The league will award Steward with the Business Pioneer Award and Citi with the Donald H. McGannon Award at the conference's annual business award luncheon to take place on Thursday, July 26, at 12:00 noon in America's Center.

The awards ceremony will also feature remarks by NUL Board Chairman John D. Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Company in the United States, as well as by representatives of Bank of America, Freddie Mac, MetLife and PepsiCo. All five companies will serve as luncheon sponsors.

From Citi, the following executives will be honored: Natalie Abatemarco, Jackie Eubanks, Eric V. Eve and Lisa M. Joyner. National Urban League Trustee William F. Pickard, chairman and CEO for Global Automotive Alliance, LLC, and National Urban League President Marc H. Morial will be on hand to present the awards.

The NUL 97th annual conference, which is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees from across the nation, will take place from July 25 through July 28.This year's theme is "You, Your Money, Your Future," and Anheuser-Busch and U.S. Bank will serve as conference co-chairs and title sponsors.

The four-day event will feature over 80 dynamic speakers and experts in four plenary sessions and 18 workshops to be held over four days. It is the premier networking, recruiting and issues conference for African-American professionals nationwide.

Two political-themed plenary sessions, including forums of presidential candidates as well as a panel discussion assessing whether the black vote will be taken for granted, will be held. In addition, the conference will feature a town hall addressing "The Black Male Crisis" and a family prayer breakfast. The plenary sessions will precede a wide array of workshops - from leadership and career development to wealth accumulation, entrepreneurship and understanding financial management to improving one's health and wellness - in an effort to help participants improve themselves economically and physically.

Confirmed speakers include: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Susan Taylor of Essence Magazine, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, among others.

August A. Busch IV, President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Inc., and Richard K. Davis, President and CEO of U.S. Bank, will serve as Conference Co-Chairpersons. The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, under the leadership of President and CEO James H. Buford and Chairman of the Board Robert E. Wallace, will serve as the host affiliate. Premium conference sponsors will be Centene Corporation, Dell, Emerson, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Sprint.

Healthy Start Fitness Workout will give hundreds of attendees the opportunity to start their day on the right foot with a fitness trainer, who will lead them in a vigorous workout each day of the conference.

More information about the National Urban League's 2007 Annual Conference registration, exhibitor or sponsorship opportunities is available on the League's website at www.nul.org or by calling (800-263-9926).