Business Professionals of America, Inc. HQ

Giving Purpose to Potential

aka Business Professionals of America   |   Columbus, OH   |  http://www.bpa.org/

Mission

The Mission of Business Professionals of America is to empower student leaders to discover their passion and change the world by creating unmatched opportunities in learning, professional growth and service.

Ruling year info

1970

Executive Director/CEO

Steven Mitchell

Main address

700 Morse Road Suite 201

Columbus, OH 43214 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

31-1135712

NTEE code info

Vocational Technical (B30)

Student Services and Organizations (B80)

Business, Youth Development (O53)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

According to the Association of Career & Technical Education (ACTE), “Young people leave high school ill-equipped to compete in the 21st Century workforce and economy.” However, we know that students have a decreased risk of dropping out of high school if they enroll in at least one Career and Technical (CTE) course as part of their education. This is particularly important for high risk students who are “eight to 10 times less likely to drop out if they enroll in a CTE program.” Increasing pressure to meet state & national educational standards, navigating funding cutbacks and removal of educational programs within schools, have all put a significant strain on Career and Technical Education programs such as Business Professionals of America (BPA). Experiential learning is a core component of our organization, and the need for stringent academic and practical education programs that provide students with opportunities to build competencies required in today’s workforce are imperative

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Business Professionals of America

Inspire and prepare emerging student leaders to discover their passion and change the world by creating unmatched opportunities in learning, professional development, and service.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Academics

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

To develop and empower rising student leaders to discover their passion, prepare for and contribute to the global workforce through co-curricular activities, competitive events, and service to others.

Business Professionals of America serves as an innovator in Career and Technical Education by creating unmatched opportunities in learning, professional growth and service. We accomplish this by:

• Providing membership engagement and growth opportunities
• Providing quality membership services and offerings
• Driving impact and making a difference in major urban areas as a strategic partner
• Driving the conversation with local and national government officials
• Creating a brand that displays a sense of belonging for students and represents boundless opportunities for engagement, ownership, involvement, purpose and pride

Business Professionals of America's staff and other stakeholders maintain our competitive advantage by continuing to create new and innovative programs for our members, while delivering up-to-date training programs and leadership opportunities with access to innovative programs, certifications, education and resources that will provide continuous improvement and advancement

Through a knowledgeable workforce and volunteer leadership group, Business Professionals of America can ensure the continued growth and competitiveness within the Career and Technical Education area and continue improving the relationship with current and future stakeholders for our organization.

• We are continuing to enhance and expand our educational offerings for all of our members, increase our certification offerings, growing our national programs and conferences, and guiding a new generation of student leaders to acknowledge that the impossible is now possible
• In early November, Business Professionals of America is scheduled to launch a new and improved website that will better connect and communicate with stakeholders both current and future
• In 2019 Business Professionals of America will be launching a new identity that is excites, inspires and invites student leaders, policy makers, businesses and educational institutions to engage with our organization and embrace the mission and vision that will help inspire the next generation of business professionals
• In 2020 Business Professionals of America continued our work to modernize our learning into practical tools that our students and advisors can use to transform themselves in fundamental ways and expanded our leadership program offerings and practices with the launch of a virtual Leadership Academy and Learning Management System (LMS).

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection

Financials

Business Professionals of America, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Business Professionals of America, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 06/23/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Paxton Cavin

Oklahoma BPA

Term: 2022 - 2023

Angie Benson

BPA National Business Advisory Council

Dianne Carroll

At-large Representative

Paxton Cavin

At-large Representative

Amy Hollingsworth

Middle Grades Representative

Engen Sundberg

Student Representative

Breezy Gutierrez

New Mexico State Supervisor

Brenda Jacobsen

Post-secondary Representative

Steven J Mitchell

Executive Director

D'Schon Simmons

Student Representative

Deb Schwager

State Advisor Representative

Devin Alexander

State Advisor Representative

Andrea Leal

National BPA Alumni Representative

Kevin Benjamin

Business Representative

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/23/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Male

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

No data

Transgender Identity

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/22/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.