Youth Organizations

Future Business Leaders of America—Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) educational association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. The association has four divisions: FBLA for high school students; FBLA Middle Level for junior high, middle school and intermediate school students; PBL for postsecondary students; and the Professional Alumni Division for business people, 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. Business teachers/advisers and advisory councils (including school officials, business people, and community representatives) guide local chapters, while state advisers and committee members coordinate chapter activities for the national organization. FBLA-PBL, Inc. is funded by membership dues, conference fees, corporate contributions, and grants.

Dr. Hamden L. Forkner, head of the Commercial Education Department of the Teachers College of Columbia University, developed the FBLA concept in 1937. In the fall of 1940, the National Council for Business Education accepted official sponsorship of FBLA, and on February 3, 1942, the first high school chapter was chartered in Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1958 the first Phi Beta Lambda chapter was chartered in Iowa. The Professional Division (originally the Alumni Division) began in 1979; as of 2001 the latest group to join FBLA (in 1994) was the FBLA Middle Level, for students in grades five through nine.

The board of directors is comprised of local and state educators, business leaders, and the membership division presidents. The board sets policy and employs a president/CEO, who directs a national staff program and association programs. The association's national center is an 11,600 square foot building, which was completed in 1991. The 1.6-acre site it occupies was purchased through a grant from the Conrad Hilton Foundation.

Membership

Total membership, including students and advisers, approaches a quarter million members. The high school level has more than 215,000 members, while Phi Beta Lambda (postsecondary level) reaches over 10,000 college students. The newest group, FBLA Middle Level, is showing remarkable growth with 8,000 student members, and is also developing member interest for the high school level.

Conferences, Seminars, and Publications

Each year the best and brightest of FBLA and PBL convene at the National Leadership Conference to compete in leadership events, share their successes, and learn new ideas about shaping their career future. These four-day sessions are considered the pinnacle of the FBLA-PBL experience, especially for those running for national office.

FBLA-PBL also sponsors conferences and seminars for members and advisers, which are designed to enhance experience initially developed on the local and state level. The Institute for Leaders is a four-day seminar focused on leadership experience for state and local chapter officers, members, and advisers. Participants build lifetime leadership and career skills in tracks focusing on entrepreneurship, communication, and FBLA-PBL leadership. The institute is held in conjunction with the National Leadership Conference. Each fall, new leaders and advisers from chapters across the nation gather for National Fall Leadership Conferences, which are regional conferences designed to guide and motivate their success for the year. This includes workshops, seminars, and a plenary session, as well as the benefit of networking among their peers.

FBLA-PBL publications bring fresh ideas, new directions, and network-building news to members and advisers. They are published three times each year (except Tomorrow's Business Leader, which is produced quarterly). Tomorrow's Business Leader is circulated to FBLA and FBLA Middle Level students; Adviser Hotline to high school teachers; Middle Level Advisers' Hotline to Middle Level teachers; and PBL Business Leader to PBL members and advisers. The Professional Division receives The Professional Edge. A new electronic publication, PBL E-line is distributed to PBL advisers by e-mail three times per year, with additional publication as needed.

FBLA-PBL is officially endorsed by the American Management Association, the Association for Career and Technical Education, the Career College Association, the March of Dimes, the National Association of Parliamentarians, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Business Education Association, the National Management Association, and the U.S. Department of Education.