Hickory – The Charles M. Snipes School of Business and Economics of Lenoir-Rhyne University in partnership with the Alex Lee Foundation has announced its speakers for the 2019 Alex Lee Leadership Lecture Series. Speakers will share their individual experiences and insights as successful leaders. All presentations are scheduled for Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. in the Fintel Room (room 213) of the McCrorie Center. 

The series will begin Wednesday, Jan. 30, with University President Dr. Fred Whitt. Whitt, LR’s 12th president, has served in his position for two years and has more than 30 years of leadership experience in higher education. Under his leadership, the University raised $8.1 million in 2018 with more than 12 percent of the alumni making a gift. The University also celebrated its 10th consecutive year of enrollment growth and received reaffirmation of its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in 2018.

During the fall, LR unveiled the Catawba County Promise to offer half-off tuition to Catawba County students who meet certain requirements. In addition, the University recently broke ground on the addition of the Neill McGeachy Sports Performance Center, a $2.6 million project, and plans to start construction on the Duane and Madeleine Dassow University Commons building project in 2019.

Previously, Whitt served as founding dean of the Beaver College of Health Sciences at his alma mater, Appalachian State University. He served in that capacity beginning in 2010, when he was appointed to lead the development of the first new college at ASU in more than 40 years. Whitt earned his doctorate from the University of Tennessee, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from ASU.

A native of Mount Holly, North Carolina, Whitt and his wife Donna have been married for 40 years and are the proud parents of two adult married sons. In his spare time, Whitt enjoys landscaping and yard work, music, the arts, following college sports, and spending time with family.

The 2019 Alex Lee Leadership Lecture Series will continue with the following speakers: Feb. 6, Mitzi Gellman, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley; March 6, Mike Johnson, owner of Mike Johnson’s Hickory Toyota; March 20, Lindsay Keisler, president and chief executive officer of Catawba County Chamber of Commerce; April 3, The Reverend Reggie Longcrier, executive director of Exodus Homes; and April 24, Jon Carfagno, executive director of Hickory Museum of Art.

The Alex Lee Leadership Lecture Series offers a unique opportunity to attend MBA level lectures and to learn from influential professionals both locally and nationally. The series is designed to help participants understand the dynamics of leadership and identify their own administrative traits and capabilities.

All events are free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required.

For more information, contact Clem Geitner, LR professor of business, at [email protected] or 828.328.7346.
Dr. Fred Whitt