ATLANTA/MACON — Mercer University’s Executive Forum, presented by BB&T, will host four speakers as part of its 33rd annual series. The 2012-2013 series begins the year with John Goodman, president and CEO of the National Center for Policy Analysis, speaking Tuesday. He will give a presentation titled “What’s Next for Health Care?” to Executive Forum members and invited guests during a lunch presentation at the Capital City Club in Atlanta at noon and a dinner presentation at 6:30 p.m. in the Presidents Dining Room of the University Center on the University’s Macon campus.
Often referred to as the “Father of Health Savings Accounts,” Goodman is also the Kellye Wright Fellow in health care. His health policy blog is the premier right-of-center health care blog on the Internet. It is the only place where pro-free enterprise, private sector solutions to health care problems are routinely examined and debated by top health policy experts throughout the country – conservative, moderate and liberal. Goodman regularly appears on the FOX News Channel, CNN, FOX Business Network and CNBC. He has also appeared on “PBS NewsHour” and was a debater on many of William F. Buckley’s “Firing Line” programs. Goodman also regularly contributes columns to The Wall Street Journal, Kaiser Health News and other national publications.
He is frequently invited to testify before Congress on health care reform and retirement topics and is the author of more than 50 published studies on topics such as health policy, retirement reform and tax issues and 10 books, including Lives at Risk: Single Payer National Health Insurance Around the World; Leaving Women Behind: Modern Families, Outdated Laws; and the trailblazing Patient Power: Solving America’s Health Care Crisis, the condensed version of which sold more than 300,000 copies. His latest book is Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis (June 2012).
A native of Waco, Texas, Goodman became interested in economics and classical liberal ideas while an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University, and has taught and done research at Columbia, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Southern Methodist University and the University of Dallas.
Later this fall, Stephen Hayes, a senior writer for The Weekly Standard and FOX News contributor, will speak Oct. 30, one week prior to the election, offering his insights on what to expect on Election Day. In the spring, Paul Bowers, president and CEO of Georgia Power, will address the state of energy in Georgia on Jan. 24, 2013, and Julie Gebauer, managing director at Towers Watson, will give a talk on talent engagement at the concluding programs on March 19, 2013.
The Executive Forum is a membership organization composed of businesses, organizations and individuals. Events are by invitation only to members. For more information on membership, call (678) 547-6392 in Atlanta or (478) 301-2943 in Macon or visit www.mercer.edu/forum/membership.
2012-2013 Line-Up
Stephen Hayes
Senior Writer, The Weekly Standard and FOX News contributor
“One Week Until Election Day”
Tuesday, Oct. 30
Noon, Capital City Club, Atlanta
6:30 p.m., University Center, Macon
Hayes is a senior writer at The Weekly Standard and a FOX News contributor. He has reported extensively on the 2012 presidential elections from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and many other key Republican primary states. His recent interview with Mitt Romney generated wide discussion about Romney’s views on the size and scope of government. He is the author of two New York Times best sellers: The Connection: How al Qaeda’s Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America and Cheney: The Untold Story of America’s Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, National Review and many other publications. Hayes has written extensively about national politics, international affairs and the country’s current political leadership. He is a regular member of the “FOX News All Stars” on Special Report with Bret Baier and a frequent panelist on FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace. He previously worked as a senior writer at National Journal’s Hotline and as director of the Institute on Political Journalism at Georgetown University.
Paul Bowers
President and CEO, Georgia Power Co.
“The State of Energy in Georgia”
Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013
Noon, Capital City Club, Atlanta
6:30 p.m., University Center, Macon
Paul Bowers was named president and CEO of Georgia Power in 2011. Prior to his current position, Bowers was chief financial officer of the Southern Co. and also served as chief risk officer. Bowers joined the Southern Co. system in 1979 at Gulf Power. In 1990, he was elected vice president for Georgia Power, rising to senior vice president in 1995 and joining the company’s Management Council. In 1998, he was elected president and CEO of South Western Electricity PLC, the former United Kingdom subsidiary of Southern Company, and directed a $3.6 billion acquisition, which expanded the business to 2.4 million customers in southwest England and Wales. From 2001 to 2008, Bowers served as president of Southern Co. Generation, where he oversaw a generation fleet of more than 42,000 megawatts. In addition, he was responsible for the company’s $6.6 billion annual fuel procurement budget, energy trading and fleet dispatch, system planning, engineering and construction services, and research and environmental affairs, as well as the company’s competitive generation subsidiary, Southern Power Co.
Julie Gebauer
Managing Director, Towers Watson
“Closing the Engagement Gap”
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Noon, Capital City Club, Atlanta
6:30 p.m., University Center, Macon
Julie Gebauer leads Towers Watson’s talent and rewards business segment, a comprehensive set of services that includes executive and employee compensation, workforce strategies and solutions, employee surveys, data services and technology. During her 23 years at Towers Perrin, she held a number of leadership roles, including head of the global workforce effectiveness and employee survey businesses. Before joining Towers Perrin in 1986, she was with another major consulting firm. Co-author of the book Closing the Engagement Gap: How Great Companies Unlock Employee Potential for Superior Results, Gebauer consults on a broad range of business, people and performance issues, including workforce analytics, human capital strategy, talent management and total rewards. She is a frequent speaker on global work force management and total rewards and has taught executive education seminars at Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin. Gebauer has appeared in both print and broadcast media as an expert commentator on trends and developments in human capital, employee engagement, talent management and rewards.
About the Executive Forum, Presented by BB&T
The Executive Forum, presented by BB&T, is a business outreach program of Mercer University’s Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, and the Office of University Advancement. The Executive Forum provides business professionals with an opportunity to hear nationally noted speakers while networking with other business leaders. For more information, call Mercer’s Office of University Advancement in Atlanta at (678) 547-6392 or (478) 301-2943 or visit www.mercer.edu/forum/membership.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and four regional academic centers across the state. The Mercer Health Sciences Center launched July 1, 2012, and includes the University’s medical, nursing and pharmacy schools and will add a fourth college – the College of Health Professions – on July 1, 2013. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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