FBLA-PBL - Wikipedia

American career and technical student organization For other uses, see FBLA (disambiguation).

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Future Business Leaders of America, Inc.

Abbreviation	FBLA
Formation	1942; 84 years ago (1942), FBLA High School1958; 68 years ago (1958), FBLA Collegiate1979; 47 years ago (1979), FBLA Network1994; 32 years ago (1994), FBLA Middle School
Founder	Hamden L. Forkner
Founded at	Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S.
Type	Career and technical student organization (CTSO)
Legal status	501(c)3 Non-profit Organization
Purpose	"FBLA inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences."[1]
Headquarters	National Center Headquarters12100 Sunset Hill Road, Suite 200Reston, Virginia, U.S.20190
Membership	Total membership: 210,947 FBLA High School: 187,089 FBLA Middle School: 19,959 FBLA Collegiate: 3,899 (Membership numbers as of 7/31/25) (2025)
National Presidents	Yasha Nagathan, FBLA High SchoolJonathan Nevenhoven, FBLA Collegiate
President & CEO	Jennifer Woods
Board of directors	Jan Imhoff, Chair Duke Di Stefano Jennifer Claus Luckson Abraham Michael Hecht Austin Knight Julie Ellis Brandon Griffin Corbin Robinson Eric McGarvey Christi McGee Joe Hanson Carol York Yasha Nagathan Jonathan Nevenhoven Jennifer Woods
Website	fbla.org
Formerly called	Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc.

The Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Established in 1942, FBLA is a non-profit organization that prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society. With more than 200,000 middle school (FBLA Middle School), high school (FBLA High School), and college (FBLA Collegiate) members, FBLA provides student members with opportunities to explore careers, develop leadership skills, and gain real-world business experience.

FBLA partners with educators and industry leaders nationwide   to help students bridge the gap between the classroom and workplace. The FBLA Network extends the mission beyond graduation, connecting business professionals, industry partners, and alumni who continue to support the next generation of leaders and advance FBLA’s impact globally .

As of 2024, FBLA's national charity partner is the Alzheimer's Association. Their previous partner was March of Dimes.[2]

History

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The concept of FBLA was created by Hamden L. Forkner Sr. of Columbia University. Forkner, who also created the Forkner shorthand system, proposed that there should be one national organization to join the business clubs throughout the nation. The name "Future Business Leaders of America" was selected in 1940 and two years later the first chapter was created at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1958, PBL (now FBLA Collegiate) was founded with the first chapter at the University of Northern Iowa. In 1979, the Alumni Division (now FBLA Network) was founded. The FBLA-Middle Level division (now FBLA Middle School) was started in 1994 for students in grades 5-9.

Key Milestones

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• 1937: Hamden L. Forkner is the founder of FBLA. Professor Forkner developed the concept while at the Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City, and envisioned a national organization that would unite the thousands of business clubs in the nation’s high schools and colleges.
• 1940: The National Council for Business Education (now known as the National Business Education Association) sponsors the proposed student organization. Committees are appointed to formulate the organization’s general plans. The name “Future Business Leaders of America” is selected for the organization.
• 1942: First FBLA chapter is experimentally chartered at Science Hill High School, Johnson City, Tennessee, on February 3. A second chapter is started two days later in St. Albans, West Virginia. The first collegiate chapter is chartered at the University of Northern Iowa on February 10. By the end of the year, 39 chapters are added. Over the next three and one-half years, another 38 chapters join.
• 1946: The United Business Education Association assumes sponsorship of FBLA. Headquarters office for FBLA is established at the National Education Association Center in Washington, D.C.
• 1947: Iowa becomes the first FBLA state chapter. Indiana and Ohio quickly follow. Within the next three years, FBLA state chapters total ten.
• 1958: Phi Beta Lambda, the postsecondary division of FBLA, is created.
• 1969: Granted independent status as a nonprofit educational student association.
• 1973: Edward D. Miller becomes FBLA's first full-time Executive Director.
• 1976: First FBLA middle school chapter was started at Conway Junior High in Conway Arkansas. Middle school chapters we're combined with high school chapters until the Middle Level division was formed in 1994.
• 1981: The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation gifts 1.6 acres of land to FBLA-PBL to build the National Center in Reston, Virginia.
• 1987: National Membership surpasses 200,000.
• 1991: The FBLA National Center is opened.
• 1994: FBLA-Middle Level formed for students Grades 5-9.
• 1997: Jean Buckley appointed President and CEO.
• 2001: FBLA National Center mortgage is retired.
• 2016: FBLA celebrates 75 years.
• 2019: Jean Buckley retires as president and chief executive officer of the national association. Alexander T. Graham is appointed president and chief executive officer.[3]
• 2021: Still in the midst of the global pandemic, FBLA hosted its National Leadership Conference online; yielding more than 12,000 student attendees. FBLA transitioned its Professional Division to an FBLA Network, in order to emphasize and support the student member experience at the core of its mission.
• 2022: A new logo is released and Phi Beta Lambda is renamed to FBLA Collegiate.
• 2023: The FBLA National Center building at 1912 Association Drive in Reston, VA is sold. National Center operations are moved to its current office space, also in Reston.
• 2025: The Board of Directors appoints Jennifer Woods as FBLA’s fourth president and chief executive officer.[4]
• 2026: FBLA realigns regions from five (Eastern, Southern, North Central, Mountain Plains, and Western) to four (Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western).

Governance

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The organization is governed by its board of directors, which consists of the CEO, business leaders, state educators, business education teachers, and the two division national presidents.[5]

FBLA's membership is represented by the FBLA Middle School, FBLA High School and FBLA Collegiate divisions. FBLA High School and FBLA Collegiate each have different member-elected national officer teams. The national officers are elected by voting delegates at the annual National Leadership Conference (NLC) and installed during the Awards of Excellence Program.

The FBLA High School officer team consists of a president, secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, and four vice presidents representing each region. The FBLA Collegiate officer teams consist of a president, executive vice president, vice president of communication, vice president of financial development, vice president of membership, and parliamentarian.

FBLA Middle School and FBLA High School divide the United States into five administrative regions through the 2025-26 membership year. These regions are Western, Mountain Plains, North Central, Southern, and Eastern. Starting with the 2026-27 membership year, the four administrative regions are Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western.[6]

FBLA is governed by a structured set of bylaws that ensure consistent oversight and clear accountability across the organization. The FBLA Board of Directors operates under corporate bylaws that define its authority, responsibilities, and governance practices. In addition, each division of FBLA is governed by its own division bylaws, which outline division-specific policies, leadership structures, and operational procedures. Together, these bylaws provide a comprehensive governance framework that supports FBLA’s mission and organizational integrity at all levels.[7]

Each state has what is called a state chapter, which has its own state officer team. The roles in each state officer team vary by state, but each usually consists of a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and parliamentarian. Some also have historians, webmasters, and reporters.[8] Some states are then divided into districts below the state level. These are often governed by an elected official who serves on the state officer team.

Finally, each chapter has its own officer team. Chapter offices vary by chapter. While most use a structure similar to that of the national officers, others use a corporate-style structure with offices such as CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, etc.

Structure

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FBLA is composed of three divisions: FBLA Middle School, FBLA High School, and FBLA Collegiate. Each division except for FBLA Middle School (the FBLA High School National Officers also represent FBLA Middle School) has their own National Officer team. Most states have an FBLA High School and FBLA Collegiate state officer team. Some states have FBLA Middle School state officer teams. The entire organization contains more than 200,000 members across the three divisions.

FBLA Middle School

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FBLA's Middle School division introduces middle and junior high school students to the world of business. Members can explore careers and delve into business principles with real-world activities.[9]

FBLA High School

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FBLA High School is the largest division of FBLA. FBLA High School is separated into four regions: Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western. To charter an FBLA state chapter, a state must have at least five local chapters. Currently, the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Missouri have the largest membership.[10]

FBLA Collegiate

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FBLA Collegiate, formerly known as Phi Beta Lambda, is the collegiate division of FBLA. FBLA Collegiate can be found in traditional four-year colleges, community colleges, and career training programs. FBLA Collegiate has its own National Leadership Conference (NLC) before FBLA Middle School and FBLA High School's NLC.[11] To charter an FBLA Collegiate state chapter, a state must have at least three local chapters.

Competition

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In a similar fashion to other closely related CTSOs, competition is an integral part of the operation of FBLA. These competitions are offered to all levels of membership in a wide variety of topics, such as Information Technology, Business, and Marketing.[12] These competitions also range in the task, with some requiring on-the-spot and impromptu thinking, some being objective tests, and some requiring a team or individual to create something beforehand to be judged. All academic divisions have separate conferences from one another, (with the names and purposes remaining the same), starting with Regionals, then the State Leadership Conferences (SLCs), and finally, the National Leadership Conference (NLC). Under normal circumstances, an individual or team must first compete in a Regional competition provided by their state. In some states, attendance at a Regional conference is not required to continue to the next level. After Regionals, the competitor(s) would compete in their State Leadership Conference (SLC). This event is also provided by the individual state. If the competitor(s) accomplish a position in the top 5 of their event in their state, they qualify for the National Leadership Conference (NLC), provided by the National level.

National Officers

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FBLA High School elects its nine national officers, and FBLA Collegiate elects its six national officers at each summer's national leadership conference. National officers are responsible for representing the entire membership as well as designing and implementing the annual program of work to achieve FBLA's goals. Each national officer team serves for a one-year term.[4] National officers also are assisted by a team of 5 members on a 'National Council' representing their position.

References

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1. ^ "About FBLA-PBL". FBLA-PBL. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
2. ^ "The Virtual Walk to Anaheim to End Alzheimer's - FBLA". Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Retrieved April 20, 2025.
3. ^ "History of FBLA-PBL".
4. ^ a b "Future Business Leaders of America Sets Sights on Growth with New Leadership". FBLA. December 12, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
5. ^ "Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda". Fbla-pbl.org. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
6. ^ "FBLA Regions". Retrieved April 19, 2018.
7. ^ "About FBLA - FBLA". Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Retrieved January 5, 2026.
8. ^ "FBLA Regions". Regions.fbla.org. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
9. ^ "FBLA Middle School - Middle School Leadership Programs". Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Retrieved January 3, 2026.
10. ^ "Future Business Leaders of America - FBLA". Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Retrieved January 13, 2025.
11. ^ "Future Business Leaders of America". Fbla-pbl.org. February 3, 1942. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
12. ^ maurice. "FBLA HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITIVE EVENTS". Future Business Leaders of America. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

External links

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• Official website