Jillian Michaels, Nicholas Sparks to Highlight 2013-2014 Speakers Series

Tickets for Michaels, Mycoskie Events go on Sale Aug. 26

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., June 28, 2013 – Southeast Missouri State University will host another slate of outstanding speakers who will share their experiences and stories during the 2013-2014 University Speakers Series.

Jillian Michaels
Kicking off the series will be Jillian Michaels, one of the leading health and wellness experts in the country. She will speak at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Show Me Center. The event is titled “An Evening with Jillian Michaels.” Michaels has been a fitness expert and wellness coach for more than 20 years. As a motivator and role model, Michaels has a unique connection with her audience that stems from her own personal journey toward wellness through her struggles as an overweight teen. With hard work and dedication, Michaels was able to reach her own healthy goals and now makes it her mission to education, inspire and motivate others to do the same through her books, television appearances, speaking engagements, website, DVDs and more.

Michaels is a bestselling author of numerous books including “Unlimited: How to Build and Exceptional Life” and her newest bestseller “Slim for Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast and Lasting Weight Loss.” Her DVDs are consistently top sellers, with titles such as the newest, “Jillian Michaels Hard Body,” helping millions sweat their way to the fit, healthy body they have always dreamed of. Michaels is the president and co-founder of Empowered Media, a company dedicated to creating total life solutions for people that involve all aspects of living well, including health, wellness, weight loss and overall lifestyle.

By sharing a unique and inspiring philosophy that stresses the integration of fitness, nutrition and behavioral changes, Michaels empowers people everywhere to define and reach their personal goals, both physical and psychological. Each day Michaels and her team strive to provide the tools, information, inspiration and guidance to help other achieve the ultimate potential, working with the motto “Inspired by Jillian, empowered by YOU.”

Michaels lives with her family in Los Angeles. When she’s not on the television set, she enjoys traveling and getting involved in charitable activities, which include her work as ambassadors for the American Cancer Society, Stand Up 2 Cancer and NFL Play 60, working with military families through USO and championing the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a program dedicated to eradicating the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States.

Blake Mycoskie
Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoskie will speak on “Start Something that Matters” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Show Me Center. Mycoskie is the person behind the idea of One for One model, which has turned into a global movement. TOMS has given more than 10 million pairs of new shoes to children in need since it began in 2006. The company also recently expanded its unique business model to include TOMS Eyewear, helping to give sight to over 150,000 people around the world.

In the fall of 2011, Mycoskie released his first book, “Start Something That Matters,” offering his own amazing story of inspiration, and the power of incorporating giving in business. He references other companies and individuals who have been motivated and inspired to integrate philanthropy into their profession as well as their personal lives.

In 2009, Mycoskie and TOMS received the Secretary of State’s 2009 Award of Corporate Excellence (ACE). People magazine featured Mycoskie in its “Heroes Among Us” section, and TOMS was featured in the Bill Gates Time magazine article “How to Fix Capitalism.” In 2011, Mycoskie was named in Fortune magazine’s “40 Under 40” list, recognizing him as one of the top young businessmen in the world.

Mayor Cory Booker
The Honorable Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., will continue the University Speakers Series when he presents “How to Change the World with Your Bare Hands” as the keynote address at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner. Booker will speak at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 in the Show Me Center. Booker became mayor of New Jersey’s largest city in July 2006 and was re-elected for a second term in 2010. He and his team have more than doubled the rate of affordable housing production; created Newark’s largest expansion of parks and recreation spaces in over a century; and brought more than $1 billion of new economic development into the City, while developing business attractions, another major focus goal.

During his first four years of service from 1998-2002, then-Councilman Booker earned a reputation as a leader with innovative ideas and bold actions, from increasing security in public housing to building new playgrounds. This work was the foundation for his leadership as mayor. For his work, he has been recognized in numerous publications, including, among others, Time magazine (naming him one of the 100 most influential people of 2011), Esquire, New Jersey Monthly (naming him as one of New Jersey’s top 40 under 40), Black Enterprise (naming him to the Hot List, America’s most Powerful Players under 40) and the New York Times magazine.

Nicholas Sparks
Bestselling author Nicholas Sparks will present “An Evening with Nicholas Sparks” at 7:30 p.m. March 10 in the Show Me Center. With almost 80 million copies of his books in print, literary sensation Nicholas Sparks is the author of 17 New York Times #1 bestselling books and a cultural phenomenon in his own right. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote “The Notebook” over a period of six months. In October 1995, Warner Books famously paid Sparks $ 1 million for his novel. It was published in October 1996, and he followed that with 16 novels, including “Message in a Bottle” (1998), “A Walk to Remember” (1999), “Nights in Rodanthe” (2002), “Dear John” (2006), and “The Last Song” (2009), to name a few, all with Warner Books/Grand Central Publishing. All of his books were domestic and international best sellers, with almost 80 million copies sold worldwide, translated into more than 45 languages. His newest book, “The Best of Me,” was released in October 2011. Coupled with the undeniable success of his many books, the movie adaptations of Sparks’ books have become the most iconic romantic feature films for a whole new generation.

At the podium, Sparks takes audiences deeper into the sleepy towns and poignant relationships that ignite the pages of his romantic pageturners. Sparks, in person, displays the traits that make his books so beloved: great storytelling and a unique voice and a charm that connects through the power of words. His relatable talks weave his own personal story of hard work, rejection, anxiety and triumph for inspiring authorsᾰand romanticsᾰeverywhere.

Diane Rehm
Closing out the 2013-2014 Speakers Series will be Diane Rehm who will present “A Conversation With Diane Rehm” at 7:30 p.m. April 16 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. Rehm is a native Washingtonian who, in 2009, celebrated 30 years as host of her own radio show. The Diane Rehm Show is produced at WAMU 88.5, the NPR Member Station in Washington, D.C., and distributed by NPR, NPR Worldwide and SIRIUS XM satellite radio. It can be heard on more than 160 stations nationwide. The program is also broadcast in Germany, Japan, and Finland, and is available on U.S. military installations worldwide on the Armed Forces Network.

Each week, more than 2.2 million listeners across the country tune in to The Diane Rehm Show, which has grown from a local morning call-in show to one of public broadcasting's most popular programs. The two-hour show covers a range of topics and includes questions and comments from listeners. Many of the nation's prominent newsmakers, journalists and authors have appeared on her show. The program has been called one of the most interesting talk shows in the country, according to Newsweek magazine. The Diane Rehm Show was named to the Top 10 list of the most powerful programs in public radio for 2007 and 2008, based on its ability to draw listeners to public radio stations

In 1998, Rehm's career nearly ended because of spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological voice disorder that causes strained, difficult speech. Rehm sought treatment, returned to the show, and called attention to the condition. The National Council on Communicative Disorders recognized her work with a Communication Award, and ABC's Nightline devoted an entire program to a conversation with Rehm about her disorder. In 2011, Rehm was awarded the Voice Education Research Awareness (VERA) Award from The Voice Foundation for her sustained contributions to the field of voice communication.

Rehm is a successful author of three autobiographical books and has received many awards and honors.

Tickets
Tickets are required for entry to all events, which are open to the public. Tickets for the Michaels and Mycoskie events will be available Aug. 26. Tickets for the Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner, during which Mayor Booker will speak, along with tickets for the Sparks and Rehm events will go on sale at a later date. General admission tickets for the Michaels, Mycoskie, Sparks and Rehm events are $10. Tickets for the Michaels, Mycoskie and Sparks events can be purchased at www.showmecenter.biz and the Show Me Center Box Office. Current Southeast faculty, staff and students can use a valid Redhawks ID to pick up a free ticket for these three events in the University Center Room 202, the Center for Student Involvement or the Show Me Center Box Office. Tickets for the Rehm speaking event can be purchased at RiverCampusEvents.com and the River Campus Box Office. Current Southeast faculty, staff and students can use a valid Redhawks ID to pick up a free ticket for this event in the University Center Room 202, the Center for Student Involvement or the River Campus Box Office.