MACON – Mercer University's Center for Leadership and Ethics will welcome Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on Thursday for a discussion titled, “Why Industry Matters: Education Drives the Economy.”
Cagle will speak about his leadership journey from 4-5 p.m. in the Presidents Dining Room inside the University Center and will sign copies of his recently released first book, Education Unleashed, from 5-5:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Because of limited seating, RSVPs are required and may be made by emailing Lynn-Anne Huck at lynnanne@thevmgroup.com.
“What a wonderful opportunity it is to have Georgia's Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as our second Distinguished Speaker in Mercer's Center for Leadership and Ethics,” said retired Lt. Gen. Claude M. “Mick” Kicklighter, 1955 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and University trustee who serves as director of the Center. “John Donahoe, president of eBay, said, 'Leadership is a journey, not a destination,' and, as we know, that journey never ends. The Center's speakers program is designed to assist students, early on, to begin thinking about and planning for their chosen paths and the leaders they will become.”
Education Unleashed, published by Mercer University Press and released on Oct. 3, presents a comprehensive vision to transform the way that public schools educate students drawing from Cagle's experience as a father, small business owner and policymaker.
In 2006, Cagle became the first Republican elected to Georgia's second-highest office. He is serving his third consecutive term as lieutenant governor after being overwhelming re-elected in 2010 and 2014.
After a leg injury ended his dream of playing college football, Cagle started his first small business at the age of 20 in his hometown of Gainesville, where he would later create a successful community bank. Establishing himself as a community and business leader, he was elected Georgia's youngest state Senator in 1994 at the age of 28 and was re-elected to five additional terms.
As lieutenant governor, Cagle has championed the Charter Systems Act, improving education in the state while providing a path to career technical education for Georgia's high school students. He also launched the Georgia College and Career Academy Network, a partnership among local community leaders, school systems and the state's technical colleges, and he leads Healthy Kids Georgia, an effort to encourage local partnerships that introduce children to healthy lifestyle options.
For his efforts, Cagle was one of four public servants in the U.S. to be honored by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools with the Champion for Charters Award. He has also been named one of the 100 most influential Georgians.
Mercer's Center for Leadership and Ethics, launched in March, focuses on the coordination of all initiatives across the University – building synergies where appropriate, maintaining the integrity of existing programs and developing new ideas – to support leadership development across all programs and locations.
