With former speakers such as August Busch IV, president of Anheuser-Busch, authors John Maxwell and Stephen Covey, the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Forum has a high-profile history of speakers.
This year, the forum, held at the McKimmon Center on Friday, will host former Secretary of State William Cohen, Suzanne Burns, the vice president and general manager of Eaton Corporation and Stephen Zelnak, CEO of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
The trio of speakers will join retired general Shelton in speaking on leadership in business as part of the program titled Leadership from the Top: Shaping the Organizational Culture.
Debbie Reno, the coordinator of the forum, said she expects between 500 and 600 attendees — about 15 percent of which should be students.
Burns said she is looking forward to speaking and said the event is valuable for students and business leaders alike.
“The fact is that bringing students and business colleagues together will offer a great time for students to network and for the business leaders to learn what is on the mind of today’s young leaders,” Burns said.
Burns works with the global marketplace for her corporation and has worked with companies to grow internationally.
After doing business in over 30 countries, Burns said students should have as many international experiences as possible before graduation.
“Take some time to experience the global marketplace,” Burns said. “The United States is known for being a pretty insular country, so college students should get the experience that people in Europe and Asia are getting every day.”
The program includes the speakers and a catered lunch and costs $159. Reno advises that students should buy tickets at the door the day of the luncheon.
The forum includes four educational tracks: corporate, higher education, K-12 education and community partnerships.
“We want students to learn more about those leadership issues,” Reno said. “The program is meant to be more of a dialog than just speakers.”
Most of the people attending the forum are professionals from around the area, giving students a good chance to see what the business world is like and for them to meet new people, according to Reno.