About ABL

History and Mission

The results-oriented mission of ABL is to inspire, educate, and expand the educational and career objectives of at-risk students through practical and experiential education, with a focus on business, financial investment, entrepreneurial training, and leadership development. ABL primarily targets students with marginal grade point averages who have been recognized by their counselors and school administrators as having high-unrealized potential. In a nurturing, loving, and supportive environment, and through integration in a college environment, hands-on exposure to business fundamentals, and interaction with the movers and shakers of corporate and civic America, ABL’s ultimate goal is twofold: 1) to improve students’ chances of participating in the global economy and ensure their financial self-sufficiency and security and 2) to unleash the potential of its participants to aspire to become the future CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders of America and the world.

Rick Yamamotto, the former Manager of Investments of Southern California Edison (SCE), established ABL in 1991. ABL is currently housed at SCE. The original mission of ABL was to provide educational training and mentoring to increase the number of minority applicants for investment positions in corporate America. Since 1998, under the current leadership, the scope of the organization has evolved and dramatically expanded to involve more opportunities for the participating students.

In 1998, the ABL Board of Directors retained Anna Ouroumian to spearhead and turn around the struggling organization. Through her dynamic, creative, and forward thinking leadership style, using her personal message of triumph over adversity as an orphan survivor from war-torn Beirut, Ms. Ouroumian has catapulted the organization in new directions. Under her tenure, ABL has tripled in size; completely revamped the curriculum, logo, and marketing materials; completely revamped the curriculum, created new programs and enhanced existing ones; launched special events and gala fundraisers such as the Annual Commencement and Awards Banquet, and the ABL Crystal Globe Awards; created and recruited a corporate advisory board; quintupled the number of volunteers to over 500; graduated in seven years alone over 1,600 underserved students out of 2,000 total students since 1991 who came from 265 middle and high schools and over 65 school districts in Southern California in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties; and reached over 36,000 middle and high school students through workshops and presentations throughout Southern California. In 2000, she helped the organization secure the donation of a 4,000 square foot building on a 10,000 square foot lot in South Los Angles. Anna Ouroumian’s vision is to take ABL national and provide this opportunity to every student who needs it.