Lakeland's Southeastern University Excitedly Anticipates Arrival of President George W. Bush & Mrs. Laura Bush

LAKELAND, Fla., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the fourth annual National Leadership Forum approaches, excitement is building at Southeastern University because of the extraordinary lineup of influential and inspiring speakers who are scheduled to be here, most notably former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush.

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The 2010 Forum is set for March 10-12 at the university's campus in Lakeland. Seating is limited to 750 persons. Some tickets are still available to the public, though Southeastern University expects a sellout soon, just as the three previous Forums sold out. Ticket information is available at www.seuLEADERSHIPforum.com or (877) 367-8620. The National Leadership Forum is geared toward men and women who are leaders -- or those who strive to be leaders -- in the church, business and professional community.

Southeastern University is dedicated to the proposition that servant leaders are world changers. The Forum is an innovative and creative approach to teaching the servant leadership concept.

In addition to the Bushes, the other prestigious speakers scheduled for the three-day event are:

• Jim Blanchard, retired chairman and CEO of Synovus Financial Corp., a financial services holding company based in Columbus, Ga., with approximately $35 billion in assets. During Mr. Blanchard's leadership, the company experienced its greatest growth and prosperity.
• Mark Floyd, CEO of SafeNet, Inc., a global leader in information security-protecting communications, digital identities and intellectual properties. Mr. Floyd is also Chairman of the Board of Tekelec, a high-performance network-applications company whose products are deployed in large wireless and wireline carrier networks worldwide.
• Ken Blanchard, one of the most influential leadership experts in the world, is respected for his years of groundbreaking work in the fields of leadership and management. He is an author or co-author of more than 40 books including the classic The One Minute Manager, which has sold more than 13 million copies.
• Patrick Lencioni, author of eight best-selling books that have sold 2.5 million copies. One of those books, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, is a popular business fable that explores work team dynamics and offers solutions to help teams perform better; it has sold more than 1 million copies.
• Marcus Buckingham, a motivational speaker, trainer, public leader, researcher and author, helps people discover and capitalize on their personal strengths. He is considered a leading authority on employee productivity and the practices of leading and managing.
• John Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor who is internationally known as the foremost speaker on the topics of leadership and change. Mr. Kotter has authored 17 books including Leading Change, which outlines an actionable eight-step process for implementing successful transformation.
• Jim Collins, a student and teacher of enduring great companies -- how they grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies. He has authored or co-authored four books, including the classic Built To Last, which has been a fixture on the Business Week best seller list for more than six years.
• Joyce Meyer, one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times best-selling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ.
• Tommy Barnett, pastor of Phoenix (Ariz.) First Assembly of God, which has experienced phenomenal growth during his tenure and now has more than 245 outreach ministries, including the Los Angeles Dream Center. He inspires pastors and churches in the full gospel movement to grow.
• Brian Houston, pastor of Sydney, Australia's Hillsong Church, which he and his wife established in 1983. Today, Hillsong is considered the largest church in Australia with more than 21,000 people in attendance.  
• Erwin McManus, pastor and cultural architect of Mosaic, a Christian community in Los Angeles known throughout the world for its spiritual creativity and cosmopolitan diversity. Mr. McManus is also the catalyst behind Awaken, a collaboration of dreamers committed to creating environments that expand imagination and unleash creativity.
• Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch.tv, which he and his wife founded in 1996. Mr. Groeschel is known for his creative and relevant Bible teaching. LifeChurch.tv is now a multi-campus church with more than 50 weekend worship experiences at 13 different locations throughout the United States.
• Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., and founder of its parent organization, North Point Ministries, Inc. Since its 1995 inception, North Point Ministries has grown to three campuses and has helped plant 14 strategic partner churches. Each Sunday, more than 20,000 adults worship at the Ministries' campuses.
• Bill Hybels, pastor and founder of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. Known for his relevant teaching and cutting-edge leadership, Mr. Hybels has authored 20 books including Too Busy Not to Pray, Becoming a Contagious Christian and Courageous Leadership.
• George O. Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God USA, part of the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world; pastoral theology doctorate and juris doctorate; author of A Psalm In Your Heart Vol. I & II, Living Fully, The Successful Life and a college text on the Book of Acts.  

In previous years, keynote speakers have included retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, Indianapolis Colts football coach Tony Dungy, and former GE Chairman and CEO Jack Welch.

Southeastern University is affiliated with the Assemblies of God. It is one of the fastest-growing Christian universities in the country, and is committed to equipping students for a life of world-changing leadership both in a variety of professional careers and ministry-related fields. Southeastern is accredited to offer 45 programs leading to bachelor's degrees and eight programs leading to master's degrees.

The University is located at 1000 Longfellow Boulevard, Lakeland, Fla. For more information, call 863.667.5000 or visit the website at www.seuniversity.edu 

SOURCE Southeastern University