On February 9, 2007, - "Corporate Responsibility and Global Challenges," a facilitated discussion with Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, and Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was presented.  They discussed the roles and responsibilities of businesses in collaborating with humanitarian and governmental agencies in addressing complex global trends in population, poverty and disease.

View video of this program (1hr 2:31 min.) >> 

On February 8, 2007, in Birmingham, AL, the program featured a presentation by Ms. Karen Katen, vice chairman of Pfizer Inc. A global leader of her industry and of Pfizer, the largest producer of pharmaceuticals, Karen spoke about ethical issues and other challanges facing her industry in today's environment of heightened public scrutiny.

"Unenlightened Self-Intertest: The Wrong Way to Adapt to Market Capitalism,"
View video of this program (50:29 min.) >>

The December 8, 2006 program, "Excellence Without a Soul? Higher Education and the Shaping of Moral Character," featured an address by Dr. Harry R. Lewis, former dean of Harvard College, with a panel response by Dr. Michael F. Adams, president, University of Georgia; Dr. Walter D. Broadnax, president Clark Atlanta University; and Dr. Daniel S. Papp, president, Kennesaw State University.  Dr. Lewis is author of the popular new book, Excellence Without a Soul, in which he argues that universities "have forgotten their larger educational role for college students," which is to develop "people of good character who will know they owe something to society."

View video of:
Excellence Without a Soul? Higher Education and the Shaping of
Moral Character
Part I of the Program (52 min.) >>
Part II of the Program (34:37 min.) >>

On September 29, 2006 a luncheon debate addressed the question: "Big Oil: Fair Profits or Profiteering?"  Our speakers were Dr. Mark Cooper, Chief Economist for Consumer Federation of America, and Ms. Rayola Dougher, Manager of Energy Market Issues for American Petroleum Institute.  Our moderator was Dr. Rajeev Dhawan, Director of Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University.

In August 2006, the series featured Mr. Steve Odland, CEO of Office Depot. Mr. Odland (pictured) chairs the corporate governance task force for Business roundtable and is an outspoken proponent of ethics in governance and management.  

The previous session featured a presentation by Ms. Karen Katen, vice chairman of Pfizer Inc. and president of Pfizer Human Health (pictured below), on ethics in the pharmaceutical industry.  Her  presentation was entitled, "The Moral Basis of Competition."  Responsible for managing nearly $50 billion in global revenues, she ranks ninth on Fortune's 2005 list of the most powerful women in business, and is among The Wall Street Journal's 50 Women to Watch.  She serves on boards including General Motors and Harris 3M.  She was  introduced at the luncheon by Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today's pharmaceutical industry faces complex ethical issues in such matters as direct-to-consumer advertising, clinical trials, drug costs in developing countries, patent protection, reimbursement, product liability, and bioethics. 

In 2005, a luncheon featured former United States Senator and Georgia Governor Zell Miller (pictured).  Keynote speaker at the 2004 Republican National Convention, Mr.. Miller is author of the book, A Deficit of Decency.  He is one of three people ever to serve as both U. S. Senator and Governor in Georgia. 

Also in 2005, the series featured Herb Baum, chief executive officer of Dial Corp., the $1.4 billion consumer goods company with such brands including as Dial soaps, Purex laundry detergents, Renuzit air fresheners and Armour Star canned meats.  His presentation is entitled, "Transparency: The Antidote for Uncertain Times."  Mr. Baum (pictured) is author of the new book, The Transparent Leader: How to Build a Great Company Through Straight Talk, Openness, and Accountability, which was available to attendees at the luncheon.

Prior to joining Dial, Mr. Baum was President and Chief Operating Officer of Hasbro Inc., the $4 billion maker of toys, games, interactive software, puzzles and infant products. Previously, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quaker State Corporation, a leading manufacturer of motor oil and other products.  Earlier in his career he spent 15 years at Campbell Soup Company where he held positions including Executive Vice President of the Corporation and President of Campbell North and South America.  He is a director of The Dial Corporation,  PepsiAmericas, Meredith Corporation and America West Airlines.

In October, the series featured Deval L. Patrick, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of The Coca-Cola Company, speaking on the topic, Crisis as a Platform for Change: Lessons from Coke and Corporate America.

Mr. Patrick (pictured, right) discussed the tough challenges corporate leaders face when dealing with large-scale discrimination lawsuits. He is uniquely qualified to address this topic, having overseen litigation in Coca-Cola's highly publicized, class-action racial discrimination case. He also gained experience with such issues at Texaco, where he was named vice president and general counsel after serving as the federal court-appointed chair of the company's Equality and Fairness Task Force. Mr. Patrick's experience prior to joining corporate America includes an appointment by President Clinton to the post of Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights Division of the U. S. Department of Justice.

In summer 2004 our speaker was Debra Waller, chairman and chief executive officer of Jockey International, whose topic was Integrity and Profits: Can Companies have Both in a World Where 'Sex Sells'?

Ms. Waller (pictured, left) focused on the negative social impact of some corporations' advertising and promotions, especially when sexually explicit or suggestive messages are targeted at youths.  Ms. Waller believes business leaders should weigh more seriously their social responsibilities for the effects of their messages.

In March, the series featured William McDonough, chair of the new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, created by Congress in the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation addressing corporate scandals.  His topic was, "The Challenge for Private Sector Leaders," a presentation on CEO compensation and other issues of integrity.  He is the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and has been an outspoken critic of excesses in executive pay.

In December 2003 Leading with Integrity focused on the challenges facing today's leaders of  intercollegiate athletic programs.  "The Ethical Crisis in College Sports" was a panel discussion featuring Dr. Gordon Gee, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University (pictured, left), Damon Evans, Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of Georgia and Dr. Terry Don Phillips, Athletic Director at Clemson University.  

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue spoke at the first Leading with Integrity luncheon, presenting his plans for continuing ethics reform in state government.  A recording of this program is also available.

Other Programs for Leaders

The Southern Institute's programs have also featured such speakers as  James P. Kelly, Chairman of the Board and CEO of UPS; Arthur M. Blank, President and CEO of The Home Depot; Robert J. Rutland, Chairman of the Board, Allied Holdings Inc; James R. Lientz Jr., recently retired president of Bank of America's  MidSouth region; Leo F. Mullin, chairman and CEO of Delta Air Lines; Neil Williams, general counsel of AMVESCAP, plc; and James S. Balloun, chairman, president and CEO of Acuity Brands; Robert Kuttner, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post and Business Week; Edward Petry, Executive Director of the Ethics Officer Association; Ray Anderson, chairman and CEO of Interface Inc.; Stephen L. Carter, best selling author and Yale law professor; John Swanson, creator of the well-known ethics program at Dow-Corning Corp.; Robert Benham, chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court; Dan Cathy, President and CEO of Chick-Fil-A; Dr. Robert Holland, former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and senior fellow at The Wharton School; Tom Chappel, CEO of Tom's of Maine; Peter Kinder, author of Investing  for Good; Charles Brewer, CEO of Green  Street  Properties and founder and former CEO of MindSpring Enterprises; James Blanchard, Chairman and CEO of Synovus; and, Fritz Heimann, U.S. Chairman of Transparency International.

Audio recordings of past programs are available for $15 each. 
Contact us for ordering information.