Dr. Betty Siegel, of Kennesaw, is Distinguished Chair of the Siegel Institute for Leadership, Ethics & Character and President Emeritus at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Siegel was the first woman to head an institution in the 35‐unit University System of Georgia and was the longest serving woman president of a public university in the nation. She was President of Kennesaw State from 1981‐2006. Under her administration Kennesaw State grew from 4000 students with 15 baccalaureate‐degree programs to an 18,000 student University with 55 baccalaureate and graduate degree programs. Dr. Siegel is a long‐time member and former chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). She serves on the Commission on Women in Higher Education as well as numerous corporate and community Boards. Dr. Betty Siegel and her husband Joel have two sons who are professors and two grandsons. Since her retirement from Kennesaw State, Dr. Siegel has implemented many global initiatives that have taken her worldwide to spread the message of leadership, ethics and character. The signature program of Dr. Betty Siegel is The Oxford Conclave on Global Ethics, an initiative in higher education launched in 2005. The Conclave serves as a catalyst for a movement to renew higher education's commitment to the development of ethical leadership, and to explore its role as a change agent for social responsibility. As a visiting scholar, Dr. Siegel spent three months in 2007 at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, developing new programs for leadership development and expansion. Distinguished speaker Frances Hesselbein, Chairman of the Board of Leader to Leader Institute and Founding President and CEO of The Peter Drucker Foundation, comments on the Oxford Conclaves she attended in 2005 and 2006:

The depth and integrity of the examination and dialogue--not to mention the level of courage required to tackle the toughest issues before the university and the society--were beyond our highest expectations. The vision of the planners, led by Dr. Betty Siegel, resulted in the mission  that we all worked to further, and inspired us once again, moving the Conclave from "'good to great."
The report from the Conclave will...demonstrate the wisdom of meeting in a medieval college, founded over 700 years ago, where a sense of history permeated our every deliberation, underscoring the indispensable place of the university in society--medieval or in our own times.
I remembered William Butler Yeats: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." The Oxford Conclave lights a fire that leads the way. -- Frances Hesselbein

One of these initiatives, the Stellenbosch Seboka on Higher Education and Ethical Leadership: Global Perspectives in a Southern African Context is planned to be the focus of a conference of university presidents, rectors and vice chancellors from throughout southern Africa April 23‐25, 2008. Speakers at the Seboka include Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former South Africa Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson.
The event will focus on the practical contributions universities can make towards developing ethical andsocially responsible leaders for Africa. The Seboka (a Sesotho word meaning a group of people meeting for a common cause) is a joint effort with The Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility from Georgia State University.

Books by and about Dr. Siegel
Along with long-time colleague Dr. William Purkey, President Siegel co‐founded the International Alliance for Invitational Education, a non-profit organization chartered in North Carolina in 1982. The world wide membership of IAIE consists of professionals who seek to apply the concepts of invitational education to their personal and professional lives. In 2002, Dr. Siegel with Dr. Purkey released a book entitled, Becoming an Invitational Leader.
For the Common Good: The Ethics of Leadership in the 21st Century by John C. Knapp (Editor) was dedicated to Dr. Siegel. 2007, John Knapp, the founder of the Southern Institute for Leadership and Ethics wrote a book entitled For the Common Good. Not surprisingly, he dedicated it to Dr. Betty Siegel. In it is a poem written for her by one of her favorite poets, David White. Also included are praises from family and friends, colleagues and top leaders.
The most recent book honoring the life and work of Dr. Betty S. Siegel is Wintering into Wisdom: A Festschrift for Dr. Betty Lentz Siegel, edited by Elizabeth Giddens. Festschrift is a German word which could be translated as 'celebration publication.' Festschrifts are books honoring respected educational leaders during their lifetime, and are a series of original essays. Wintering into Wisdom includes compositions by Dr. Siegel's husband Dr. Joel Siegel; her sons Dr. David Siegel and Dr. Michael Siegel ; and notables such as U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-East Cobb), and novelist Ferrol Sams.

Life after Retirement
Dr. Betty L. Siegel continues to serve, lead, and inspire with the same passion she had as President of Kennesaw State University. President Emeritus Siegel is the Distinguished Chair for Leadership, Ethics and Character. She is actively pursuing new initiatives and enhancing current initiatives for ethical and invitational leadership.
As an international motivational speaker on leadership, character education, and the concerns of women, she has delivered keynote addresses at hundreds of national, regional and state conferences throughout 50 states, Puerto Rico, and ten foreign countries. Dr. Siegel has also served as a consultant to educational, business, not-fo-profit organizations, health services, government and civic groups. Because of her strong commitment to servant leadership, Dr. Siegel is committed to community service by continuing her active presence on the boards of several non-profit organizations.