More than 20 years ago, Billie Knight Rayford, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Theta Theta Omega chapter, implemented the first AKAnomics Summit, as charged by Alpha Kappa Alpha’s international leadership.  The AKAnomics Summit was initially developed to provide economic education to children and their parents.  About 2 years later, Theta Theta Omega Chapter President Kaweeda Adams, along with her husband, Eric Adams, of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Xi chapter, decided to unite their chapters’ efforts to inform the community about the economic divide facing our society.  Working together, these organizations have heightened awareness of financial matters among the youth and adults in Clark County. The program continued under the name, Economic Summit, expanding its focus on the youth in the Las Vegas community.

In October 2007, under the leadership of founding President Tanya Flanagan, founding Vice President Eric James, and a host of instrumental officers and members, the Las Vegas Urban League Young Professionals (LVULYP) hosted the first African American Student Leadership Conference. The daylong event, held on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, also included a parent workshop to help parents answer questions about their child’s future collegiate experience.

More than 300 students attended the inaugural Student Leadership Conference, participating in workshops across the campus and plenary sessions in the Student Union. More than 30 workshops were provided, facilitated by members of the Divine 9, UNLV faculty and community experts on a variety of subjects from Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), to the benefit of engaging in campus organizations, study programs, work study and more. Financial aid, campus life, safety and working as a student were topics addressed in the parent session.  We were joined by an additional 300 members of the community, elected officials and UNLV faculty. The day incorporated a special presentation by the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program and included special guest speaker former UNLV athlete, turned NBA star player Larry Johnson fondly known as “Grandmama.” Thanks to a partnership with then State Sen. Steven Horsford, McDonald’s Corporation, State Farm Insurance, Community Bank and The Daisy Miller Foundation; more than $35,000 in student scholarships were awarded.  LVULYP recruited students across all Clark County high schools.