The third annual luncheon will pay tribute to: Xernona Clayton, President and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation; UPS Foundation President Evern Cooper; two-time Olympic Track and Field Champion Gail Devers; Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; Model and Entrepreneur Iman; Coca-Cola Foundation Chairwoman Ingrid Saunders Jones; CNN News Anchor Soledad O'Brien; and Georgia State Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears.

"These eight women represent the cr￨me de la cr￨me of leaders in the business world. They bring honor not only to themselves, their families and their colleagues but also to their gender as well as to the entire African American community," said Marc H. Morial, president & CEO of the National Urban League.

The ceremony will take place on Saturday July 29 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Thomas J. Murphy Ballroom at the Georgia World Congress Center. It will be sponsored by General Mills, Macy's, MGM Mirage and Office Depot, Inc.

Kim Nelson, president of Snacks Unlimited and vice president of General Mills, will be joined by Debra Nelson, vice president for corporate diversity, community affairs and communications for MGM Mirage, and Daisy Vanderlinde, executive vice president of human relations for Office Depot, Inc., to offer remarks at the luncheon.

Michelle M. Miller of CBS News joined by National Urban League Chairman Michael J. Critelli and Morial will present the awards. The Reverend Dr. Barbara L. King of the Atlanta-based Hillside Chapel and Truth Center will deliver the invocation.

The National Urban League's 96th annual conference will run from July 26 through July 29 at the Georgia World Congress Center. This year's theme is "Building Economic Power for Black America" and is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees from across the nation and around the region. UPS and The Coca-Cola Company will serve as conference co-chairs.

The conference is the premier networking, recruiting and issues conference for African American professionals nationwide. Highlights include: a career fair with over 100 Fortune 500 Companies and recruiters; top speakers in business, politics and academia; an exciting, interactive exhibit hall with five specialty zones; the "Influencer Summit" targeted at young professionals under 40; franchise and business development opportunities; career coaching; and interactive sessions on building wealth, entrepreneurship, health and education.

More information about the National Urban League's 2006 Annual Conference registration, exhibitor or sponsorship opportunities is available on the League's website at www.nul.org or by calling (800-263-9926).