2012 Leadercast Speakers

This year's speakers were some of the most world-renowned leadership experts, best selling authors, and sports figures.  Each speaker shared powerful insight and experience to take attendees to a whole new level of leadership at work and even at home.  In addition, to the hearing from speakers via simulcast, this year WorkMatters added a live local speaker.  Donnie Smith, CEO of Tyson Foods, spoke at both of our locations and shared his own perspective on the importance of servant-leadership and trust in leading.

	DONNIE SMITH CEO and President, Tyson Foods, Live Local speaker at both Rogers and Fayetteville locations As an added bonus to your WorkMatters Leadercast experience this year, Donnie Smith, CEO and President of Tyson Foods spoke at both Rogers, Ark. and Fayetteville,Ark. locations.  Donnie has been with Tyson Foods since 1980 and in November 2009 became CEO and President.  Donnie is a revered leader known for his direct communication and servant-leadership mindset.
	TIM TEBOW NFL Quarterback, Heisman Trophy Winner & best-selling author Tim Tebow is one of the most accomplished players in college football history. A two-time winner of the NCAA National Football Championship with the University of Florida, Tebow is also the first-ever sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. In 2010, Tebow was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He is the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation and, in 2011, Tebow authored Through My Eyes, an inspirational memoir that became a New York Times bestseller.
	SOLEDAD O'BRIEN CNN Anchor & special correspondent Soledad O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN/U.S. Since joining the network in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe and has produced award-winning, record-breaking and critically-acclaimed documentaries on the most important stories facing the world today. In 2011, O’Brien won her first Emmy for Crisis in Haiti (Anderson Cooper 360) in the category of Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story – Long Form.
	PATRICK LENCIONI Best-selling author and president of The Table Group Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, Inc., a specialized management-consulting firm focused on organizational health. Lencioni is the author of nine best-selling books with nearly three million copies sold. The Wall Street Journal has named Lencioni one of the most in-demand business speakers. After several years in print, his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team continues to be a fixture on national best-seller lists. His latest work, Getting Naked, was released in February 2010.
	JOHN MAXWELL Leadership expert & best-selling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership John C. Maxwell is an internationally-renowned leadership expert, coach, and author who has sold over 20 million books. Dr. Maxwell founded EQUIP and The John Maxwell Company, organizations that have trained more than 5 million leaders in 153 countries. Every year he speaks to Fortune 100 companies, international government leaders, and organizations such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and the United Nations.
	URBAN MEYER Head Football Coach, Ohio State University Former University of Florida Gators head football coach Urban Meyer, who won two BCS National Championships in six years, is now head football coach for Ohio State University. Meyer, who was named Sporting News and Sports Illustrated “Coach of the Decade” in December of 2009, was the first coach ever to win two BCS National Championships, and one of only two coaches in the history of the SEC to win two outright National Titles. Meyer has also spearheaded an effort to feed needy families and initiated a mentor program for young at-risk males.
	ANGELA AHRENDTS Chief Executive Officer, Burberry Under Angela Ahrendts’s leadership, the iconic London luxury clothier—one of the 100 largest companies in the United Kingdom—has experienced significant increases in revenues & profits and expansion into new markets. Ahrendts was included on the Forbes “100 Most Powerful Women” list in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010. She also was among Fortune Magazine's “International Power 50” in 2007 and 2008. In 2010, she was named “European Business Leader of the Future” at the CNBC European Business Leaders Awards.
	MARCUS BUCKINGHAM Strength strategist, research and best-selling author As a co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths, he helped create StrengthsFinder, the personal assessment tool that gave millions of individuals a new vocabulary to positively describe their ingrained talents. He founded The Marcus Buckingham Company in 2007 to create tools and training that would help managers and organizations access the untapped potential of their people's strengths. His latest project, StandOut, is a book and strengths assessment combination that uses a new research methodology to reveal your areas of comparative advantage.
	ANDY STANLEY Best-selling leadership author and communicator Andy Stanley is a sought-after leadership communicator, author, pastor, and the founder of North Point Ministries, Inc. (NPM). Every month, well over a million people from nearly every country in the world choose to tune in, download, and stream Stanley's teaching content via TV, radio, podcasts, and live streaming. Stanley's books include The Next Generation Leader, Visioneering, Enemies of the Heart, and The Principle of the Path.
	ROLAND FRYER Professor of economics at Harvard & CEO of the Education Innovation Laboratory Awarded the Mac Arthur Foundation Genius Award, Professor Roland Fryer has briskly established himself as an important player in the field of economics. In addition to being Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University, Fryer is also the founder and CEO of The Education Innovation Laboratory at Harvard, which was recently described by former President Clinton as one of three new initiatives most important to improving the global problems of health and poverty.
	SHEENA INYENGAR Author of The Art of Choosing & world-renowned expert on choice Sheena S. Iyengar is the inaugural S.T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Division of the Columbia Business School. She has taught on a wide variety of topics at Columbia for MBA and Executive MBA students, including leadership, decision making, creativity, and globalization,earning an Innovation in the Teaching Curriculum award. Dr. Iyengar's innovative research on choice has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Security Education Program.