Release Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2005

MAJOR GENERAL JANET HICKS OF U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CENTER TO GIVE LECTURE ON "LEADERSHIP TIPS, GENERALLY SPEAKING" AT UGA

ATHENS, Ga. — Maj. Gen. Janet A. Hicks, commanding general of the U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon in Augusta, Ga., will deliver a lecture at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, April 12, titled "Leadership Tips, Generally Speaking," summarizing her personal views of leadership as they have worked for her throughout her career and how they are applicable to everyday life.

The program is presented by the Institute for Leadership Advancement in UGA's Terry College of Business and the UGA Honors Program. The lecture, which is open to all UGA faculty, staff and students, will take place from 4 to 5 pm in room 171 of the Student Learning Center.

Hicks assumed command of the Signal Center and Fort Gordon on August 7, 2002. Hicks is the Army's 30th chief of signal and the first female to hold the post. Promoted to "two star" rank in 2004, Hicks is one of the highest-ranking women in U.S. military history. While the Army has more than 300 general officers, fewer than 20 are female. Only six other women currently hold the rank of major general.

Her awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Humanitarian Service award.

A native of Iowa, Hicks graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in French language and literature from Simpson College before enlisting in the Army in 1975 and receiving a direct commission as a second lieutenant. She later earned her master's degree in education from Georgia Southern University.

Hicks is scheduled to turn over command of Fort Gordon in July in advance of her official retirement date of September 30, 2005. She has already announced plans to remain in Augusta, where she will be taking over as head of the Augusta Preparatory Day School's upper school, where her daughter, Jen, is a rising ninth-grader. Hicks and her husband, Ron, will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in November.

Hicks was invited to speak as part of the Institute for Leadership Advancement's Executive Leadership Speaker Series, which seeks to bring established, well-known leaders from a variety of organizations to the UGA campus. In these student-oriented forums, guest speakers discuss their leadership styles and experience.

The Institute for Leadership Advancement was established in 1998 as a multidisciplinary academic unit within the Terry College. The ILA's purpose is to create and promote cutting-edge knowledge about leadership and use that knowledge to develop leaders who enhance the performance of their organizations and communities. With a variety of opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students, executives and business organizations, the ILA is one of the most comprehensive leadership development institutes to exist within a university setting anywhere in the country.

More information about the Terry College of Business and the ILA is available at www.terry.uga.edu. More information about the UGA Honors Program is available at www.uga.edu/honors.

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