Listen Now!

Business Talk 24-7

Check below to find this program's broadcast schedule





Transformational Women

Transformational Women Highlights HR Leaders Jacqueline Welch and Sylvia Taylor

Posted on

Podcast: Download

We sat down with Jacqueline Welch of Turner Broadcasting and Sylvia Taylor of the Weather Channel to discuss the role of transformational leaders in driving employee engagement in organizations.

Jacqueline M. Welch is senior vice president of human resources for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.).  In this capacity, Welch is responsible for leading Turner’s corporate-level global talent management, diversity and development functions.

Welch’s management portfolio includes the company’s succession-planning, performance-management, diversity initiatives, learning & development and organizational-development activity, toward the larger goal of ensuring that Turner’s people resources are without peer and are positioned to support its business strategies.  Welch joined TBS, Inc. after more than six years with RockTenn in Atlanta, where she was vice president of employee and organizational effectiveness.  Earlier in her career, she was a senior manager at Accenture; an associate with Towers Perrin; and an internal consultant for Lord & Taylor, a division of The May Department Stores Company.

Welch earned a bachelor of arts degree in English at Syracuse University and a master’s degree in human resources management at Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy in New York. An alumna of Leadership Atlanta, her community involvement includes board membership in The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta Alexis de Tocqueville Society, The Partnership Against Domestic Violence, The Children’s Museum of Atlanta and Zoo Atlanta.  Additionally, Welch is Immediate Past Chair of the Woodruff Arts Center Global Firms Committee.  Jacqui lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband Tarik Welch and their two sons, James Oliver Welch and Jackson McLaine Welch.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Sylvia Taylor is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for The Weather Channel.  With more than twenty five years of Human Resources experience, Sylvia has operated in both domestic and International environments and is well versed in all functional aspects of Human Resources.  Sylvia has a track record of success as an HR Strategist and Change Agent for high growth companies.

In her current role as EVP of Human Resources for The Weather Channel, Sylvia is responsible for designing and executing the Human Resources Strategy for the company, implementing key initiatives in Change Management, Performance Alignment, Talent Acquisition and Leadership Development to increase organizational effectiveness. Sylvia works with the organization to facilitate change and ensure that the right people, processes and structures are in place to achieve The Weather Channel’s business objectives.

In her former role as Vice President of Human Resources at AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace and a division of Cox Enterprises, Sylvia built the Human Resources department into a more strategic function at a time when AutoTrader.com was nearly doubling in size every year.  Given that AutoTrader.com was in a high growth mode, Talent Acquisition, Leadership and Organizational Development were mission critical opportunities. Sylvia led the design and implementation of key systems for performance management, career development, and succession planning. Her contributions in these areas played a big role in the company’s success and they continue to add value today enabling AutoTrader.com to reach for the next level of organizational effectiveness and growth.

Sylvia has worked in key human resource roles with companies such as General Motors, PepsiCo, ExxonMobil and Target.  She spent 13 years at ExxonMobil, where she served in a variety of field, division and corporate roles.  Sylvia also worked Internationally where she served as the Human Resources Manager for the ExxonMobil Singapore Refinery complex and later as the Manager Staffing and Development –Singapore, Asia Pacific Region.

Sylvia currently serves on the governing body of The Human Resources Leadership Summit.  She is also a member of The Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Forum (CTHRA), The Human Resources Leadership Forum (HRLF) Forum and The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC).  Sylvia is a volunteer at Year-Up -Atlanta, a non-profit organization whose “mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education.”  In 2010, Sylvia was honored as a “Woman of Excellence” by Business to Business Magazine.

Sylvia graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University where she earned both a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Transformational Women Highlights Bob Littell, Lyn Turknett and Marci McCarthy

Posted on

Podcast: Download

We sat down to talk with 3 leaders who are artful in the art of “Netweaving” – a pay-it-forward form of networking. These leaders share their stories about how in creating connections and helping others they have been successful in growing their own leadership character as well as their businesses.

Bob is Principal of Littell Consulting Services, Second Opinion Insurance Services, LLC, and  the Enrichment Company.   Over his 40+ year career, he has worn a number of hats within the insurance and financial services sector.  He has been Marketing Vice President for two different Life Insurance companies;  has owned and run a large life insurance brokerage agency, and he has served as a consultant to a wide range of financial service companies, as well as high net worth individuals.  Bob has chaired several national organizations and task forces in addition to having served on several local and national boards.

Bob is the author of over 250 published articles, and has appeared in, written articles for, or been used as a resource for publications including the Wall Street Journal, Smart Money, Business Week, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Medical Economics, Financial Planning, Financial Advisor. Selling Power, Sales & Marketing and many others.

Bob’s real passion today is speaking about a word and a concept he created over a decade ago called “NetWeaving” – a Golden Rule and Pay It Forward form of networking.  If you “Google” the word today, you immediately see how this concept is spreading around the world.  Bob serves on the Board and is the President of the “Pay It Forward Foundation” created by Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of the book on which the movie classic of the same name was based.  With Catherine’s permission, NetWeaving is known as the ‘business’ version of “Pay It Forward”.  Bob’s 2nd book on NetWeaving, “The Heart and Art of NetWeaving” is printed by Xerox and all $20 from the sale of the book goes charity and to help spread the NetWeaving message. Bob helped in the creation of CEONetweavers in Dallas, Texas and serves on the National Board.  CEONetweavers is an organization of CEO’s and CEO partners who are dedicated to the concept of ‘servant leadership’.  He is a co-founder of the Atlanta Chapter.

Carolyn Turknett is co-founder and President of Turknett Leadership Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm providing leadership and organization development services to companies in a variety of industries. She has more than 20 years experience in management and leadership consulting. The focus of her work is character in leadership, organization assessment and change, executive team development, and leadership in turbulent times.

Ms. Turknett’s consulting engagements have included leadership and executive team development, cultural assessment and change, mergers, and individual feedback and coaching. She is particularly interested in helping teams at all levels improve effectiveness and working relationships, and in helping organizations maximize intellectual capital and create cultures that support flexibility and initiative.

Ms. Turknett received her B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Georgia, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received her M.A. in Sociology, with special emphasis in organizational sociology, from the University of Georgia.

Lyn, along with business and life partner Bob, recently published a book about their work together entitled, Decent People, Decent Company: How to Lead with Character at Work and in Life. The book is based on the Turknett Leadership Character Model™, a model that describes the kind of character all of us need to lead wherever we are. Turknett Leadership Group sponsors a Leadership Character Awards program each year in partnership with the Siegel Institute for Leadership, Ethics and Character, honoring leaders of character in the business, education and nonprofit sectors.

Lyn has long been an active United Way supporter. She has chaired the United Way in DeKalb campaign, and is serving currently on the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta Board of Directors. She has served as chair of the Community Investments Committee, and has served with her husband, Bob, as co-chair of the United Way Cole Society for Leadership Giving. Bob and Lyn have supported the Partnership Against Domestic Violence as well, and in 2011 served as honorary chairs for the Hearts with Hope Gala. Lyn is also an elder in the Presbyterian Church.

Marci McCarthy is currently the CEO and President of Tech Exec Networks, Inc. (T.E.N.), an award winning technology and information security executive networking and relationship-marketing firm. As founder of the organization, she is responsible for driving the strategic direction of this widely respected, privately held company, remaining deeply engaged with a vast network of IT and information security professionals and solution providers.

McCarthy has 20 years of extensive business management, networking and marketing experience, including founding T.E.N.’s flagship program, the Information Security Executive® of the Year (ISE®) Awards. Celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2012, the ISE® Awards Program series is lauded by the IT industry as the premier recognition and networking program for security professionals. It recognizes the need for security professionals to be recognized by their peers and exchange information about technology best practices. Under McCarthy’s direction, the series has grown to a nationally acclaimed regional and national program series in major cities including Atlanta, Dallas, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Previously, McCarthy was the CEO and co-founder of Executive Alliance, an organization that hosts leadership-recognition forums to honor and recognize outstanding achievements of executives and their companies. Earlier in her career, she held management positions with Lancope, SecureWorks, Deloitte, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

McCarthy currently serves on TechBridge’s Board of Directors and its executive fundraiser committee. A lifetime member of the WIT Honorary Council, president of Women in Technology (WIT) in 2001, and former Board member, McCarthy led the Woman of the Year in Technology Awards (WOTY) program for five years. Other non-profit boards that she has served on include the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and SciTrek’s Advisory Board of Directors. She is also the past Chairman of the American Diabetes Association Father’s Day Council and its acclaimed Father of the Year Awards program.

Nominated for the 2011 Leadership Character Awards sponsored by the Turknett Leadership Group, an honor given those who will contribute to others in powerful ways and help their organizations achieve bottom line results and long-lasting success, McCarthy has also has been recognized in “Who’s Who in Georgia’s Technology Community” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, as a “Woman to Watch” by Atlanta’s BroadSheet and a WIT Woman of the Year in Technology (WOTY) nominee.

As a featured contributor to Women In Technology’s (WIT) book, “CLIMB: Leading Women In Technology Share Their Journeys To Success,” McCarthy is profiled amongst 60 leaders influencing Atlanta’s business, academic and technology landscapes. She is also a guest lecturer at George Washington University as well as a nationally sought-after speaker for panel discussions and executive roundtables on strategic technology and leadership topics.A magna cum laude graduate of Babson College, McCarthy holds a B.S. in Marketing.

Transformational Women Highlights Law Partners at McKenna, Long & Aldridge

Posted on

Podcast: Download

We sat down with three highly accomplished law Partners from McKenna Long & Aldridge to talk about their personal stories of success and challenges as well as discover what holds women back from becoming Partners at law firms (over 50% of law school graduates are women but they only make up 20% of the Partners) and their tips for overcoming these challenges.

Joann Jones serves as the Managing Partner of McKenna Long & Aldridge’s Atlanta office and focuses her practice on real estate development and finance.  Her work is concentrated in the commercial real estate development area, particularly in the health care industry, serving clients in assemblage, development and financing of hospitals, medical office buildings, medical campuses and physician leasing.  She also assists clients with office park development and development of quick serve restaurants, retail malls, shopping centers and golf courses.

Additionally, Joann Jones’ practice includes a wide variety of other real estate transactions, including sale/leaseback transactions, commercial lending secured by real estate, commercial leasing, acquisitions and sales of hotel properties and loan workouts. Ms. Jones is ranked by Chambers USA 2010 as one of the leading lawyers for real estate in Georgia, recognized in particular for her sophisticated handling of health care-related real estate finance issues.

Ann-Marie McGaughey is co-head of the Firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group. She focuses on the general corporate representation of both publicly- and privately-held companies in a wide array of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, health care, retail, automotive, travel, education, health and beauty, technology and service-oriented industries. She has particular skill in representing non-U.S. companies in connection with U.S. transactions and operations.

Ms. McGaughey has been selected by her peers to be featured in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice of Mergers & Acquisitions Law. Finance Monthly Magazine has recognized Ms. McGaughey as one of the top 100 Leading Advisors in 2011 in the area of Corporate Law — USA. She has also been recognized by Atlanta Magazine as a Georgia Super Lawyer. Ms. McGaughey was selected by her peers to be included as a member of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite, in addition to the Atlanta Business Chronicle including her on their first “Up and Comers” list, which profiled 50 of Atlanta’s most promising young leaders. Atlanta Woman Magazine has featured Ms. McGaughey in its “Leaders in Law” series and she was recognized by The White House Project as a “Leading Lady.”

Civic/Community Involvement

  • Board of Directors Network, President
  • British American Business Group, Board of Directors
  • Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Board of Directors
  • Mount Pisgah Christian School, Advancement Council
  • Atlanta Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association, International Bar Association
  • Everybody Wins! Power Lunch Program, Reading Mentor

Ann E. Murray focuses her practice on helping companies attract and retain their workforces by offering attractive benefits programs and rewards. She regularly assists clients with matters relating to their qualified retirement plans; health, life, disability and other welfare benefits; stock options and similar equity programs; and executive compensation. She also advises buyers and sellers regarding their benefits risks and concerns in the sale of a business. Ms. Murray previously served as in-house benefits counsel for a publicly-traded company, giving her a business-oriented and practical approach to the practice of law.

Ms. Murray is recommended by The Legal 500 and has been recognized as a member of Georgia’s Legal Elite by Georgia Trend magazine. She is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell®.

Transformational Women Highlights CEO and Board of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Hear from the CEO and Board leaders of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta about the transformational change that is happening in the Girl Scouts and why you need to be involved in the movement that creates the women leaders of tomorrow.

Marilyn Midyette has been  the CEO at Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta since October 2008. Prior to joining Girl Scouts, she was the Regional Vice President of the Business Services Group at Sprint Communications.  She a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA; a member of the 2010-2011 Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program; and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2011.

Kristen Lewis, an attorney with Smith, Gambrell & Russell here in Atlanta, is a nationally recognized expert in Special Needs Trust planning for persons challenged by disabling conditions.   Outside the office, she trains certified service dogs with Canine Assistants in Milton, GA, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc.   She is the proud mother of Savannah Grice, who is currently a first-year student at Dartmouth College.

Necole Merritt is a seasoned communications executive. She has used her strategic communications skills to bring solutions to challenging business issues for a number of Fortune  500 companies.  An avid believer in community involvement, Necole is a board member  for Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, mentor through Cool Girls, a member of the advisory council for Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and an active member in the alumni association for the university.

Transformational Women Highlights Constance Dierickx, Mary Madden, Heather Rocker

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Constance Dierickx is a rarity among consultants – a pragmatic expert. She has consulted with over 500 executives, more than 20 boards in over a dozen countries, written more than 20 articles and delivered memorable speeches in the US, Europe, and Latin America.

She has provided consultation to Bank of America, Best Buy, ARAMARK, Gillette, Tennessee Valley Authority, Chubb Insurance, Alston and Bird, PanAMSat, DIRECTV, American Automobile Association, American Society of Hematology, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Olive Garden, Buffets and Frito-Lay as well as private equity firms, start-ups and professional services firms.

Early in her career at a major Wall Street firm, she saw firsthand the impact of poor management, pay without performance, or worse, pay for destructive performance, irrational beliefs, and extreme overconfidence. The behavior of neither her colleagues nor clients made sense, but her curiosity about it propelled her to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.

Constance’s sardonic wit and sharp observations lead publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer, Directorship, Boards and Directors, and Corporate Board Member to seek out her point of view. Speeches, workshops and seminars with Constance are a combination of useful concepts, infused with examples from her work, brought to life by her sardonic wit.

She serves on the board of the Board of Directors Network where she is President-elect and chairs the Board Development Committee. Constance is also on the board of the Inter-Organization Network and leads the Board Referral Committee. She is a licensed psychologist and a member of the American Psychological Association, the Georgia Psychological Association, the Society of Consulting Psychologists and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Constance is married to Michael Dierickx and has two adult daughters. An amateur anthropologist and chef, she also maintains an inexplicable interest in boxing. Even a Ph.D. in Psychology does not equip her to explain her divergent interests.

Mary Madden is an experienced senior executive who has worked in numerous early stage, high growth and mature companies serving in roles such as CEO, President, COO or consultant.

From 1981-1994, Ms. Madden was President, Founder and Co-CEO of Information America, the first company to offer on line access to public record data. She created the firm, raised over $8 million from angel investors and venture capital, grew profitable revenues to $25 million, took it public, and then sold the company. Ms. Madden has worked with ValuBond, Inc. (sold), eAttorney (sold to Lexis), fabric.com (sold to Amazon), Miavendia.com, LVGRM, and LAWDOCS.  She has done turnaround work with Grisanti Galef and Goldress.

 Ms. Madden has received numerous awards including:  inclusion on Inc magazine’s 500 List for three years running, finalist for Inc’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Information Industry Entrepreneur of the Year. She is a member of the Committee of 200, CEO Netweavers, and the Society of International Business Fellows. She has served on private and public corporate boards.  She is and has been on several advisory boards for TI:GER program at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Kennesaw University Center for Corporate Governance, the Grove, and the Global Foundation Network.  She is co-founder of the Atlanta Chapter of Women Corporate Directors for women on public and private corporate boards.  Ms. Madden received a BA in Math and Economics from Vassar College and an MLS in Library of Science from Columbia University.

Heather Rocker is the Chief Executive Officer for Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta, a leading nonprofit organization that helps girls recognize their rights and reach their full potential.  Girls Incorporated is part of a national youth organization dedicated to helping every girl become strong, smart and bold.  In 2011, Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta celebrates their 35th anniversary having served over 100,000 girls in metro Atlanta.

Heather is a recipient of the Turknett Leadership Character Award, was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 40 Under 40, named an Outstanding Young Alumna by Georgia Tech, and is an inductee of the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Council of Outstanding Young Engineers. Heather’s story is profiled in the book “Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector” and she is a contributing author in the book “CLIMB: Leading Women in Technology Share Their Stories.”

Heather’s dedication to improving the lives of women and girls led to volunteer leadership roles with Atlanta Women’s Alliance, Distinguished Young Women of America, and the Junior League of Gwinnett & North Fulton Counties. 

Prior to joining Girls Inc., Heather served as the first-ever executive director for Women in Technology (WIT), leading WIT volunteers in raising funds for WIT’s programs, recruiting and managing more than 50 Atlanta-based corporate partners, and developing and implementing WIT’s strategic volunteer program for 200-plus volunteers.  Under her leadership, WIT more than tripled their fundraising goals, and WIT Foundation’s Girls Get IT program was awarded the 2010 Spirit of Endeavor “Leadership in Technology” Education Award.

Previously, Heather was the Product Manager at Georgia Center for Nonprofits and a Senior Consultant for EnerVision. She is the Immediate Past Board President of Atlanta Women’s Alliance, Executive Team Member & Past State Chairman for the Distinguished Young Woman of Georgia Scholarship Program, Trustee and Past Young Alumni Committee Chair for Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees, and Board Advisor & Community Impact Director for the Junior League of Gwinnett & North Fulton counties. 

Heather speaks to nonprofit and corporate groups about incorporating strategic volunteering, and served as a presenter at the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service.  She lives in Atlanta with her husband and son.

Transformational Women Highlights Lareina Yee, McKinsey Partner

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Lareina Yee is a Partner in McKinsey’s San Francisco office. Over her 11 years with McKinsey she has been a part of the Greater China and West Coast Offices.  She is a leader in the Firm’s North American Sales and Marketing Practice, specializing in B2B sales and marketing transformation. Lareina additionally leads McKinsey’s West Coast Women’s recruiting efforts.

In addition to her client work, Lareina has been a speaker at national conferences, published articles on sales innovation, collaboration technology and knowledge workers in the US economy. She also co-authored McKinsey’s research with the Wall Street Journal on women and economic leadership.

In this segment of the radio show we find out from her research and personal experiences what are the hidden barriers that keep women from the corner office and what to do about it.

Transformational Women Highlights JuE Wong, CEO Astral Brands and Megan Burton, CEO SeeGee Tech

Posted on

Podcast: Download

 

JuE Wong, CEO Astral Health & Beauty, is a proven global senior executive with experience and exposure in 4 continents and 7 countries. With a tangible track record of propelling emerging brands to the next level while globalizing established brands in the US and in International at Cargill Inc., PepsiCo, Dial Corp., Murad Inc., NV Perricone MD Ltd. and ZO Skin Health by Dr. Obagi.Identified by several private equity firms as one of the “go-to” executives to drive intrinsic change to increase portfolio value and hence their investment in the quickest possible turn-around time.

Originally from Singapore, JuE is an Honors graduate of The Australian National University and was an exchange scholar at UCLA. She serves on the Boards of the Metro Atlanta YMCA and the American Heart Association in Atlanta. JuE was Chair for the June 2011 Go Red for Women Luncheon in Atlanta by the American Heart Association which raised $300,000 to fight against the #1 killer of women- Heart Disease

In 2004, she was a Wall Street Journal nominee for the prestigious publication‟s “Top 50 Women to Watch.” In October 2011, JuE will be recognized as an Honoree at the 6th Annual Who‟s Who in the Asian American Communities

Megan Burton is the CEO of Atlanta-based technology consulting company, SeeGee Technologies. Her guiding principle of delivering value to her clients though a wide range of information technology solutions has helped companies and others achieve critical business outcomes.

Megan is a passionate activist and philanthropist to a number of national and Atlanta-based organizations and an enthusiastic mentor to other women business owners.  She is dedicated to making a difference through the spirit of giving; supporting causes with monetary contributions as well as through volunteering. She strongly believes that it is both an honor and responsibility to give back and makes it an important element of her personal and professional philosophy.

Megan has been recognized for her advocacy of women-owned businesses, her advancement of women business owners and entrepreneurs and her innovative approach to information technology solutions, as well as  her significant contributions to  civic and community causes. Megan has received a number of prestigious awards and honors and has been formerly recognized by Women in Technology, Greater Women’s Business Council, NAWBO, CRN and others for her  many professional and personal achievements.

Megan’s other passions include her husband and daughter.  Megan is serious about soaring to new heights in all her pursuits, recently adding FAA pilot certification.

Transformational Women Highlights Gail Evans – Best Selling Author and Former EVP CNN

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Gail Evans is a best-selling author, speaker and former EVP at CNN. “Love the Game” – With those words Gail Evans concludes one of the most successful and influential books about women in the workplace “Play Like A Man, Win Like A Woman.”  The book was listed on the New York Times, Business Week, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. “Play Like A Man, Win Like A Woman” has been translated into 21 languages and has been a bestseller around the world. When it comes to the success of women in the workplace, Evans is a leading source. She has appeared on The Today Show and Larry King Live, and has been featured in Business Week, People Magazine, The New York Times and USA Today. .

Evans’ status has been enhanced by her newest book, “She Wins, You Win.”  She has spoken and given lectures to many of the world’s leading companies including Johnson & Johnson, GE, Microsoft, JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, KPMG, Cisco, IBM, Thompson Reuters, Deloitte, Intel , Wal Mart and Textron to name a few. Evans is currently an adjunct professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Management teaching “Gender, Race and Ethnicity in Organizational Behavior.”

Where did Gail Evans learn the business game? In the male-dominated world of television journalism and politics.  She began working at CNN at its inception in 1980. By the time she retired in 2001, she was Executive Vice President of the CNN Newsgroup. During that time she was responsible for program and talent development at all of CNN’s domestic networks overseeing national and international talk shows and the Network Guest Bookings Department, which schedules about 25,000 guests each year.

In addition to speaking and teaching, Evans has served on numerous charitable boards including the Radio Television News Directors Foundation, the Society for Women’s Health Research, the Atlanta Girls School, the Ga. State University Law School and the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.  She was also appointed by President Clinton to the Commission on White House Fellows.   She is the former chairperson of the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities.

Early in her career, she worked on both House and Senate staffs and at the White House in the Office of the Special Counsel to the President during the Lyndon B. Johnson Administration.  During her tenure at the White House she was part of the team that created the 1966 Civil Rights Act and the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment opportunity.

Gail Evans lives in Atlanta and is the mother of three and the grandmother of seven. Website: www.gailevans.net

Transformational Women Highlights Joan Herbig, CEO ControlScan

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Joan Herbig has over 20 years experience in the high-tech world. She has served in many roles throughout her career and has managed her teams to consistently successful outcomes. Named CEO of ControlScan in September 2007, Joan is responsible for business operations and is focused on growing the company’s revenues and expanding its position as a leading PCI compliance and security provider focused on small- to medium-sized merchants.

Joan serves on the Board of Directors for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG),  and served as its Chairman in 2008. She sits on the advisory boards of Wren Solutions, Rover Apps, TAG FinTech and the University of Kentucky Computer Science.

Joan’s 3 key tips on being a transformational leader:

1) Get on the bus with the right people

2) Listen more than you talk

3) Step outside of your comfort zone

 

 

Transformational Women Highlights Becky Blalock, CIO Southern Company

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Becky Blalock is SVP and CIO of the Southern Company. She directs information technology strategy and operations across the 120,000 square miles and all subsidiaries of the company. She leads more than 1,100 employees in information technology delivery to one of America’s most respected companies. In this segment she talks about what it takes to be successful as a CIO and her mentoring advice for others.

In her 33 years at Southern Company, Blalock has held 12 different positions ranging from financial analyst to her current role as SVP and CIO.

Under her leadership, Southern Company has been consistently recognized as one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies by CIO Magazine and one of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT by Computerworld Magazine. Over the years she has been named CIO of the Year by various organizations including Energy Biz Magazine, Computers or Youth, the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

Blalock’s leadership in the corporate world includes serving on the advisory board for Oracle and AT&T.

Here are Becky’s tips for being a transformational leader:

1) Believe in communication – in the absence of communication, there will be miscommunication

2) Build the best team.  Surround yourself with talent and motivate them.

3) Being a leader begins and ends with integrity.