Future Leader: Edwin Vernon Avent
 Edwin V. Avent is President /CEO of E.V.A. International, Inc., parent company of U.S. Prevention Marketing Group, where he directs day-to-day activities. The company, which he founded in 1990, designs and markets health related education and prevention products targeting African Americans and other communities of color. It also creates prevention oriented advertising campaigns and sells advertising specialty products.
Since his days as a student leader at Cornell University, where he studied Consumer Economics, in the early 1980's, Mr. Avent has had a passion for uniting and uplifting the African American community. His commitment has been demonstrated in his professional career, which he began in 1985, as an Advertising Sales Account Executive for Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG).
CCG, publishers of U.S. Black Engineer and Hispanic Engineer magazines and the producers of The Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference and Success Through Education syndicated television programs, fulfilled Avents' desire to help African Americans and Hispanics pursue careers in high technology. While at CCG Avent rose through the company to become its Marketing Director and finally its Director of Sales and Promotions for the Career Conference Division.
In the fall of 1990, Avent founded Umoja Sasa Products Corporation (USPC), the predecessor to EVA International, Inc. The first products introduced to the public by USPC was a line of condoms, called UMOJA SASA Condoms. Mr. Avent and his company has since introduced entire HIV/AIDS education and prevention campaigns targeting the African, Hispanic and Native American communities. In 1996 and 1997 USPC was named the 25th and 23rd largest minority owned company in Baltimore respectively, by the Baltimore Business Journal.
Now trading as U.S. Prevention Marketing Group (USPMG), Mr. Avents' company is considered a market leader in the development of health education and prevention materials and campaigns targeting communities of color.
From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Avent served as Vice President and co-owner of Maryland Foodservices, Inc., owners and operators of the Redwood Grill Restaurant and Redwood Grill Caterers, one of the only African American owned restaurants near Baltimore's famed Inner Harbor.
Mr. Avent is also the co-founder and current President of Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM), one of Baltimore's leading non-profit organizations. Under Mr. Avent's direction, BPM has created several investment groups and helped numerous members get appointed to government, non-profit and corporate boards and commissions.
He has also overseen the incorporation of a federally registered political action committee, BPMPAC, the creation Baltimore's largest Black entrepreneurship conference, Black Entrepreneurship Weekend and increased the number of scholarships given by the organization to area Black male high school graduates from 6 to 13.
He has directed the creation of the organizations web site, www.bpminc.org and a student internship program. These programs were added to BPM's existing programs which include a mentoring and tutoring program for young African American boys, a college chapter at Morgan State University and an awards program honoring successful Black male professionals.
In 1997 Mr. Avent was named one of Baltimore's "40 under 40", a listing of the city's business and political leaders of the future, by the Baltimore Business Journal. Mr. Avent is a member of several area boards of directors including Associated Black Charities and is a 1998 graduate of The Leadership, the Greater Baltimore Committee's leadership development program for emerging business, government and non-profit executives. Mr. Avent is also listed in Who's Who Among African Americans, 1994-95, 1996-97 and 1998 -99.
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