Seth Johnson
Gainesville Black Professionals (GBP) will host an expanded 2023 Black Professionals Expo in Gainesville on Feb. 23-25 with local and regional speakers.
Virginia Grant, executive director of GBP, said the registration has already exceeded previous years when the expo only lasted one day. She also highlighted that the first two days are open to the public.
Grant said the expo expands networking and gives hard skills for professionals to use—not just conversations on hypotheticals.
On Thursday, attendees, speakers and sponsors will network at a loosely organized mixer from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Santa Fe College’s Blount Center off University Avenue. While free, GBP requires registration; you can register online.
On Friday, GBP will bring in local businesses, nonprofits and startups looking for employees at The Community Connector. The event will be at Lyceum Concert Hall on Santa Fe College’s main campus. The connector is also free with registration.
The expo will happen on Saturday—also at Lyceum Concert Hall. Attendees can opt into an entrepreneur, diversity in the workplace or regular track.
Speaking topics include Investing in Diversity, Protecting your Mental Health, First 100 Days (Entrepreneur Track), The Intersection of Non Profits and For Profits and Ask Me Anything—Leadership Chat.
Grant said many of the speakers are local with some coming in from outside the county. In the past, she said most attendees have been local as well.
