Waco Mayor to Discuss 'Leadership in Public Life'
by Devany Severin, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
Baylor University's Academy for Leader Development and Civic Engagement will host the Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in Kayser Auditorium on Baylor campus.
The third speaker in the Leadership Lecture Series, Mayor DuPuy will discuss "Leadership in Public Life," and she will draw from personal experiences to talk about the practice, complexity and unpredictability of leadership, she said.
Nekpen Osuan, a senior University Scholar, will interview Mayor DuPuy on what public service means to her, issues of leadership in terms of gender and her advice for students interested in public office. The student-led lecture will conclude with an audience-engaging Q&A session.
Mayor DuPuy explains that there are entire books, articles and magazines devoted to the subject of leadership. "My experience is that leadership is intuitive, without formula, unpredictable and ultimately very personal," she said.
Mayor DuPuy received her bachelor's and master's degree from Baylor University. She was elected as Mayor in May 2005 and was re-elected in May 2006. In May 2004 she served as the City Council Representative for District III in Waco.
In addition, Mayor DuPuy serves as president and CEO of Oxygen, a family-owned gas and welding supply distributor. She is an active member of the Waco community and is involved in an array of community organizations. These organizations include the Chamber Water Quality Task Force Chair (2001-present), Cooper Foundation Board (2001-present), Heart of Texas Workforce Development Board (2001- present), and Waco Business League Board (2001-present).
The Academy for Leader Development and Civic Engagement features speakers covering leadership in the church, leadership in social contemporary issues and leadership in public life, said Ramona Curtis, Baylor's director for Leader Development and Civic Engagement.
"This is a great opportunity for students to engage a public leader," Curtis said about DuPuy's lecture.
For more information, contact Curtis at Ramona_Curtis@baylor.edu@baylor.edu.