Reddit cofounder, a waitress-turned-millionaire among speakers at Columbus forum
.png "Some of the speaks for The Forum, previously called the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, have been announced. From left to right: Kat Cole, North America chief operating officer and president of FOCUS Brands; cybersecurity and fraud prevention expert Frank Abagnale; and Alexis Ohanian, cofounder of Reddit and Initialized Capital.")
A former Hooters waitress who became a millionaire business executive, the cofounder of the third-most popular website in the United States and a bestselling author whose story was portrayed in a Steven Spielberg film will speak at this year’s edition of The Forum, the leadership conference conducted by Columbus State University — which will have a new format, based on feedback from attendees.
The full lineup hasn’t been released, but CSU’s Leadership Institute has announced three of the nine speakers for the 15th annual gathering, now called The Forum and previously called the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum in honor of the retired Synovus chairman and CEO.
This year’s event will be Aug. 24-25 in the Columbus Convention & Trade Center.
At 1 p.m. Aug. 24, cybersecurity and fraud prevention expert Frank Abagnale will be the first speaker. He is the subject of the 2002 film “Catch Me If You Can,” directed by Spielberg.
Instead of the traditional conference dinner followed at 8 p.m. by the keynote speaker — who hasn’t been announced — that address will begin at 5 p.m. Then attendees will use a meal voucher for dinner at a downtown Columbus restaurant, spreading the economic impact of the conference to more local business owners.
“We want to show off all they have to offer,” Jessica Drake, director of The Forum, said in a news release, “and we weren’t able to do that with the old format.”
Alexis Ohanian, cofounder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, as well as a bestselling author, will be the first speaker Aug. 25, beginning at 9 a.m.
It’s a later start than previous years, giving local attendees more time to drop off their children at school. For attendees without that morning task, a breakfast with remarks from Blanchard will be offered.
The concluding speaker that afternoon will be Kat Cole, North America chief operating officer and president of FOCUS Brands, which owns iconic shopping center eateries Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, McAllister’s, Moe’s, Schlotzky’s and Seattle’s Best Coffee.
Tickets, table reservations and sponsorships are available at TheForum.ColumbusState.edu.
