Consortium of Doctors Inducts New Members and Honors Shirley James

Abevy of distinguished women, dedicated to scholarship, professionalism, and public service converged upon the city of Savannah July 22nd -25th to explore issues affecting the African- American community, families, youth, and core values against the landscape of economic and political challenges that fill the headlines every day.

Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. members are pictured with inductees adorned with wrist corsages, and medals. Consortium founder Dr. Abigail Jordan is seated, center. The highlight of the conference was the Bouquet of Doctors Banquet held Saturday, July 24, 2010 in the Regency Ballroom of the Hyatt Hotel.

Seven outstanding honorees from across the country who, because of their outstanding achievements, were inducted into the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd.: Dr. Carolyn Caudle - Professor, Tennessee State University; Dr. Regina Vincent Clark - Georgia Board of Regents Program; Dr. Susan Gordon - Community First, South Carolina; Dr. Jacqualyn Green - Consultant Green Enterprizes, Indiana; Dr. Fannie E. Hicklin, Retired Dean of the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater; Dr. Leah Alexander-Otukpe - Meharry Medical College - Nashville, TN; and Dr. Carolyn Baldwin Tucker - Retired Principal and School Superintendent, former Metro Councilwoman and current professor at David Lipscomb University - Nashville.

Shirley Barber James receives the Humanitarian of the Year Award presented by the Consortium of Doctors, Ltd. Also honored was Mrs. Shirley Barber James, Owner/President of The Savannah Tribune received the organization's most prestigious honor, “The COD Humanitarian Award.”

Founded by Savannah resident Dr. Abigail Jordan, COD is comprised of women with doctoral degrees from accredited institutions.

For the mission of COD, Jordan recalled the words of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. “She said Black women must be role models. “In a sense, we have to reinvent the wheel. Our lives must be clean and wholesome, because youths are not listening to our rhetoric. They are watching our lives.”

Dr. Barbara Cannon, COD Director, Oakland, CA, said, “COD brings together powerful, talented, gifted trailblazers with abundant potential and expertise who inspire others to achieve, grow, develop, and become positive in life and in capacity building of self and others.”

COD Co-Director, Dr. Harriette Bias-Insignares, a product of the Savannah city schools, said, “We are a Think Tank dedicated to promoting the core values of scholarship as life-long learning and citizenship as life-long commitment to guiding and leading this country through activism.

We challenge all African Americans with doctoral degrees to view this achievement not only as a personal achievement but also as a public resource to be used to invest in the future of the African-American community.”