Leadership Baylor Speaker Series

The Leadership Baylor Speaker Series provides a forum for today’s leaders to connect with the leaders of tomorrow. Throughout the year well-known guest speakers from a variety of professional backgrounds and organizations share their unique leadership styles and experiences with Baylor students.

2007-08 Speakers Include:

October 8 - Pat Conroy, the author of "Prince of Tides," "The Great Santini," “The Lords of Discipline” and numerous other best-selling novels kicks off this year’s Leadership Baylor speaker series. For more information about Pat’s visit to Baylor, click here.

October 22 – Barbara Byrd Gaines joined Bell South Company (now AT&T) in 1977 and has managed various areas of the business. She received her B.A. from Agnes Scott College and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the college. Additionally, she holds a Masters degree from Villanova University.

March 3 – Joe Ehrmann, an All-American football player and former player with the NFL, Joe was selected as the Colt’s Man of the Year and was the first recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. Since 1995, he has served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Gilman School in Baltimore. Joe and his wife, Paula, are co-founders of Building Men and Women for Others, an organization that seeks to redefine and reframe the social responsibility of sports, coaches, parents and players, as well as addressing issues of violence and child advocacy. He is the subject of the New York Tiimes bestseller Season of Life by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Marx. Marx spoke as part of the Leadership Baylor Speaker Series in 2007.

March 31 – Sylvia Mackey’s advocacy for her husband, former NFL Hall of Fame player, John Mackey, was the driving force behind the NFL and the NFL Players Association's decision to create the “88 Plan,” which enables former players who have various forms of dementia to receive money for their care and treatment. In 2007 she received the Zunic Award given by Syracuse University, which recognizes courage and spirit in the face of life’s adversity. She has been interviewed by numerous magazines and has appeared on CNN and other major networks.

April 7 – Baylor graduate (1973) and current parent, J. Frank Harrison, III, currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated in Charlotte, N.C. He and his daughter Carter (09) and other members of the Harrison family will share their personal story regarding the film With Open Eyes. This feature length documentary follows five Americans during their extraordinary journey throughout Africa’s largest and most oppressed country as they meet Sudanese people who have been affected by over two decades of genocide.

May 5 - Michael Franzese was a legendary member of the notorious Colombo crime family. At the height of his mob activity, Michael was one of the biggest money earners the mob had seen since Al Capone, and the youngest individual on Fortune magazine's survey of The Fifty Biggest Mafia Bosses. His most recent book, Blood Covenant, looks at that story from 10 years of changed life, offering a powerful look at the why and how he left his past, and how he is still alive today. Franzese is the founder and chairman of the Breaking Out Foundation, which is dedicated to educating, empowering, and equipping youth to face life's challenges, particularly gambling addiction.

May 12 - Karen Louise Gearreald was the first blind student to attend Agnes Scott College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was honored as a Stukes Scholar for having the highest GPA. She later earned a master’s degree in English literature from Harvard, a doctorate in English linguistics and literature from Harvard, and a juris doctorate from Duke Law School. She served as a Navy civil service lawyer, specializing in government contracts for 20 years, before becoming a teacher at the Hadley School for the Blind.

Parents and Alums Invited to Attend

All of the speakers will address the Upper School chapel (9:52 a.m. – 10:22 a.m.) and the Middle School chapel (11:24 a.m. – 12:04 a.m.) Because the size of the Upper School leaves little additional room for guests, we are inviting parents to attend any or all of these services during the Middle School Chapel. Please RSVP to Susan Collins at 267-8506, ext. 257.

Or Watch the Podcast

If you are unable to attend, please visit our Baylor Podcast section to enjoy these excellent speakers. Video podcasts will be posted soon after each event.