Bridgestone Director to Lead off TSU Supply Chain Executive Leadership Lecture Series March 17

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Global leadership and how to develop a customer-centered focus in industry will be the topic when the Supply Chain Management program in the College of Business at Tennessee State University holds its bi-annual Executive Leadership Lecture Series March 17.

The featured speaker is Robert L. Gardenhire, director of Logistics at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operation. Gardenhire, a longtime Bridgestone executive, oversees transportation, factory warehouses, distribution centers and public storage for finished goods in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and additional export markets.

Prior to the Executive Lecture Series, which begins at 5:15 p.m. in the Avon Williams Campus auditorium, Gardenhire will conduct a one-hour Executive Leadership Roundtable exclusively for MBA students in the new Executive Conference Room beginning at 3:30 p.m. RSVP at lsmith11@tnstate.edu is required to attend.

With the goal to enhance the supply chain curriculum, organizers say the lecture series is aimed to expose students to experts and thought leaders on proven capabilities in leadership that are based on competencies outlined by the SCM Governing Board. The Board is comprised of some of industry’s “most progressive” corporate leaders.

According to Lisa Smith, director of the SCM program, the series emphasizes the following focus areas:

Thought Leadership – The ability to make sound and informed decision in using accurate information to understand and resolve issues

Result Leadership – Developing a Customer-Centered Focus in meeting and understanding the customer’s needs

People Leadership – How to increase commitment through engagement, influence, and communication to inspire others to actively support the organization

Personal Leadership – How to demonstrate and manage ethics and compliance

The Executive Leadership Lecture Series is free and open to the public. For more information contact Lisa Smith at (615) 963-7137 or lsmith11@tnstate.edu.

Department of Media Relations
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With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.