Norvel Bethel II – President 

Norvel Bethel II is a Manager at JM Family Enterprises.  Mr. Bethel started with JM Family in 1997 as a Financial Analyst and has since been promoted to the position of Manager in the Financial Planning and Analysis group.  In his present role he is responsible for providing timely, accurate and value added analysis and reporting to internal and external customers.  Mr. Bethel received his Bachelor’s degree in General Business from Bentley College, in Waltham, MA.  He also received his MBA specializing in Finance from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.

Mr. Bethel is currently President of the Urban League of Broward County Young Professional Network (YPN).  In addition to the Urban League of Broward County, he is active with the 100 Black Men of Greater Fort Lauderdale and the National Black MBA Association (South Florida Chapter).

Melanie Stevenson – Sr. Vice President 

Melanie Stevenson is a Partner in a local CPA firm.  Melanie started to work for Mark Bernstein, CPA, PA at the age of 16.   Over the years her position has grown from an office assistant to Partner.  Her responsibilities include, but are not limited to, preparation of corporate and individual income tax returns, management of personnel, and implementation of procedures and polices. 

Melanie is passionate about public speaking and volunteering in her community. She has volunteered for several organizations.  She has been a member of Toastmasters International for more than 7 years and enjoys teaching the art of public speaking to youth.  She is currently a Trustee for the City of Lauderhill Police Retirement Fund. She is an active board member for the Urban League of Broward County Young Professionals Network.

Melanie earned a Bachelor of Science from Florida International University and is a native of Hollywood, Florida.

Nicole Allen – Vice President of Programs

I was born in 1970 on the tiny island of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.  I am a proud, single parent of three beautiful children, Ryan, Cortney and Christian.  Having spent all of my childhood and part of my adulthood in my native country, it was time for a new challenge.  That is when I accepted a promotion with Kerzner International, the parent company of Atlantis, as the Director of Corporate Casino Marketing in our Florida office in 2006.  I have been employed with Kerzner International for 19 years and have served in various management positions for 18 of those years. 

In May of  2009, I formed a partnership with my sister, opening  Solarwize, an internet based company ,providing high quality and in-expensive products that are powered thru the use of  our natural resource—the sun.   In 2008, I successfully completed diploma courses in Fitness and Nutrition at Penn Forster State University and am currently pursuing an International certification as a Personal Trainer/Nutritionist. 

I have served on a number of boards, ranging from Youth and Young Adult Leader of St.Thomas More Parish in 2004 and 2005, PTA Treasurer for Thelma Gibson Primary School in 2003 to 2005, Assistant Teacher and Teacher for Catholic Education Ministry to serving as a member of the Youth board for the entire Catholic Dioceses in the city of Nassau.  I joined YPN in March of 2007 and was elected to be the Vice President of Programs in March of 2009. I will officially take office in July 2009. 

 Shaheewa T. Jarrett Gelin, Esq. – Vice President of Operations

Shaheewa Jarrett Gelin is an Assistant Chief Counsel with the Department of Homeland Security in South Florida.  As such, she serves as a trial attorney and litigates criminal immigration cases, trains new attorneys and legal interns, and provides legal immigration advice to other federal government agencies.  Over the past six years, she has served on the Human Rights Law Unit and is responsible for litigating and tracking persecutor and human rights violator cases. 

Shaheewa graduated from the Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law. She recently received a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University.

Shaheewa believes in community service and has volunteered with several organizations in Broward County.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida, volunteers as a child advocate for the Guardian Ad Litem program, serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the monthly newsletter for First Baptist Church of Piney Grove, and is a contributing writer for the National Weekly. 

Sharonda L. Johnson, Esq. – Vice President of Policy & Procedure
Sharonda L. Johnson, Esq. is an assistant state attorney at the Broward County State Attorney’s Office.  Currently, she works in the felony division as a division prosecutor.  She has served as lead counsel in numerous felony and misdemeanor jury trials.  She has also litigated complex pretrial motions and evidentiary hearings in state court.

Ms. Johnson graduated from Florida A & M University with a Bachelor of Arts in English.  She also graduated from Stetson University School of Law. 

Prior to joining the Young Professionals Network (YPN), Ms. Johnson was the past president of the Iota Chapter of Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., an organization for business and professional women.  Currently, Ms. Johnson is the Vice President of Policy and Procedure for the Young Professionals Network (YPN).  She has been a member of YPN since its inception in 2007 and has truly enjoyed being a member of such a fine organization.

James Barbour, Jr. – Vice President of Professional Development

James Barbour, Jr. is a native of Fort Washington, Maryland.  James attended Florida A&M University where he received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Information Systems.  He then decided to further his education.  He attended the University of Central Florida’s College of Business where he received a Master’s in Management Information Systems.  He then enrolled in the DeVos Sports Business Management program where he received dual Master’s degrees including a Master’s of Business Administration.  James is currently employed as a Database Marketing Manager by Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, the company that operates the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and the BankAtlantic Center.

James has been a member of the Urban League of Broward County’s Young Professionals Network since April of 2008.  He believes the organization is a wonderful way to combine his love for community service and civic engagement with his need to fellowship with progressive young professionals.  James is also a member of the New Mount Olive Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and considers his faith as integral to his achievement in life.  James enjoys performing and listening to Spoken-Word poetry, Hip-Hop culture, and comedy.

James currently resides in Sunrise, FL.  

E. Mike Gelin, CEBS – Treasurer

Mike works as a Benefit Consultant for Seitlin Benefits & Human Capital Management.  In that capacity, he is responsible for business development & client management.  Some of his duties include securing and retaining clients, developing monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports, marketing of health and welfare plans, negotiating plan rates and benefits, organizing and planning health fairs & open enrollment meetings and keeping clients abreast with the constantly changing federal and state rules & regulations affecting health & welfare benefits.

Mike is a graduate of Morris Brown College and is a Florida licensed Life, Health & Variable Annuities agent.  He holds non resident licenses in NY, NJ, PA & GA and has continued his education and earned industry certifications & designations including the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist & Registered Health Underwriter designation.

Mike serves on the board of the Cooperative Feeding Program, the 100 Black Men of Greater Fort Lauderdale and is a member of the Corporate Council of the Broward Alliance.  During is free time, Mike enjoys reading, traveling, working out and competing in various sporting events including local 5k races, duathalons, stair climbing events and recreational basketball leagues.

Terese Ingram – Secretary

Terese Ingram is the Divisional Field Services Coordinator for the Southeast U.S. for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA); she has been with the MDA for over four years.  In her present role, she is responsible for overseeing operations, administration, training, and policy and procedures for MDA offices in the Southeast U.S. 

Miss Ingram is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Communication. 

Miss Ingram is currently Secretary of the Urban League of Broward County Young Professional Network (YPN), as well as an active “Big” with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County.  Miss Ingram is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  She spends her spare time being active in the community, traveling, writing, modeling, and spending time with family and friends.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Vickie St. Aime, Public Relations and Marketing Chair