Release Date: Thursday, September 29, 2011

Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin to open Terry Leadership Speaker Series Oct. 7

Athens, Ga. — Atlanta’s former mayor, Shirley Franklin, will be the opening speaker for the 2011-12 University of Georgia Terry Leadership Speaker Series. Her presentation will be Friday, Oct. 7, at 10:10 a.m. in room 101 of the Miller Learning Center.

Sponsored by the Institute for Leadership Advancement at the Terry College of Business, the program is free and open to the public.

Franklin now serves as chairman and CEO of Purpose Built Communities, an organization that partners with local nonprofit organizations to transform struggling neighborhoods in a growing number of cities. Purpose Built Communities provides advice and assistance based on the model that revitalized the East Lake community in Atlanta. The story of East Lake was featured in a 2010 Terry magazine article about Purpose Built Communities and its founder, Tom Cousins.

In 2002, Franklin was the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a major southern city and served two terms until 2009. She became known for tackling major government operations and ethics reform, developing successful public- and private-sector partnerships, launching the Atlanta Beltline, forming the Regional Commission on Homelessness, and securing $5 billion in airport and water infrastructure improvements.

After leaving public office, she was appointed to the William and Camille Cosby Endowed Chair at Spelman College and served in that capacity until June 2010. In addition to her role with Purpose Built Communities, she is president of Clarke-Franklin and Associates Inc.

Aside from her work as an elected official, Franklin’s community service spans almost 40 years in Atlanta and includes her active participation in the arts, homelessness and higher education for disadvantaged youth.

She chairs the National Center of Civil and Human Rights and serves on the governing board of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Additionally, she serves on the corporate boards of Delta Air Lines and Mueller Water Products.

Franklin is the first of four leaders in executive roles who have been invited to address students this school year through the Terry Leadership Speaker Series. Investment fund manager Tim Chapman, CEO of Stadion, will speak Nov. 4. Next February, Timothy M. Adams, the chief private brands officer for Macy's Inc., and Jay Gould, a group president with Newell Rubbermaid, will close out the speaker series.

The Institute for Leadership Advancement is a leadership development unit housed in the Terry College of Business. Its programs stress the importance of principled leadership based on core values and emphasize leadership as a collaborative process and not as a position. The institute’s ultimate aim is to create a new class of leaders who are well trained and ready for responsibility, committed to stewardship and pursuers of excellence, characterized by integrity and defined by purpose.

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