March Breakfast Meeting Keynoter:
Keel Hunt
speaker, business owner and author of Coup: The Day the Democrats Ousted Their Governor and Stopped a Pardon Scandal
Leadership Lessons learned from the Very Top in Tennessee
Keel Hunt, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, will talk about the vital importance of an organization’s basic mission and having shared values among its leaders, understanding its partners and allies, and having a clear protocol for responsible decision-making.
His perspective is based on the true story of the extraordinary 1979 ouster of Governor Ray Blanton – both the shocking “clemency for cash” scandal and the bipartisan response that stopped it. This look back in Tennessee’s history offers real lessons for leaders in many sectors of our society.
When Keel Hunt’s book on that historic period was published, former Governor Phil Bredesen said, “Every public official in America should read it.”
The remarkable story is relevant and vital not only for leaders in government, but also for decision-makers in businesses and nonprofit organizations.
*** Keel Hunt will be selling his book Coup for $30 at the breakfast meeting. Cash, checks, and all major credit cards will be accepted.***
About Keel Hunt
Keel Hunt is a Nashville native and a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). He received his master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
While an undergraduate at MTSU, Hunt was editor of Sidelines and also worked nights and weekends as a staff reporter at The Tennessean. After graduating in 1971, he also served as editorial writer, Washington correspondent, and City Editor ofThe Tennessean. In 1974, the Tennessee affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation named Hunt “Conservation Communicator of the Year” for his investigative journalism. During this period, Hunt was an adjunct instructor in news writing in the MTSU Department of Mass Communications.
Following the 1978 election, Hunt was appointed Special Assistant to Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, whom he served as coordinator of the Governor's Policy Group and Executive Director of the State Planning Office. He left the Governor’s staff in 1986 to become a strategy consultant to businesses, institutions and individuals. His public affairs firm, The Strategy Group, has consulted with some of Tennessee's largest institutions, from HCA and Ingram Industries, to First Tennessee Bank, BellSouth and AT&T. He is a Trustee of the Country Music Foundation, and a former board member of the MTSU Foundation.
Hunt writes a regular newspaper column for The Tennessean editorial pages called “Metropolitan” and he is the author of Coup, the story of the 1979 ouster of Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton.
Hunt and his wife Marsha have two adult children and two grandchildren.