The Black Professional Association Charitable Foundation named Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. Regional Managing Partner Frederick R. Nance its 2008 Black Professional of the Year in recognition of his professional achievements, civic contributions and personal standards.

The Foundation will honor Mr. Nance on December 10, 2008 at its 28th Anniversary Scholarships and Awards Dinner being held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. As the 27th Black Professional of the Year, Mr. Nance joins a prestigious group of Greater Cleveland area professionals recognized for making a significant and positive impact within our community said foundation Vice President Scenario B. Adebesin.

Frederick R. Nance serves as the firm’s Regional Managing Partner, operating out of the Cleveland office. Squire Sanders, which was founded in Cleveland in 1890, now has more than 850 lawyers serving clients from 30 offices around the globe. Mr. Nance was recently elected by his partners to serve on the firm’s worldwide, seven-person Management Committee. Mr. Nance's legal practice focuses on commercial litigation, construction law, sports law, client counseling and public-private partnerships. Much of his practice in recent years has included high stakes negotiations involving community interests. He is an experienced jury trial litigator in federal and state courts and a frequent participant in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Mr. Nance began his career at Squire Sanders directly from law school. As a seasoned trial lawyer, he became a partner in 1987 and was elected to a four year term on the Management Committee in 1991. From 1991 through 2001, Mr. Nance also served as the primary outside counsel to the City of Cleveland and former Cleveland Mayor Michael White in a wide variety of community and economic development projects. In the summer of 2006, Mr. Nance was selected from among several hundred candidates as one of five finalists for the position of Commissioner of the National Football League.

Mr. Nance is the Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the nation’s largest Chamber of Commerce, with 16,000 plus members, a Member of the Executive Committee of the Ohio Business Roundtable and Member of the Executive Committee of the 50 Club of Cleveland. In 2004-2005, he served as Chairman of the Cleveland Defense Industry Alliance, which successfully retained 1,100 Department of Defense jobs that had been scheduled for elimination, but now will grow by an incremental 500 jobs in Cleveland.

For the last 27 years the Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation has provided more then $2.5 million dollars towards educational scholarships and grants for deserving African American students in the Greater Cleveland area. The scholarships, made possible through the Scholarship and Awards Gala have assisted over 350 students to reach their education goals.

For more information about the 28th Anniversary and Awards Dinner contact BPACF