School of Business Leadership Forum

Decisionmaking, ethics in business and global concerns will be the featured topics during the spring School of Business Leadership Forum.

Created in 2002, the Leadership Forum focuses on leadership and ethics in the lives of businesses and organizations. Lectures are free to the public.

Feb. 21: 5:45 p.m., Duckett Hall Auditorium. "Oops! That Ain't It: Leadership Decision Making." Meredith Neizer is president of MBX Logistics, which is a leading third-party logistics company of perishable goods servicing the U.S. and Canada. She has worked in several Fortune 500 companies in various business and leadership roles internationally and domestically. Also, she has served in public sector organizations with defense and maritime management responsibilities. Neizer was awarded a White House Fellowship in 1986 working for the secretary of defense, and she has served as a political appointee at federal and state levels. Neizer holds a B.S. (honors) from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She serves on the academy advisory board.

March 17: 5:45 p.m., Duckett Hall Auditorium. "The Global Crisis and Our Responsibility." Molly F. Greene is co-founder with her husband, George, of Water Missions International, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization. The couple sold their environmental company, General Engineering Laboratories, in 2001 and used proceeds to start Water Missions, which provides disaster relief and community development and has made safe water possible for more than a million people in 33 foreign countries and two U.S. states. Water Missions International is funded entirely by voluntary contributions of individuals, foundations, churches and businesses. Through 2007 WMI has installed 528 Living Water Treatment systems worldwide with plans for 240 more in 2008. Greene also is the vice chairman of the board, and chief philanthropy officer. She holds a bachelor of arts degree with a major in Spanish from Mississippi University for Women.

April 16: 5:45 p.m., Duckett Hall Auditorium. "Ethical Leadership for the 21st Century." Gary Durante is a senior manager for Scientific Research Corp. a defense firm in North Charleston. Additionally, he is the president and CEO of LEAD-ING, LLC, a company that focuses on the traits, skills and beliefs of current and future leaders. Durante has 28 years of experience in program management, communication systems, engineering and leadership in managing diverse, complex programs. He presently serves as an adjunct professor for The Citadel School of Business Administration as the Grinalds Leader-In-Residence and also serves as senior adjunct professor at Strayer University. A graduate of The Citadel, he earned his Ph.D., in business with a concentration in leadership from North Central University. He is a retired Navy officer and is the chief of staff for the South Carolina Naval Militia. Durante is the president of The Citadel Alumni Association and serves on The Citadel Board of Visitors and The Citadel Foundation Board of Directors.