January 21: “Confessions of a Compulsive Neurotic (Some Hard Lessons in Leadership)” featuring Rod Odom, former President, Network Services, BellSouth Corp. Joining BellSouth in 1983, Rod held a variety of leadership positions in sales, marketing and operations including VP of Marketing and President of Small Business and BellSouth Business Systems. In addition to his professional background, Rod serves on the boards of Oglethorpe University, Sheltering Arms and Piedmont Hospital. He's also on the Engineering Advisory Board of the University of Florida and the Corp. Foundation Committee of the Florida Foundation. A graduate of the University of Florida, Rod currently lives in Amelia Island, Florida with his wife. They have three grown daughters. Read Highlights . . .

February 25: "The Sky's the Limit: Leadership Lessons from the Military/ Government to the Business World" featuring Carol DiBattiste, SVP – Privacy, Security, Compliance & Government Affairs, Reed Elsevier. Carol is based in Washington, D.C. and eports to the CEO. Prior to her current role, she was general counsel and chief privacy officer for ChoicePoint which was acquired by LexisNexis. In addition, Carol's distinguished career includes Under Secretary of the Air Force; Deputy Administrator at the Transportation Security Adm.; Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, etc. She served 20 years active duty in the USAF and was a partner at the law firm of Holland & Knight. Carol received her LL.M from Columbia University and has received numerous honors including the Dept. of Justice and the U.S. Coast Guard Awards for Distinguished Public Service. She was also a nominee for Turknett's Leadership Character Award in 2009. Read Highlights ...

March 25: “Women & Girls: Bringing Our Best Game” featuring Kathy Betty, wner/CEO, the Atlanta Dream. Kathy is a prominent Atlanta business woman, sports advocate and widow of the former EarthLink CEO, Garry Betty. She's the first woman in Atlanta history to own a professional sports team. In addition to serving as the CEO of the Garry Betty Foundation, Kathy is a former partner with Ernst & Young and previously was EVP of Scott Madden, Inc., an Atlanta-based management consulting firm. She's also a major contributor to Georgia Tech's men's and women's basketball programs. Among many attributes that distinguish Kathy's leadership are her passion and commitment to making a difference in the lives of women and girls. While securing financial support for her team and winning basketball games are important, Kathy believes that winning the game of life is even more important. For that, she personally sets a very high standard. Read Highlights ...

April 29: “Followership: The Other Side of Leadership” featuring Jean Walker, Ph.D., VP of Education, United Way of Metro Atlanta. As lead staff in the 0-21 continuum, her new role is a key part of the strategic plan addressing four broad social challenges: education, income, health, and homelessness. Prior to joining UWMA, Dr. Walker (Jean) was Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction with the Gwinnett County School System, one of the largest school districts in Georgia serving over 160,000 students. Progressing from teacher and principal to her ultimate role, she made significant contributions in the areas of strategy and best practices for student achievement. Jean received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Mercer University . Remarkably, her husband and two grown children also work in public education. Read Highlights ...

May 20: “What Aerobatic Flying Teaches You about Running a High-Tech Business” featuring Val Rahmani, CEO, Damballa who also holds an MA & a Ph.D. from Oxford University in England. Prior to her entrepreneurial role, Val was a GM in IBM's ISS division where her experience included global responsibilities in N. America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa . Interestingly, she came to the U.S. as executive assistant to the Chairman of IBM. Growing up in London, Val didn't really dream of either business or flying, but rather enjoyed skating and skiing. Years later, however, she was introduced to flying, got her pilot's license, and began to practice in a plane designed for aerobatics. The rest is history: training with a top member of the National Aerobatics team (who became her husband), flying in international competitions and now a full-fledged member of the British aerobatics team. Read Highlights ...

June 24: “Internal Women's Networks: Navigating the Corporate Labyrinth” featuring Liz Roling, Ph.D., Consultant with Turknett Leadership Group. Previously Liz completed her masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology and has worked extensively in the areas of employee selection, performance management, competency modeling, and high potential development. However, her primary research interest is gender and leadership in organizations. In this presentation, Liz will share compelling data from her doctoral dissertation about the impact of internal women's networks and what remains to be done for women to progress. Joining her in the discussion will be a panel of professional women who also participate in internal networks. Read Highlights ...

July 29: “Culture, Leadership and Brand Equity” featuring Paul J. Voss, Ph.D., President of Ethikos, a consultancy specializing in culture, leadership, paradigm shifts and ethical decision making. Dr. Voss (Paul) is also Associate Professor at Georgia State University and a sought-after speaker and award winning teacher. Building on 2,500 years of intellectual history, his courses include Shakespeare, Dante, Machiavelli, Business Ethics, and Renaissance Literature; and he consistently receives the highest possible evaluations. In addition, Paul is widely published, regularly appears on TV and radio, is a member of the Atlanta Rotary, serves on the Board for Primus Builders, and is a devoted husband and father of five children. His next book is entitled “Loved or Feared: Paradigm Shifts and the Rejection of Machiavelli.” Read Highlights ...

August 26: “Lessons in Life and Leadership” featuring Jackie W. Parker, VP, Global Diversity & Philanthropy, Newell Rubbermaid. In 2006 Jackie established the strategic platform for Inclusion and Diversity. Prior to joining Newell Rubbermaid, Jackie was Director of Diversity Development for Russell Corp. where she spearheaded an agreement with 32 historically black colleges and universities. She also has over 23 years experience with consumer products companies including Pepsi-Cola, Campbell Soup, and Quaker Oats. Among her many external roles and accomplishments are Executive Diversity Council for the Conference Board; Workforce Opportunity Network; Who's Who in Atlanta; Top100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America; co-chair of the UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball; B2B Magazine's Women of Excellence; and member of Leadership Atlanta class of 2010. Jackie holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Read Highlights...

September 23: “Trying to Repair the World: From Journalism to Philanthropy” featuring Penelope McPhee, President & Trustee, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. She directs the Foundation's strategic focus on fostering opportunities for children and youth and enhancing the quality of life. Prior to the AMBFF, Penny was VP & CPO for another private foundation in Miami with $1.8 billion in grant-making programs. Her distinguished career also includes being a five-time Emmy award winning TV producer and recipient of awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Association of Television Program Executives. A noted author of a pictorial history about the civil rights movement, enny was recognized for one of the “Best Books of the Decade” and her 1986 book, “King Remembered” received the New York MLK Jr. Medal of Freedom. Penny earned an M.A. in journalism from Columbia University and continues to be recognized as a role model in community leadership. Read Highlights...

October 28: “Leading the Way for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)” featuring Lisa McVey, VP/CIO, McKesson Technology Solutions (MTS) and Margaret Loper, Ph.D, Principal Research Scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and Chief Scientist in the IT&T Lab: two of Atlanta's top women in technology, both award winners in Women in Technology's Women of the Year in 2010. Lisa—a Six Sigma Black Belt—has responsibility for MPT, the largest division of MTS and RelayHealth Connectivity Solutions. She has served in numerous leadership roles in R&D, Services, and Sales and is highly respected for her involvement with WIT, TAG, CIO Executive Council, etc. Equally distinguished for her career achievements, Dr. Loper (Margaret) has 23 years experience in modeling and simulation including the Dept. of Defense's High Level Architecture Federate Testing project among many other important projects. She's highly respected for the time she devotes to sharing her knowledge with others, mentoring young professionals, and being a role model for women in technology. Read Highlights...

November 18: - “The Rockefellers in China —and an Update on China/U.S. Relations” featuring Mary Brown Bullock, Ph.D., Distinguished Visiting Professor of China Studies / Emory University, a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and the president emerita of Agnes Scott College. Other notable roles include chair of the China Medical Board; director for the Henry Luce Foundation, the National ommittee of U.S. China Relations, the Asia Foundation and Genuine Parts. As ASC's president, she also chaired the National Assoc. of Independent Colleges, the Women's College Coalition and was a director of the American Council of Education. Mary was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of ASC and received her masters and doctorate from Stanford University. Her latest book, due out in early 2011, will be available for signing at WIL: “The Oil Prince's Legacy: Rockefeller Philanthropy in China." Read Highlights ...

December 16: “What Leaders Need to Know about TRUST in the Workplace” featuring Marilynn Mobley, SVP and Sr. Counsel, Edelman – #1 global PR and communications firm. Marilynn's storied career includes newspaper reporter, IBM consultant, author, facilitator, trainer, and sought-after speaker. Throughout her professional life, she's helped to lead the movement from public relations to public engagement and her expertise is valued by clients like AstraZeneca, UPS, Pepsico, and Tiffany's. As a writer, she's known as a storyteller and an executive speech coach extraordinaire – winning the PRSA's Phoenix award for outstanding speech writing in 2007. Early to blog, she wrote “How to Remain Relevant in Changing Times” in 2002. Today she's involved with Edelman's annual Trust Barometer, a survey of global corporations. Read Highlights ...