Upcoming Events

January 18, 2006 - ILA Executive Speaker Series, Craig Johnson, Executive Vice-President of Sales and Brand Management for Philip Morris USA, 4:30 p.m., Student Learning Center, UGA Campus

May 5, 2006 - Maximum Impact-360º The Measure of a Leader conference at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA

ILA Welcomes New Office Manager

We are delighted to announce that Regina Lagarino has joined the ILA as its new Office Manager. She comes to us from a two-year stint in Terry's J. M. Tull School of Accounting. It was difficult to lure her away, but as she puts it, “We made her an offer she couldn't refuse.” Regina confesses to being somewhat of a comic-book nerd and enjoys writing poetry and short stories. She also loves flying in small planes, despite crashing in a little Cessna when she was 16. Originally from Florida, Regina moved to Athens in 2000 where she lives with her eight-year-old daughter, Jessie. Welcome Regina!

ILA Holds 3rd Annual Tailgate

The Institute for Leadership Advancement hosted approximately 200 people November 19th for the 3rd Annual ILA Tailgate. The event took place on the Brooks Hall Lawn before the Kentucky/Georgia football game. Despite the chilly morning start, students, parents, student alumni, corporate partners, faculty and staff were all in attendance to enjoy food, fellowship and pre-game fun.

Crane Scholarship Recipients

The William Moore Crane Leadership Scholarship was established to recognize third- and fourth- year Honors students who demonstrate high academic achievement and outstanding campus leadership. Among the proud recipients of the 2005-2006 Crane Scholarship are the following ILA students:

• R. Blake Edwards, a third-year management major from Alpharetta
• Rachel Jacobs, a fourth-year international business and international affairs double major from Athens
• Nitin Patel, a fourth-year finance and economics double major from Memphis, Tennessee
• Jamie Peper, a third-year finance and international business double major from Savannah
• Rajesh Shah, a fourth-year honors interdisciplinary studies major from Lawrenceville.

Panel of Leaders Give ILA Students “Best Advice”

With the recent “exposures of the dark side of business leadership”, such as Enron, WorldCom/MCI, and the continuing saga of Dennis Kozlowski, much more attention has been given to the importance and impact of the values, personal characteristics and experiences of leaders across all contexts. Vikki Clawson hosted Deborah Storey, Vice President-PMO Broadband Transformation for BellSouth Corporation, Mid Ramsey, Senior Vice President with Athens First Bank and Trust, and Randy Cook, Senior Director of Product Support with BellSouth Long Distance to discuss their “Best Advice as a Leader”. Dr. Clawson felt her leadership students could benefit from discussing and debating the day to day reality of balancing leadership integrity and character with the need to deliver positive business results. The three panelists spoke to students in both her ILAD 4100 classes which include students in the Scholars Program and LEAD program. They came to provide some insights into the day to day dilemmas of leadership—to share their philosophy of leadership as well as their early leadership lessons and the defining moments that shaped how they view the leadership and its power to impact and influence. Students and ILA staff alike were extremely grateful for their time and willingness to share their experience.

New! ILA Photo Gallery

Check out photos from various ILA events including the recent corporate site visits and speakers.

Pandora Outstanding Senior Leaders Chosen

Pandora, the UGA yearbook, has announced its list of Outstanding Senior Leaders. Among them are ILA Scholars Meg Gamble, Ashley Rudolph, both majoring in Marketing, and Nitin Patel, majoring in Finance. Look for them to be featured in the 2006 edition of Pandora.

Synovus ~ Corporate Site Visit

On November 4th, 2005 Leonard Leadership Scholars were provided with the amazing opportunity of visiting the Synovus' headquarters in Columbus, GA. The scholars began their day with an early morning ride to the site on the Terry buses. When they arrived, the students were greeted by Synovus employees and escorted into a beautiful conference room.

The students gathered around Richard E. Anthony, the CEO & President of Synovus and Fred L. Green, the Vice Chairman of Synovus as they discussed how the corporation worked as a unit. The students were given a broad overview of the business and allowed a question and answer session with high-ranking Synovus officials.

After leaving the headquarters, the students visited CB&T, Synovus' largest bank. This visit included a luncheon and a panel of CB&T employees. The event was moderated with questions and answers from each of the panelists dealing with values, leadership, culture and other issues. At the end of the luncheon, Lee Lee James spoke more about Synovus' Leadership Program.

The day concluded with a trip to TSYS, a data-processing technology company. The Leadership Scholars walked through the facility to understand how electronic transactions evolve into the bill that is sent out to customers. The corporate site visit provided students a glimpse of the day to day operations of Synovus.

Former Scholar Chosen as Chambliss Fellow

The School of Public and International Affairs announces the new Saxby Chambliss Foreign Policy and National Security Fellow for spring semester. Justin Golshir, a senior honors student majoring in international affairs and finance, will spend the spring semester serving in United States Senator Saxby Chambliss' office in Washington, DC. Golshir will have responsibilities ranging from preparation of daily briefs on national security to attending selected Congressional hearings on the Senator's behalf.

While at UGA, he has received a number of honors, including membership in the Blue Key Honor Society and being selected as a Leonard Leadership Scholar, the highest honor conferred upon business students at The University of Georgia (UGA). “I am grateful to the wonderful mentors at UGA who prepared me for this opportunity. I look forward to contributing and serving in Senator Chambliss' office,” said Golshir.

Upcoming Scholar Events

Junior Class Retreat at Epworth by the Sea - January 20-22, 2006, St. Simons Island, GA

L.E.A.D. Officers Elected

Each class of L.E.A.D. students elect class officers to help maximize the student experience in the program. Officers help plan activities and provide feedback for program improvement. Congratulations to the current officers:

• President: James Jackson, majoring in Telecommunications and Broadcast Journallism
• VP for Administration: Krunal Patel, majoring in International Business
• VP for Communications: Alexandra Koetter, majoring in Broadcast Journalism
• VP for External Affairs: Megan Toole, an intended Business Major
• VP for Public Relations: Kathryn Koffman, majoring in Broadcast News
• VP for Community Service: D'Andrea Swoope, majoring in Risk Management and Insurance
• VP of Alumni Relations: Brent Heller, a pre-Business major

L.E.A.D. Student Chosen as 2006 Orientation Leader

Michelle McFerrin, a junior from Woodstock, was one of twelve people selected to be an Orientation Leader for the incoming class of 2010. Over 100 people applied for this prestigious honor that is awarded to some of the top leaders on this campus. This marks the third consecutive year that a LEAD student has been chosen as an Orientation Leader. Past "O.L" LEAD students include Priti Taparia, a senior from Woodstock, who participated in 2005 and Mallory Grebel, a senior from Leesburg, who participated in 2004.

Michelle, along with being involved in the LEAD program, is also involved in Sigma Kappa sorority, HERO for Children, Panhellenic Executive Board, Alternative Spring Break, and the Georgia Recruitment Team.

Community Connection ~ Northeast Georgia Food Bank

Did you ever wonder what happens to the dented cans of vegetables that Kroger is unable to sell? Recently, several L.E.A.D. students discovered the answer to such a question when they volunteered at a local Athens food bank for a community service project. The Northeast Georgia Food Bank packages and boxes the items that stores like Kroger, Walmart, and CVS are unable to sell, most likely to due to problems with packaging. Then they donate the items to homeless shelters and to other low income families. The L.E.A.D. students, on two separate occasions in November, stacked and boxed up items such as snack food, laundry detergent, dog food, toiletries, and even charcoal. The workers at the food bank were amazed by how fast and efficient the students worked, and the students greatly enjoyed directly helping those less fortunate. Additionally, the project was an excellent way for L.E.A.D. students in different classes to meet and get to know each other outside of the University environment.

L.E.A.D. Student Profile ~ Brandon Stewart

As the President of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity and a participant in several other prominent organizations on campus, one cannot help but wonder when Brandon Stewart ever has time for himself. Now having entered his senior year at UGA, the Presidential Scholar has begun to truly realize the importance of balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and everything else that life throws his way. Last year Brandon's group project for the L.E.A.D. Program raised over 1500 pounds of food for a local food bank. It is extremely admirable, and oftentimes rare, to meet such a hard-working student that is dedicated not only to his studies and social life but also to giving back to the community. Additionally, Brandon currently serves as Chief Investment Officer for the UGA Investment Club. He plans to use the insight and knowledge he has gained over the past few years from the Investment Club, as well as an internship with Sun Trust Bank in Atlanta this past summer, to become an investment banker.

It is the L.E.A.D. Program, however, that has taught him some of the most invaluable lessons he will continue to use the rest of his life. From leadership capabilities to team-building strategies, the tools that he has learned from the L.E.A.D. Program will carry him not only into job interviews in the coming months but also into his bright future.

~ Special Thanks to our Corporate Partners ~