Past Shaker Recipients
June Shaker Recipient
May's Shaker Award Goes To Claudia Dixon, CPA
Claudia Dixon, CPA is President of the National Association of Black Accounts, Inc., Greater Miami-South Florida Chapter (“NABA”). NABA is a professional organization whose mission is to address the professional needs of its members and to build leaders that shape the future of the accounting and finance professions with the commitment to inspire the same in their successors. NABA represents the professional and business interests of over 100,000 African Americans and other minorities in the fields of accounting, finance, business consulting, and information technology.
This year has been an especially exciting year for the South Florida Chapter as they celebrated their 30th year anniversary. As hosts of the NABA National Convention in Hollywood, Florida, their convention committee, board of directors and members have been working very hard in preparation for the June 2006 event. This will mark almost ten years since the NABA National convention has been hosted in South Florida and is expected to bring over 3,000 professionals to the tri-county area from across the United States. The attendees are professionals, entrepreneurs, firm partners and business decision-makers. The convention hotel “The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa” in Hollywood, Florida and four other hotels have been completely sold out for this event.
Claudia (a native of Kingston, Jamaica) is an Audit Manager with Ernst & Young's Fort Lauderdale practice. She is a Florida Certified Public Accountant with over seven years of public accounting experience serving clients in the public sector, not-for-profit, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and consumer products industries. Claudia holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of South Florida.
Claudia is passionate about giving back, and believes in supporting programs that enable others to become successful. In doing so she organizes & participates in trainings for other professionals for needed certification credits; hosts financial information sessions for small businesses; organizes and fundraising activities for tuition assistance for students; organizes and participates in community sponsored events to ameliorate social adversities. Claudia was recently named among SUCCESS South Florida Magazine’s, South Florida's Top 40 Under 40 Black Professionals, April – May 2006.
On behalf of NABA, Claudia would like to take this opportunity to extend a welcome to the South Florida business community to join the South Florida Chapter during the week of June 13, 2006 as they welcome the NABA National Convention to Hollywood, Florida. For more information visit us at www.nabamia.org or www.nabainc.org or contact us at nabamiami@gmail.com.
April's Shaker Award Goes To Bill Diggs
Business Biography for Bill Diggs
Bill serves as the Chief Executive Officer for The Miami Dade Chamber of Commerce. Miami Dade Chamber of Commerce is Florida's oldest Chamber of Commerce that has as its primary mission the growth and retention of minority businesses. The Miami-Dade Chamber recognizes that its primary purpose is to serve the black business community through its membership. Therefore, increasing membership, retaining current members and attracting new members is a priority for Bill. While Bill manages the day to day operations of his staff, he is over all aspects including financial, programming and development. The chamber has over 400 + members whom Bill advocates for on a daily basis. He consults with elected officials as well as public and privately held corporations CEO's in order to insure that the minority vendor community in Miami Dade can thrive.
Bill was previously the Vice President of Sales for JLM Risk Management Company. JLM is a 100% African American owned Atlanta, Georgia based commercial property and casual insurance firm. JLM has over $15 million dollar in annual billings. Their customer base includes various entertainment, fast food and beverages companies. Coca Cola Companies is their largest client. As the VP of Sales, Bill was responsible for growing JLM's Florida business presence. JLM's innovative thought process won them a national award as Georgia's Small Business of the Year. They received this award in Washington D.C. as part of a federal program that looked to reward businesses for new approaches to traditional business practices.
Bill has been involved in many successful business ventures. While at MCI Telecommunications, Bill was recognized for launching what was considered as the most successful competitive local service campaign in the company's history.
Bill is originally from Augusta Georgia and is the son of Margaret and Joseph Diggs, Sr. (US Army - Retired) As a child Bill has lived in many different communities all over the world
He is a member of the Board of Directors for Alonzo Mourning Charities. He is a Board Member of the James E Scott Community Association, South Florida Workforce and is also a member of the Executive Board of Directors of Florida Memorial University Foundation. Bill is also Past President of the 100 Black Men of South Florida, Inc. As a Founding Member of the 100 Black Men of South Florida he is responsible for helping to chart the success of it's largest charity based event. Zo's Summer Groove. This event has raised over $5 million dollars for the children of South Florida. Bill's proudest civic accomplishments come from his starting of the 100's nationally recognized Leadership Academy. The Academy is a fully engrossed mentorship program that has taken kids from failing elementary grades to college scholarship recipients as schools such as Florida A&M University, Bethune Cookman College and the University of Virginia. Bill has appeared in The New York Times, Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel and many other newspapers. He regularly speaks at various high schools, business conferences and youth conventions. The topics range from issues affecting African Americans in corporate America to topics such as the importance of mentoring among many others. Bill was selected as the Emerging Leader of the Year in 2005 by The Florida Minority Business Development Agency.
Along with being an avid golfer and jazz enthusiast Bill is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta Georgia where he obtained a BS degree in Political Science. Bill has two children Drew and Dominique.
