Celebrating 5 years of PHENOMENAL Success and God's Grace;and Celebrating the copious Life and Work of the Longest Compassionate Serving Female Vice President, Her Excellency Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of The Gambia

May 6 - 8, 2016
THEME - The Challenge Of Progress:
Daring Towards 'Wholistic' Empowerment by Design

COLLEGE PARK, MD Towanda Livingston's, Director of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Small, Local, and Minority Business Enterprise (SLMBE), endorsement of WETATi and its Founder regarding the work they do locally and around the world adds more GREASE to WETATi's 2016 International Convention milestone to be held at the campus of the University of Maryland College Park. This auspicious 5^th International Convention, WETATi-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & WETATiwood Red Carpet Awards Banquet will take place from Friday May 6 - Sunday May 8, 2016 at the University of Maryland, Adele H. Stamp Student Union Atrium Ballroom and Nyumburu Cultural Center in College Park, MD in Partnership with the University of Maryland WETATi Next Generation (WETATi-UMCP).

WETATi's Convention aligns and supports the local, national, and international empowerment of people to reach their highest potential and become indispensable members of their communities and nation builders; under the Theme -The Challenge of Progress: Daring to Achieve through 'Wholistic' Empowerment by Design.

During this convention WETATi will feature discussions on empowering the next generation of men and women by utilizing personal and corporate leadership skills that WIN, Political and Social Entrepreneurship and International Trade, Operation Save The Children, Social Media and Health, by members of the Diplomatic Corps, among others. Attendees will discover more about the WETATi phenomenon, get empowered, network with others, and discuss the power of entrepreneurship in building wealth and access to leadership positions and how it contributes to the economic empowerment of the communities and nations during our WETATi -Towanda Livingston - WSSC Partnership/Sponsorship Forum. What is more, a percentage of the proceeds will go towards providing academic scholarships for students through the WETATi-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship Fund.

The convention will also feature an impressive roster of distinguished national and international presenters/speakers, and attendees, general sessions, town hall forums and panel discussions, networking events, free health screenings, sessions geared toward young entrepreneurs and international business, and a scholarship and awards banquet honoring women and men who have achieved the impossible, who are trailblazers and emerging women and men leaders and much more.

WETATi Founder and President, Ambassador Dr. Margaret Dureke, said "expectations are high for this year's convention and attendees are in for a treat and opportunity of a life time because of the quality of the program and the stellar speaker/presenter lineup. This year is not only special to us for making the important milestone of 5 long, hard, challenging and phenomenal years of success and Gods' grace, we are also very excited because we will also celebrate the copious Life and Work of the Longest Compassionate Serving Female Vice President, Her Excellency Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of The Gambia at this convention. We are indeed very excited!"

"We are also very elated about the convention because we are bringing together dynamic and diverse individuals from around the world who will share their personal, business and professional experiences and exchange ideas with individuals who are interested in advancing their careers, developing their leadership potential, launching their own businesses or simply advancing and gaining the knowledge and skills to make a real difference in their communities and the societies at large," said Ambassador Dr. Dureke.

The convention will also address many of the challenges people face while trying to advance in any facet of their lives and business and what we can do about them. Though more and more people set out to become successful business owners or break the glass ceiling in major corporations or organizations, entrepreneurship and corporate leadership still remains dismal at best for minorities, according to research by the Business News Daily. Dureke said minorities often lack access, and the support and professional development that they need to launch a new business, support existing ones or gain access to mentoring or networking opportunities that could be beneficial to their business/career growth.

"One of the major reasons why WETATi holds these conventions is to connect people to successful leaders and address challenges like work-life balance, fear of failure, improving negotiation skills, and creating a support network that can push them to the next level. For me, this convention is all about connecting, creating and developing, building, protecting and expanding the mindset of the next generation of our youths, into that of leaders and entrepreneurs' mentality, and creating their own opportunities." This year, we are expecting over three hundred (300) people to participate.

Some of our confirmed speakers for the convention include:

His Excellency, Bockari Stevens, Dean of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ambassadors Accredited to the US and Sierra Leone Ambassador to the US; Ambassador Sheik Omar Faye, Embassy of the Republic of The Gambia; Mrs. Isatu Sema Aisha Sillah, Minister Counsellor & Head of Chancery, Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone; Patricia M. Littiya, First Secretary (Press & Public Relations), Embassy of the Republic of Zambia; Her Excellency, Chief (Mrs.) Ebelechukwu Osodieme Obiano, First Lady Anambra State Government, Nigeria; Executive Director, Steve McAdams, State of Maryland, Office of the Governor Community Initiatives; The Honorable Patrick Wojahn, Mayor, City of College Park, MD; The Honorable Walter L. James Jr., Mayor, Town of Bladensburg, MD; Ms.Towanda Livingston, Director of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Small, Local, and Minority Business Enterprise (SLMBE); Ms. Jainaba Ceesay, VP, M&T Bank; Ms. Traci Horne, VP, Program Manager, Wells Fargo; Ms. Jacqueline McSears Boles, SVP, Director of Retail Banking, Industrial-Bank; Victor Okeh, MD., President HARA Global LLC; & WETATi Medical Liaison; Bridget Kaspa, Clinical Pharmacist; Anne Reese Carswell, Associate Director, Nyumburu Cultural Center, University of Maryland College Park, Maritza E. Gonzalez, PhD,Officer of Diversity, Latina/o Affairs, Prince George's County Public Schools;Mr. Mamadou Samba, Director, Washington, DC Mayor's Office of African Affairs; Jessica Reynolds, International Investment & Trade Specialist, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; and Revs. Drs. Kenneth and Marlene R. Haynes, Pastors, Life Changers Ministries Christian Center; Angel Dureke, President, WETATi Next Generation Corporate, Co-founder NkemLife.com ; Kyndale Lyles, Co-president, WETATi Next Generation-UMCP; to name a few.

The convention's tentative agenda and other details will be available very soon for download on the WETATi Website at wetaticonvention.com . Attendees can register for the convention online at wetaticonvention.com/registration .