A National of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is the featured speaker at the Fourteenth Annual Prime Minister’s New Year’s Gala hosted by The Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.
The gala event takes place in the Grand Ballroom of the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino on Saturday 3rd January 2015.
According to the Chairperson of the Gala Committee, the Hon. Marcella Liburd, Minister of Health, Social and Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, the guest speaker is Mr. Desmond Roberts, President of Advantage Chevrolet in Hodgkins, Illonois and a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Mr. Roberts started in the automotive business in 1986 as a member of General Motors’ dealer training programme in Columbus, Ohio.
As an at-large member of the National Automobile Dealers Association’s Board of Directors, Mr. Roberts represents minority dealers East of the Mississippi River. His term of office began in February 2011 and ends in January 2016.
He has received several awards including GM “Dealer of the Year,” 2005 and 2006; the Jack Smith Leadership Award and the “Business Man of the Year” from the Village of Bolingbrook, Illinois in 2009.
He appeared on the annual Black Enterprise Magazine’s Top 100 Auto Dealers list in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and been featured in several national business and automotive related publications including Automotive News and Ebony Magazine.
A man well-respected by his peers, Roberts made history as the first minority representative ever appointed to the Chicago Auto Trade Association, the oldest and largest dealer organization in the United States.
In 2004, he was asked by the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association to testify before the Illinois House of Representatives concerning proposed legislation with the potential to affect new franchised car dealers nationwide.
Roberts earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from City University in New York. After establishing a sound career in the banking and finance industry, he enrolled in the General Motors Minority Dealer Development Academy in 1986 and purchased his first dealership in 1989.
He embraces the Chicago community in many ways, serving as Chief Financial Officer for the Make A Difference Youth Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the academic development of students in preparation for a collegiate experience that will lead to successful achievement of career goals.
Attendance is by ticket only and persons can call 465-2756, 465-1047 or 662-2185 or email marcellaliburd@hotmail.com
Guest Speakers at previous galas included prominent United States Congresswoman, the Hon. Maxine Waters; Nevisian-born actress Cicely Tyson; Nation of Islam Leader, the Hon. Louis Farrakhan; Emmy Award Winner and Broadcaster, Del Walters; Founder and President of TransAfrica, Mr. Randall Robinson; African-American icon, musician and actor, His Excellency Ambassador Harry Belafonte, Publisher and founder of America’s Black Enterprise Magazine, Earl Gilbert Graves, Sr., the late Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. David Thompson and former Jamaica Prime Minister the Hon. P.J. Patterson.