Tim Ware
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Tim Ware: S.O. What! Success Story

Find your cheerleader. That was the closing advice given by the former athlete turned education leader, Tim Ware, in our interview. When we met over a decade ago, Tim Ware had started a school and today he leads another one just for young…
Bud Richey
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Bud Richey: S.O. What! Success Story

Bowties. Crawfish. And leadership. They are all things I immediately think of when I think of Bud Richey. As a student leader over 20 years ago, I met Bud Richey when he came to the University of Memphis to direct the Emerging Leaders…
Annette Webb McNeil
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Annette McNeil: S.O. What! Success Story

It’s never too late to get your degree(s). That’s one of the first thoughts I have when I think of Annette McNeil. Another is how she too was a 15-year-old mom. A third is our connection to the Fogelman College of Business and Economics…
Barbara Teicher
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Barbara Teicher: S.O. What! Success Story

There’s not much that really shocks me. But learning of the bicycle accident of my friend (Barbara Teicher) while she was in France certainly did. I had last seen her at the National Speakers Association’s annual conference. We laughed…
John Best
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John Best: S.O. What! Success Story

Have you ever met a giant? During my time working for the NBA, I did meet a few men who seemed like giants to me.  When I met John Best I definitely noticed his stature but I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t shocked to learn that John…
Cherryl Pigues Crite
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Cherryl Pigues Crite: S.O. What! Success Story

Homelessness, breast cancer, domestic violence, and more. Cherryl Pigues Crite has been through a lot. I can see so much in her eyes.  The pain of what she’s been through, and the passion to help women. Strength, beauty, resilience.…
Erica Nathan
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Erica Nathan: S.O. What! Success Story

You know that friend with so many gifts and talents that you’re amazed by all they are able to do?  Fittingly, I met Erica Nathan at church through a mutual friend. Also, fittingly, she was stylish and her hair was laid. As an evangelist,…
National Speakers Association Black National Speakers Association Greg Smith Strength Award Winner Summer Owens
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How Winning a National Speakers Strength Award Inspires Strength in Others

When I came home from school on my first day of kindergarten, my mom quizzed me about my teacher's name. I excitedly repsonded, "Mrs. Muscles!". Her name was actually Mrs. Armstrong, but that memory always makes me smile even through pain…
Fred Jones Jr
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Fred Jones Jr: S.O. What! Success Story

When I moved to Memphis for college in the fall of 1997, one of the first events I just had to attend was the Southern Heritage Classic.  At the time (and for years after), it was just an amazing gathering where I was guaranteed to see friends,…