Vice President, Higher Education Division, The Gallup Organization

Mark Pogue's mission is to create a world where all students of any age lead successful and self-directed lives, empowered with the knowledge of their talents and how to apply them. For the past six years, Pogue has been a consultant and speaker to higher education institutions and K-12 school districts on building strengths-based organizations.

Pogue participated in the design and creation of StrengthsQuest and continues to direct the project worldwide. StrengthsQuest, a student development and engagement program, is designed to help high school and college students achieve success in academies, career, and life. The StrengthsQuest program also helps instructors, advisors, career counselors, and residence hall directors and assistants incorporate strengths-based experiences in the classroom, in college preparation, freshman orientation, and student life programs, and in small groups and one-on-one feedback sessions. Since its inception, more than 100,000 students have participated in StrengthsQuest programs in a wide range of settings on more than 200 campuses.

Pogue has shared his message of moving from strengths to thousands of educators and students at more than 250 campuses. He works with public and private, secular and non-secular community colleges and universities across the country.

Prior to joining Gallup in 2000, Pogue was a director of a nonprofit youth organization for 13 years. He earned his bachelor's degree in management science from Oklahoma State University. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Nebraska. He and his wife live in Minneapolis with their two daughters.

President of Central Piedmont Communtiy College, North Carolina

Dr. Zeiss holds a doctorate in community college administration, a master's degree in speech (radio and television), and a bachelor's degree in speech education. In 1992, Zeiss became the third president of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), the largest college in North Carolina, serving approximately 70,000 students per year. During his tenure, the college has grown from one campus to six and has become recognized as a national leader in Workforce Development. Zeiss has authored or co-authored several books on economic development, adult literacy, and national workforce development. His most recent publications include four books on creating high performance employees, a novel based on the War Between the States, and a book on Community College Leadership.

Dr. Zeiss is a professional speaker and a frequent keynoter for companies and colleges on recruiting, developing, and retaining peak performers at the workplace. He regularly consults with States and regions on Economic Development.

Zeiss is past chair of the Board of the American Association of Community Colleges, past Board Chair for the League for Innovation, and was the Association of Community College Trustees' National CEO of the Year for 2004-2005. CPCC was selected as the 2002 Community College of the Year by the National Alliance of Business in 2002-2003.

Dr. Zeiss serves on several local, regional, and national boards and frequently serves as a workgroup member for the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. Zeiss and his wife Beth have two sons and two grandchildren.

Author and futurist

Through her books, talks, and workshops, Patricia has helped thousands of organizations and millions of people make the most of social change and transformation. Co-author of the number one, New York Times bestseller Megatrends 2000, Patricia newest book is, Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism, a blueprint of the social, economic and spiritual trends transforming free enterprise. As the tag line promises, the book describes seven new trends that will transform how you “Live, Work and Invest.”

Patricia was John Naisbitt’s collaborator on the publishing phenomenon Megatrends which topped charts in the U.S., Germany, and Japan. She co-wrote the best-selling Re-inventing the Corporation and Megatrends for Women. Patricia has lectured throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and the Pacific Rim. Clients include Adecco, the Professional Coach and Mentor Association, the Management Institute of New Zealand and the Consciousness in Business conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Patricia’s lifelong career in business journalism began at Forbes in 1978. As a Public Policy Fellow at Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1993 to 1996, she explored emerging leadership models. Patricia Aburdene holds a BA in philosophy from Newton College of the Sacred Heart (now Boston College), an MS in library science from Catholic University and three honorary doctorates. In 1990, she was awarded the Medal of Italy for her interpretation of global trends. Patricia lives in Telluride, Colorado and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Please click here for information on Patricia's Closing Keynote