Sioux City, IA – Morningside College will host the inaugural Franklin Leadership Summit on Tuesday, February 4. The Siouxland community is invited to a panel discussion with business strategy experts at 7 p.m. in the Yockey Room of the Olsen Student Center on campus. This event is free and open to the public, and local business owners and entrepreneurs are encouraged to attend.

“The Franklin Leadership Summit provides an invaluable platform for students and aspiring professionals to learn how to lead with purpose and passion,” says Cleo Franklin, founder of the Franklin Leadership Foundation. Franklin serves on the Morningside College Board of Directors and is the CEO and founder of Franklin Strategic Solutions, a global consultant and leadership development business (www.franklinss.com). “We are honored and excited to partner with Morningside College to provide the next generation of leaders with an opportunity to engage successful business leaders to help inspire and empower their personal and career development towards a path of difference-making and positive impact.”

Franklin will be joined by industry experts Coreen Sweeney, James Hering, and Dr. Scott Davis. Like Franklin, each presenter is passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders and will share their experience and expertise with students and the community.

Coreen Sweeney is the current president of Nyemaster Goode, P.C., Iowa’s largest law firm. An experienced attorney and shareholder, she’s skilled in Workers’ Compensation, Bad Faith and Personal Injury Litigation, and assisting parties as a mediator.

James Hering has a “green thumb” for digital marketing and has handled marketing and digital efforts for high-profile clients including American Airlines, Nationwide Insurance, and ExxonMobil. He has been recognized over 120 times with media and marketing awards, and his LinkedIn profile is among the top 1% viewed on the platform. He currently serves with The Richards Group where he handles several lines of business within Charles Schwab and Co.

Dr. Scott Davis is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Houston-Downtown. He hosts the podcast and video series “Marketing Mixtape” which has appeared in the top 10 iTunes podcasts for marketing and management. Prior to his academic career, Davis developed Walt Disney’s first mobile websites and led technology projects for NASA and the Department of Defense.

The summit will begin with a panel discussion and breakout sessions with the featured speakers for first and second-year students at Morningside College, followed by sessions with the Morningside Business Honors, Morningside Entrepreneur Group, and students from Sioux City high schools. At 7 p.m., Franklin will facilitate a panel discussion with Sweeney, Davis, and Hering, followed by an audience Q & A.

“The Morningside experience is all about active learning opportunities that cultivate a lifelong passion for education, ethical leadership, and civic engagement. We’re thrilled to work alongside the Franklin Leadership Foundation to provide a platform for our students and high school students here in Sioux City to connect with successful business leaders and learn from their journeys and experiences,” says Kari Winklepleck, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Morningside.

The Franklin Leadership Foundation is a social non-profit that provides opportunities for students to engage with industry experts that can help them develop a career path with passion and purpose. The Foundation empowers the leaders of tomorrow by bringing together leadership and professional resources and offerings experiential learning opportunities through mentorships, scholarships, internships, and externships. For more information on the Franklin Leadership Summit, visit www.morningside.edu/franklin-leadership-foundation.