As of Oct. 31, 2008, the tentative lineup of keynote and workshop speakers includes the following noted people.
The Gary Hermance Speaker will be Paxton Williams, executive director of the George Washington Carver Birthplace Association in Diamond, Mo. The Iowa State University grad is an actor and playwright of a one-person play, Paxton Williams Presents Listening to the Still Small Voice: The Story of George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver was Iowa State University’s first African-American graduate and faculty member.
The Monday, June 8, luncheon will feature James Autry, an author, poet and consultant, whose work has had significant influence on leadership thinking and has been a vital force in promotion of the arts. Autry is former senior vice president at Meredith Corp. and has authored 10 books. He coauthored The Book of Hard Choices after interviewing a variety of leaders about tough decisions they've made on the job. He was president of the magazine group of the Meredith Corporation. His books include The Servant Leader, Real Power and bestselling Love and Profit. He is currently a consultant with Fortune 500 firms and a popular lecturer on leadership and business ethics.
The Reuben Brigham Award recipient will be Kenneth Quinn, executive director of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines and former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia. Ambassador Quinn, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, is a long-time veteran of the U.S. State Department. In December 2008, he will receive an honorary degree from Iowa State University.
The Bill Murphy Speaker is to be announced.
Always a highlight of the conference are the remarks and wisdom dispensed by the recipient of the ACE Professional Award. Don’t miss it.