The 2010 Leadership Forum, under the direction of the Cardiovascular Leadership institute (CLI) and Dr. C. Michael Valentine, was attended by 122 Board of Governors members, Council chairs, newly elected Trustees and, new this year, FITs who have been appointed to serve on various ACC Committees.  The theme of this meeting was Communication.

The Board of Governors is always working to strengthen bi-directional communication between the Trustees and various College leaders and the grassroot membership.  At this meeting, Dr. Lewin presented the ACC State of the Union to the attendees, and in response, each of the Governors presented a State of the State report, which the College leaders, and especially the Presidential Team, found very useful and interesting.

We were also delighted to have with us Richard Greene, an attorney, political and national communication strategist and author of the book, "Words that Shook The World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events".  He is also the Founder of a 501(c)(3) corporation that runs high school competitions to find and cultivate the next generation of great speakers and leaders in America. (www.WordsThatShookTheWorld.com)

For 25 years Richard has taught Presidents, Prime Ministers, U.S. Senators, governors, CEOs, royalty (Princess Diana), actors and others, in 26 countries around the world, how to give presentations and speeches with comfort and "Authentic Passion".

We also were fortunate to have with us Dr. Story Musgrave, a neurosurgeon, pilot, poet, photographer, philosopher, landscape artist and the only astronaut to have flown all five space shuttles.  Dr. Musgrave worked with NASA for over 30 years and we were very fortunate to see the beauty of his photography and hear his words of wisdom on leadership and professionalism.

While the snow challenged the return home for some, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the attendees.  They are looking forward to the 2011 CLI Leadership Forum to be held January 28-29, 2011.