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NBTA Foundation Announces Global Leadership Professional Designation

Designation Expands on Existing Program with Wharton School and Adds Third Designation to NBTA Professional Development Package    

Contact:   Caleb Tiller +1 703-684-0836, ext. 138, ctiller@nbta.org
                Daphne Bryant, +1 703-236-3410, ext. 141, dbryant@nbtafoundation.org

Alexandria, VA (October 23, 2006) - The NBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), is pleased to announce the Global Leadership Professional (GLP) designation.  The GLP designation will build upon the principles of the existing GLP program, formerly known as the Global Leadership Program.  The GLP program, the industry’s only master’s-level course, is offered through a partnership between the NBTA Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

The new designation was created in response to significant demand from those who had completed GLP coursework to expand upon that knowledge base through project-based work. The GLP designation is available to corporate travel professionals who have completed the GLP certificate of professional development, which requires completion of one five-day course and three two-day sessions conducted by Wharton School professors on topics such as leadership, finance, marketing and management.  To earn the designation, participants will work in teams on an industry-related project, the findings of which will be shared with the business travel community during a session at the NBTA International Convention & Exposition.  The designation program will also include a two-day session in which groups are established and topics are determined, three web-based seminars and a one-day session in which the project and materials are finalized before presentation.  The first GLP designations will be awarded at the 2008 NBTA Convention, with the year-long project work launching at the 2007 NBTA Convention, July 22-25 in Boston.  

Ellen Keszler, Chair of the NBTA Foundation, remarked, “The NBTA Foundation is thrilled to meet the demand of those who have earned the GLP certificate of professional development by expanding the partnership with the Wharton School to offer corporate travel professionals the opportunity earn the designation of Global Leadership Professional, or GLP.  The designation program allows professionals the chance build upon the foundation they achieved while completing the GLP coursework and to gain recognition for their knowledge and expertise with the GLP designation following their names.”  

The investment to participate in the GLP designation program is $5,000 beyond the cost of the GLP coursework. For more details, see www.nbtafoundation.org/Education.  

NBTA and the NBTA Foundation offer three levels of education to aid in the professional development of its members – the Fundamentals of Business Travel Management/CTE, a designation course targeted towards professionals new to travel management; the Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE) program, the industry’s only certification program directed towards travel professionals with more than two years of experience; and the GLP program.  For more information on these programs, please visit www.nbta.org/education.  

The NBTA Foundation, formerly the Institute of Business Travel Management (IBTM), is the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). The foundation was established in 1997 to support NBTA’s members and the industry as a whole. As the only education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the NBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The NBTA Foundation offers the only master’s-level accredited course for the corporate travel professional, the Global Leadership Professional program, in partnership with The Wharton School. The NBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see www.nbtafoundation.org.  

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