organizers report that this year's convention will be the best yet. There will be various programs and workshops that are geared to empower and inform grade school, collegiate and graduate students as well as the working professional. Past conventions have been held in St. Louis,MO (2011), Toronto, Canada (2010) and Las Vegas, Nevada (2009). Visit www.nbse.org to learn more. 26 Vernice "FlyGirl"Armour, the firstAfrican-American female combat pilot along with ProfessorMelissa Harris- Perry, author of Sister Citizen will be keynote speakers at the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. This year's forum takes place April 21-24, 2012 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The organization, which was founded in 1983, reports that their mission is a "commitment to strengthen the position of Blacks within the field of public administration; to increase the number of Blacks appointed to executive positions in public service organizations; and, to groom and prepare younger, aspiring administrators for senior public man- agement posts in the years ahead." The 2013 Forum will be held in Atlanta, GA and the 2014 Forum will be held in San Antonio, TX.Visit www.nfbpa.org to obtain infor- mation. LosAngeles,Californiawill be the destination for theU.S. Travel Association's International Pow Wow. The conven- tion will take place April 21-25, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Internati- onal PowWow is the largest generator of travel to the U.S. International and domestic buyers as well as participants from more than 70 countries come together to conduct business that results in over $3.5 billion in futureVisitUSAtravel. Past host cities have included San Francisco, CA (2011), Orlando, FL (2010) and Miami, FL (2009). The 2013 convention will be held in Las Vegas, NV. Log onto www.ustravel.org for more information. Email your upcoming events to info@blackmeetingsand- tourism.com. Black Meetings & Tourism March/April 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com