IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday December 20, 2010
 
MBRT Mourns the Loss of U.S. Ambassador John Edwin Upston who Passed Away on December 19, 2010

Washington, D.C. – “We are saddened at the passing of our friend and colleague who served as my special advisor while developing the Minority Business RoundTable.  John was an extraordinary person who gave more than he received. He was an inspiration of integrity and a rare breed of individual that evoked trust and admiration from those who knew him. He reminded me of my father who he had met when I introduced them during the 1980’s”, said Roger A. Campos, President & CEO.  “John was my friend for over 30 years and confidant that I will truly miss. My deepest sympathies go out to his sons and Barbara who he loved very much.”

About John Upston

John was the Son of the late General John E. Upston, United States Air Force (World War II) who was the founder of the modern U.S. Air Force. He was educated at Sidwell Friends School, Washington, D.C.; Tamalpais School for Boys, San Rafael California; Virginia Military Institute.  Graduated in Political Science from Stanford University and advance study of Nationalism at Harvard  University.

He served as United States Ambassador to Rwanda (Reagan/Bush Administration). He  called for a Caribbean Basin Initiative in speech to the Republican National            Platform Committee, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1980 and was coordinator for Caribbean Affairs, Department of State (Reagan/Bush Administration). He served in a variety of distinguished positions including: with D. E. A., Coast Guard, Government of the Bahamas, U.K. Government, F.B.I.; Member, White House Task Force on Puerto Rico, Presidential Delegate to the State, Presidential Delegation to the Independence of Antigua Barbuda and later to the inauguration of the President of the Dominican Republic; Republican National Committee National Security and International Relations
Advisory Council (Carter Administration); Founder and President of the Caribbeana Council, a U.S. Agency for International; Executive Director, U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Department of State (Nixon Administration), 5 years, and represented the United States at UNESCO International Conferences in Varna, Bulgaria and Bucharest, Romania.  He served as U.S. Delegation to UNESCO General Conferences in Paris, France and Nairobi, Kenya. He received the Department of State Superior Honor Award and received joint State, AID, USIA Annual Award for advancing the careers of
women in the foreign service. Earlier he served as a member of the State Department Management Planning and Policy Implementation Staff; a permanent member of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York as Advisor for International Organization Affairs and liaison officer to the City of New York and  Member of the U.S. Delegation to the 21st and 22nd  United Nations General Assembly (Johnson Administration). He also served as: Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of State-Management (Nixon Administration).   He recently served as Chairman of the International Trade and Investment Committee of the Minority Business Roundtable in Washington,  D.C. The MBRT represents the largest Minority Owned Companies in the United States. Membership includes African –American , Hispanic, Asian-American, Native American, and Women owned Enterprises.

About the Minority Business RoundTable:

The Minority Business RoundTable is the only national non-profit organization for CEOs of the nation's leading African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American and other minority-owned businesses. Its members analyze and help formulate effective public policies that impact minority-owned business.  Our corporate members work to create sustainable communities and national economic viability through successful partnerships.
 
The Minority Business RoundTable is proud to have Johnson & Johnson, Glaxco Smith Kline, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, National Bankers Association, Equifax, Business Thru Government (BTG), the Allegis Group and Aerotek, Inc., IMPAC Real Estate Holdings, the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of the country’s leading corporations, U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Energy,  U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency and other federal agencies, corporations and business trade groups as strategic partners.  For more information on the Minority Business RoundTable, please visit www.mbrt.net.
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Minority Business Roundtable
1629 K Street, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-289-8881
rogercampos@mbrt.net