Spring 2009 Executives Forum Speakers
  • GCSU Faculty participating to the event

    January Speaker
    Jack Shipkoski
    CEO - South Atlantic Division
    American Cancer Society, Atlanta

    Jack Shipkoski began his career with the American Cancer Society in 1970 with the Pennsylvania Division. He moved to the Southern Area Office in Atlanta in 1981 as a national representative, and in 1985 he was appointed EVP of the Georgia Division. He was appointed CEO of the Southeast Division, Inc. (Ga., N.C., and S.C.) in 1998 overseeing a staff of 375 employees and 100,000 volunteers. Here he led the division to start its own Patient Navigation Center (resource call center) and to a partnership with the Georgia Cancer Coalition. In 2003, the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Divisions merged to form the new South Atlantic Division. Shipkoski was named CEO of this division, the largest one in the U.S. with a population of 39 million and five comprehensive cancer centers.


  • Joseph J. BrannenFebruary Speaker
    Joseph J. Brannen
    President/CEO
    Georgia Bankers Association, Atlanta

    Joe Brannen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Georgia
    Bankers Association, a position he has held since 1980. The Georgia
    Bankers Association is the trade and professional association representing virtually all of Georgia’s 375 commercial banks and thrift institutions. Thanks in part to Joe’s work, James magazine recently recognized the association among the top 10 most politically influential business associations in the State of Georgia.

  • Joe came to the Georgia Bankers Association after having worked eight years for U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. Active in many state, regional and national organizations, Joe is on the Boards of Directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the State YMCA. He is the current President of the Georgia Bar Foundation and is a Past President of the Georgia Society of Association Executives. Joe chairs the board of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, and is a former chairman of the American Bankers Association’s State Association Division.
  • Joe is a recipient of the Golden Pigeon Award, the top recognition bestowed upon a lobbyist at the State Capitol by his colleagues in the lobbying community. He is a past participant in Leadership Georgia, a member of the Gridiron Secret Society, and has been a member of the Committee of 100 of Emory University's Candler School of Theology. Joe is member of Highlands United Methodist Church. In his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors and painting. He is a native of Statesboro and is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a major in chemistry. Joe and his wife, Vilda, live in Atlanta.

  • J. Neil ShorthouseMarch Speaker
    J. Neil Shorthouse
    President
    Communities in Schools of Georgia, Inc., Atlanta

    Neil Shorthouse has dedicated his adult life to improving educational opportunities for all children. He is one of the founders of Communities In Schools (CIS), a nonprofit organization with more than 35 years of service to the State of Georgia 's public school students. CIS serves as a model for dropout prevention programs and has been replicated throughout the nation. Communities In Schools is a community-based organization whose primary goal is to help kids succeed in school and prepare for life.
    Neil is an active member of the educational and business communities. He serves on numerous board of directors, including the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Charter Schools Association, Kids in Need of Metro Atlanta , and Creating Vibrant Communities. He is a respected leader and consultant to numerous organizations and assists the Georgia Department of Education in its work with the state's children.