BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephen B. Richer, AB Chairman
Previously, Richer served as New Jersey’s first director of tourism, the first executive director of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, and president of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Richer also was the mayor and a councilman of Randolph Township in New Jersey, from 1974–80.
Prior to his current position, Richer served on the NTA Board of Directors for four years and his last term ended in 2007. Additionally, he served in the Nevada Governor’s Cabinet where he testified in Congress before the House and Senate, the board of directors of the National Council of State Travel Directors, the staff advisory council to the National Governors Association Committee on International Trade and Foreign Relations and its Tourism Subcommittee.
He has been recognized for outstanding tourism marketing through various awards, including NTA Destination Marketing Organization of the Year in 1986, the Top 100 Marketing Award from Advertising Age in 1999, the New Jersey Pinnacle Award for top marketer for the state, the top career marketing award in Mississippi, and the Bob Everidge Lifetime Leadership Award from NTA in 2014. Additionally, Richer is a member of the Mississippi Tourism Hall of Fame and received one of the 2006 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community Leader of the Year Awards.
In addition to these awards, Richer has worked on various boards and committees throughout the world, including the board of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the New Jersey-Israel Commission, the Gulf of Mexico Tourism Coalition (US and Mexican states), and tourism consortia working in international markets.
Agnes Nabasirye, BSc, MPH
President
Agnes Nabasirye is the Group President for JLM Investing and Real Estate, LLC which connects African and American businesses to investors and partners with business interests in these markets; JLM Pharmaceuticals Ltd which promotes and implements medical product supply china systems, and local pharmaceutical production in Africa; and JLM Foundation, Inc. which is the charitable arm of both corporations. Prior, Agnes worked at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than ten (10) years in managing global health programs in Africa and India. She advised ministries of health in target countries on service delivery gap identification and intervention for on infectious disease. She is a native of Uganda and a pan-African with strong convictions on important role of regional integration and strategic partnerships in achieving a stronger global business engagement.
Leyland Hazlewood, PHD
President,Development Import & Export(DIMPEX, Inc)
As one of the world’s renowned experts on doing business in Africa, Leyland Hazlewood is a highly sought after resource in business, government and professional circles – Fortune 500s, small business owners, non-profit and community leaders from all sectors looking to expand opportunity into Africa. Over 40 years he has managed and implemented development projects, guided corporate market entry strategies, brand positioning, foreign partner selection and cross-border distribution in 45 African countries; from Algeria in the North to Cape Town, South Africa on the Southern tip of the continent and in English and French Speaking countries from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.
Hazlewood has advised African governments in development of rural medical delivery systems including the rationalization of pharmaceutical distribution, the training of primary health care agents, and the promotion of investment opportunities in a variety of manufacturing sectors, including pharmaceuticals. He is the author of the Amazon Best Seller, “The Ultimate Guide to Doing Business in Africa: Nuts and Bolts of Succeeding in Business”.