Atlanta Business Leaders Speaker Series

A learning dialog. An opportunity for students and alumni to meet and
learn from the thought leaders of Atlanta.

Series format: 1 hour address, 45 minutes Q & A, and 45 minutes refreshments & networking

    

Archived
Speaker
Series

 Spring Semester 2007

 

Date

Time

Speaker

Location

Monday,
Jan. 29, 2007

4:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Pete CorrellPete Correll
Chairman Emeritus
Georgia Pacific Corp.
[read bio]

Speakers Auditorium
Student Center
[Directions]
44 Courtland St.
Atlanta, Georgia

Thursday,
Feb. 8, 2007

4:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Helene GayleHelene D. Gayle, MD, MPH
President and CEO
CARE USA
[read bio]

Senate Salon
Student Center
[Directions]
44 Courtland St.
Atlanta, Georgia

Wednesday,
Mar. 28, 2007

7:30 - 10:00 a.m.


 

Rick Smith
Founder and CEO
World 50, Inc.
[read bio]

Alpharetta Center
Room 127
[Directions]
3705 Brookside Parkway, Alpharetta GA 30022

Wednesday,
Apr. 25, 2007

4:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Steve Bucherati
Director of Diversity & Workplace Fairness
Coca-Cola North America
[read bio]

Speakers Auditorium
Student Center
[Directions]
44 Courtland St.
Atlanta, Georgia

 

 

 

Pete Correll
Chairman Emeritus
Georgia Pacific Coporation
Pete Correll

 BIO - A.D. "Pete" Correll served as chairman and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific Corp. from 1993 - 2006. Correll joined the company in 1988 as senior vice president - pulp and printing paper, and was promoted to executive vice president - pulp and paper the following year. He was elected president and chief operating officer in 1991.

Prior to joining Georgia-Pacific, Correll served in executive management positions with Mead Corp. for 11 years. He began his career with Westvaco, and worked for 10 years in management roles with Weyerhaeuser Company.

A native of Brunswick, Georgia, Correll holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia and master's degrees in pulp and paper technology and chemical engineering from the University of Maine.

Correll serves as an outside director on the boards of Mirant Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp. and SunTrust Banks, Inc. He also serves on the boards of various industry and non-profit organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, The Georgia Aquarium, the Institute of Paper Science and Technology, the Business Council, Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA), The Carter Center and the University of Georgia Foundation. 

 

Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH
President and CEO
CARE USA
Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH

BIO - Helene D. Gayle is President and CEO of CARE USA, one of the world's premier international relief and development organizations. With programs in some 70 countries, CARE helps people in poor communities expand the control they have over their own lives to advance positive, enduring social change. CARE helps millions of people recover from natural disasters and other acute emergencies, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and gain access to healthcare, nutrition, education, economic opportunity, safe water and improved sanitation. CARE advocates for polices that defend the dignity of all people and promote the eradication of poverty. Dr. Gayle's accomplishments in public health and dedication to social service make her ideally suited to lead CARE. She is currently on the boards of the Institute of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations. She worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 20 years in a variety of positions, from staff epidemiologist to director for the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. Prior to assuming her current position, she was director of the HIV, TB and Reproductive Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Gayle received her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and master's in public health from John Hopkins University, and is a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University.

 

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Rick Smith
Founder and CEO
World 50, Inc.
Rick Smith

BIO - Richard Smith is a respected business leader, social entrepreneur and author. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of World 50, Inc., a leadership network which brings together the world's most influential C-level executives for strategic collaboration.  Launched in 2004, the firm's first network, "Marketing 50", created an exclusive club for Chief Marketing Officers from the most valuable corporations in the world, including P&G, Nike, Coca-Cola, GM, Starbucks, GE, British Petroleum and many others.  In 2005, World 50 successfully launched similar exclusive clubs for Global 1000 Chief Human Resource Officers and Presidents/COO's.  The firm now plays a lead role in facilitating connection between the world's most influential leaders in business, government, entertainment and social arenas.     

Smith is the co-author of The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers (Random House/2003), one of the best-selling career books in the world, reprinted in twelve languages and named a Best Book of 2003 by Borders and Business Book Review.  He was the weekly author of MSN Office Coach, the very first BLOG published by Microsoft's MSN.com, which reached over 5 million people.  Smith is a frequent commentator for television (CNN, Reuters, etc) radio and print, and remains a sought after professional speaker.  He was recently nominated for membership in the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders organization. 

Prior to founding World 50, Smith was with Spencer Stuart, one of the youngest directors ever hired to the firm.  There, he gained extensive experience recruiting CEOs and board directors for public and private companies around the world.  Smith founded and was co-managing director of the firm's Venture Capital and Private Equity practice group, primarily recruiting CEO' s to investment-backed companies.  While at Spencer Stuart, Smith published the widely cited research study/white paper "Tier One Talent: Investment Strategies for Human Capital". 

Smith also held senior positions as a strategy consultant with Diamond Cluster International, which was taken public during his tenure, and strategy and business development positions with EDS in the United States and central and eastern Europe.

Smith earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida.  He is a Certified Management Accountant.  Smith is the founder of i Can Change the World, a not-for-profit which seeks to leverage the influence of the World 50 network for positive social impact. He is a founding board member of TechBridge, which enables not-for-profits to benefit from the productivity gains of technology, and which he helped build from inception to a current $3 million operating budget in just 3 years.  Smith previously served on the regional boards of the American Cancer Society and the Children's Museum of Atlanta, which established a foundation, broke ground and opened during his term. 

Richard Smith lives in Atlanta with his wife, Dr. Lori Smith, and their three children.  He is a semi-professional singer/songwriter and has written and recorded more than 100 songs.  He is currently a singer/guitarist in the band Men Without Youth.

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Steve Bucherati
Director of Diversity & Workplace Fairness
Coca-Cola North America
Steve Bucherati

BIO - Steve is currently the Director, Diversity and Workplace Fairness, for The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia.  Having created and led the Company's Workplace Fairness function since February, 2001, Steve assumed the additional responsibilities for the Company's domestic Diversity function in January, 2005. 

In this role, he is responsible for leading diversity and workplace fairness as a fully integrated part of all of the Company's U.S.-based people strategies and programs, and manages the Company's domestic programs related to diversity, equal opportunity, affirmative action, and fairness monitoring and reporting.  Additionally, Steve has responsibility for leading the Company's alternative dispute resolution program. 

Steve also had the lead management role with the seven-person diversity Task Force created as a result of the racial discrimination lawsuit settled by Coca-Cola in December, 2000.  Working with the Task Force, chaired by former Secretary of Labor, Alexis Herman, Steve led the five-year effort that moved Coca-Cola from that litigation settlement to a place where diversity and fairness are now an integral part of the Company's business strategy.

Since joining The Coca-Cola Company in January 1991, Steve has served in a variety of roles.  His most recent role prior to accepting his current assignment was as the Human Resources Director for the company's global marketing function, working with Coca-Cola's Chief Marketing Officer to develop and implement people strategies and programs for marketing personnel world-wide.  Steve's professional background includes 22 years of Human Resources experience, with both Coca-Cola and GTE, in labor relations, staffing, compensation, and employee relations, and four years experience as Coca-Cola's Civic Affairs Manager.

Steve is a graduate of the Leadership Atlanta program and also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC).

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