Program Orientation

Each spring, students must attend a program orientation where students meet ILA staff and new members of the program, learn more about program expectations, and formally commit to program requirements.

Terry Leadership Speaker Series

Executive speakers contribute to ILA's leadership training experiences.

The Terry Leadership Speaker Series, presented by ILA, brings well-known leaders from a variety of organizations to the Terry College of Business and the University of Georgia. In these student-oriented forums, leaders are asked to discuss their unique leadership styles and experiences.

This program is open to all students, faculty, and staff at the University of Georgia as well as the greater Athens community.

Previous TLSS speakers have included:

• John Addison, Co-CEO, Primerica
• John Allison, Chairman and CEO, BB&T
• Jimmy Barge, VP, Viacom
• Jimmy Blanchard, Retired Chairman and CEO, Synovus
• Warren Buffett, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Investment Group
• Michael Capellas, CEO, MCI
• Tom Chapman, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Equifax
• Cynthia Cooper, the whistleblower for WorldCom
• Tom Cousins, Chairman Emeritus and Founder, Cousins Properties
• Dennis Donovan, EVP of Human Resources, Home Depot
• Lizanne Gottung, Senior VP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Kimberly-Clark
• David Hanna, Chairman of the Board and CEO, CompuCredit
• Major General Janet A. Hicks, Commanding General, U.S. Army Signal School and Fort Gordon
• John Jackson, President and CEO, Bank of Atlanta
• Lee Lee James, Vice Chairman and CIO, Synovus
• Craig Johnson, EVP of Sales and Brand Management, Philip Morris USA
• Tom Johnson, President and CEO, CNN
• Frank McCloskey, VP of Diversity and Workplace, Georgia Power
• Bo Means, Partner, Means Brothers, Inc.
• Allison O'Kelly, Founder and CEO, Mom Corps
• Steve Parrish, Senior VP of Corporate Affairs, Altria Group, Inc.
• Joe Rogers, Chairman and CEO, The Waffle House
• Leo Wells, President and Founder, Wells Real Estate Funds
• Jim Winestock, Senior VP of U.S. Operations, UPS

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LLSP Activities

Junior Retreat

A required element of the program is the off-site weekend retreat that focuses on refining personal mission and values and building deeper relationships with classmates. Previous retreat themes have included:

• Class of 2005 - 'Leading with Purpose'
• Class of 2006 - 'Modeling the Way'
• Class of 2007 - 'Shaping the Culture'
• Class of 2008 - 'What is your big idea?'
• Class of 2009 – The Heart of Leadership

Mentoring

Juniors in the Leonard Leadership Scholars Program are assigned a mentor for the first year of the program. These mentors, who are working professionals in the student's field of interest, serve as resources for academic and career advice.

Capstone Service-Learning Project (CSLP)

ILA students learn leadership through "real-world" projects.

The CSLP is an opportunity for students to serve others by sharing their business knowledge and leadership skills acquired throughout the duration of their education. In the final year of the program, scholars are assigned to teams of five to six students and address a challenge faced by a community organization.

The following school and community groups have benefited from the CSLP work of our scholars:

• American Heart Association, Athens, GA (2005, 2006)
• Athens Justice Project, Athens, GA (2007)
• Athens Regional Medical Center, Athens, GA (2006)
• Boys and Girls Club, Athens, GA (2005)
• Brookstone High School, Columbus, GA (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
• Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, Athens, GA (2004)
• Cedar Shoals High School, Athens, GA (2003, 2004)
• Central High School, Macon, GA (2005, 2006)
• Clarke Middle School, Athens, GA (2003)
• Classic City High School, Performance Learning Center, Athens, GA (2006, 2008)
• Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS), Athens, GA (2003, 2004)
• East Athens Development Corporation, Athens, GA (2008, 2009)
• Fanning Institute for Leadership, Athens, GA (2003, 2004, 2005)
• Gilmer High School, Ellijay, GA (2004, 2005, 2006)
• Hancock Community Development Corporation, Athens, GA (2007)
• Hero For Children, Atlanta, GA (2004)
• Kelley Diversified Inc., Athens, GA (2003)
• New Town Macon, Macon, GA (2007)
• Performance Learning Center, Athens, GA (2007)
• The Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA (2005)
• UGA Archway Projects
  • Colquitt County Arts Center, Moultrie, GA (2008)
  • Sandersville Retail revitalization (2009)
• VISTAs, Athens, GA (2003)
• Youth Leadership Athens, Athens, GA (2007, 2008, 2009)

Corporate Site Visits

Once each semester, Leonard Scholars visit a company's headquarters for the day. Typically, the students meet with three to four senior level executives who share the company's leadership and mission, have a casual lunch on site with execs and often tour the premises and talk with employees about the company culture.

We have had the great fortune over the years to visit the following organizations:

• Chick-fil-A (2006, 2008)
• The Coca-Cola Company (2004, 2005, 2006)
• Home Depot (2005)
• McKesson Provider Technologies (2007)
• Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (2003)
• The Shepherd Center (2007)
• Synovus (2005)
• TTI (2009)
• Turner Broadcasting Systems and CNN (2008)
• Walmart (2007)
• Wells Real Estate Funds (2004, 2006)

Senior Service Retreat

Since January 2007, Leonard Scholars have participated in a Senior Service Retreat as an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the values of ILA programs and each other.

These programs have positively impacted the work of the following communities/organization:

• Habitat for Humanity (New Orleans, 2008)
• Hands On (New Orleans, 2007)

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