Find your Local United Way
General Sessions
[ Learning Labs ] [ Awards Dinner ]
 Archbishop Desmond Tutu | Bishop Tutu's life, work, and message demonstrate the power of transformational change. On Thursday morning, he will share about his role in ending Apartheid in South Africa and bringing reconciliation to its people. His message is sure to inspire United Way on its journey of transformation and give an extraordinary example of social justice in action. The name Desmond Tutu resonates strongly with people all around the world. While his vigorous anti-apartheid activism in his native South Africa first propelled him into the glare of international news media, today he is revered as a "moral voice" to end poverty and human rights abuses. |
 Bill George Best-selling author and former CEO, Medtronic | Bill George, former Board Chair of Greater Twin Cities United Way, understands the importance of community, partnerships and leadership needed to get results. At the 2008 United Way Community Leaders Conference, he will share practices from his book "True North, Discover Your Authentic Leadership" and insights into managing a global company, to help attendees and United Ways develop their own internal compass and roadmap to success. Best known in the business community for his former position as chairman and CEO of Medtronic. Under his leadership, Medtronic, the world's leading medical technology company, grew $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35 percent a year. Currently, he is professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. |
 Dr. Paul C. Light Professor of Public Service, NYU and award-winning author | Dr. Paul Light has done considerable work in the area of non-profit effectiveness and measurement of results. As NYU Wagner's Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service and founding principal investigator of the Organizational Performance Initiative Dr. Light will share how we can effectively lead not only to meet the challenges of our organization but also to further public work for the community in general. |
 Michelle Rhee Chancellor, D.C. Public Schools | Chancellor Rhee was appointed on June 12, 2007, to be a change agent for schools in the District. Chancellor Joel Klein, whose work in New York City’s public schools is a model for effective change, said of her appointment that is was “the choice D.C. needs, given that, year in and year out, they have not gotten results.” Results drive the Chancellor every day. Whether she is talking with principals and teachers, developing new measures or engaging parents and stakeholders. Founder of The New Teacher Project (TNTP), she has partnered with numerous school districts, state education agencies, non-profit organizations and unions to transform schools and develop innovative solutions to the challenges of new teacher hiring. Her commitment to excellence in education began in a Baltimore classroom in 1992, as a Teach-for-America teacher. |
 Ralph Smith Senior Vice President The Annie E. Casey Foundation | As vice president and director of planning and development, Ralph Smith helped design the Foundation’s comprehensive effort to help communities improve outcomes for children by strengthening families and neighborhoods. At the CLC, he will discuss barriers to family economic success in terms of the high cost of being poor and share what the Foundation is doing to assist families in making better decisions, by stressing the need for literacy and education programs. A legal scholar and attorney, he was a member of the law faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and authored briefs in landmark cases before the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals. He served in senior leadership positions for the Philadelphia school district and as senior advisor to the mayor. He is the founding director for the NationalCenter on Fathers and Families and the Philadelphia Children’s Network. Smith is an active participant in various councils and networks working to improve national and international philanthropy. |
 Bill Toliver Managing Director The Matale Line | After 20 years developing successful branding and communications programs for clients like Westin Hotels and Hewlett-Packard, Bill Toliver has spent the last five years bringing non-traditional thinking to organizations involved in social change. At the CLC, he will reflect on how social change is made in this country and share the lessons of some of the most successful movement-building campaigns. As the Managing Director of The Matale Line Bill has helped a number of national and international nonprofits reframe their approach to strategic decision-making and communications. He's developed a solid reputation for helping organizations define their brand, and then use that insight to help them move from surviving to thriving. |