During his 17 years as an assistant football coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Bill Conley coached tight ends, linebackers, defensive ends and special teams for head coaches Earle Bruce, John Cooper and Jim Tressel. All-American and/or eventual NFL players he coached include Cris Carter, Thomas "Pepper" Johnson, Chris Spielman, Mike Vrabel, Andy Groom, B.J. Sander, Ben Hartsock, Darnell Sanders and Mike Nugent.

Conley coached teams that included the 2002 National Champions, and others earning berths in numerous bowl games, including the Rose, Fiesta, Outback, Sugar, Citrus, Holiday, Hall of Fame and Cotton Bowls.

 As the Buckeyes' recruiting coordinator in 1991 and 1992, and then from 1994 to 2004, Conley distinguished himself and gained national acclaim. Recognized by ESPN as the No. 1 college recruiter in the country, Conley consistently brought high-impact or "franchise" players to Ohio State. The list of players he recruited includes two Heisman Trophy winners in Eddie George and Troy Smith. Others include Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson, Orlando Pace, Terry Glenn, Greg Bellisari, Andy Katzenmoyer, Chris Gamble, Nate Salley, Mike Nugent, and Ashton Youboty.

 Conley is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he was a member of three Big Ten championship teams, including the 1968 National Championship team, under legendary head coach Woody Hayes. Conley earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Ohio State, and a master’s degree in administration from Wright State University.

 Since retiring from Ohio State in the spring of 2004, Conley continues working to improve the skills of the nation’s top athletes, while keeping his ears to the ground for coaches looking for that next franchise player. Along with being one of the nation’s top motivational speakers, Conley is also a media personality, serving as an analyst and hosting a weekly radio show for 610 WTVN, as well as NBC 4 television, both in Columbus, Ohio. Conley is also a regular contributor to the Buckeye Sports Bulletin.

The Multi-Generational Workforce

Myra Wilson, SPHR

In today’s work environment, it is not uncommon to have four generations of employees working together.  How does this effect business decisions?  ... communication?  ... employee rewards?  ... retention?  Find out some tips for coping with and capitalizing on the differences. 

Myra Wilson, SPHR, is the Human Resources Development Coordinator for the Knox County Career Center’s Adult Workforce Education Department.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Business/Organization Communication from Otterbein College and holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.  Myra has over 25 years of hands-on human resources experience, most of which was with Cooper Energy Services in Mount Vernon, Denver, and Houston.  Through our local Career Center, she now consults with employers of all sizes to help them improve their profitability through customized training, leadership development courses, and human resources tools and processes.

Social/Professional Networking and Mentorship

Dr. Ron Bolender – MVNU

Leadership is relational. To enhance the relational aspect of leadership, one must develop and maintain a meaningful social/professional network. One aspect of the network process is mentorship, a developmental relationship between professionals. This session will present the concept, components, and application of relationship building via social/professional networking and mentoring.

Dr. Ron Bolender is a Professor of Organizational Leadership (School of Business) at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.  He teaches full time in Adult and Graduate Studies (teaching Business Research Project, Leadership, and Sociology courses).  He also coordinates the Online Instruction training and usage of Blackboard as a course management system for MVNU.  Dr. Bolender serves as a Consultant for Strategic Planning and Marketing, providing consulting in the areas of strategic planning and strategic marketing for the Adult and Graduate Studies (AGS) program.