Sarah Patterson to headline Trussville Leadership Conference

February 23, 2017 10:33 AM

Photo courtesy of University of Alabama.

The sixth annual Trussville Leadership Conference is March 9 at the Trussville Civic Center. The event, presented by the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce, will take the place of the chamber’s monthly luncheon in March.

Former University of Alabama women’s gymnastics head coach Sarah Patterson will serve as the keynote speaker. Patterson led UA to six NCAA national titles, 1,006 wins and 43 total postseason championships during her 36-year career. Her success in building champions, both on and off the mat, has gained her several speaking engagements at leadership events since her retirement in 2015.

“Sarah Patterson had tremendous success as a gymnastics coach at UA because of her leadership skills. She will have great insights to share with our conference attendees,” said Diane Poole, director of the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce.

The one-day event, which begins with registration from 9-10 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m., is an opportunity for leaders in the Trussville community to hear from fellow leaders across central Alabama. Attendees can design their own agenda by choosing from multiple sessions while networking with business professionals from the surrounding communities. The main expo hall will be set up for vendors.

Breakout sessions will be led by Gary Fenton, senior advancement officer at Samford University; Alabama State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), Donna Gilliland, founder and president of MOSTraining; Andrew Gnann, president and COO of St. Vincent’s East; Pattie Neill, superintendent of Trussville City Schools; and Michael Ray Newman, CEO of Zig Ziglar International. Additional breakout sessions may be added prior to the event.

The breakout sessions will range in topics from Gilliland's “Social Media Fire Prevention,” focused on educating leaders to the purpose and importance of a social media policy, to Fenton’s session, which he says focuses on “leading people to work hard instead of telling them to work hard.”

Registration is open through March 3. Cost is $65 for individuals and $475 to reserve a table. For more information or to register, email melissa.walker@trussvillechamber.com or call 655-7535.