NFL great Peyton Manning to headline Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum in September

The Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum has rounded out its lineup this year with Super Bowl champion quarterback and future NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning named the Monday night headliner for the annual event that will take place in September.

The forum, scheduled Sept. 12-13 at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center, also has added former NFL running back Warrick Dunn, a three-time Pro Bowler who played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Buccaneers.

Launched in 2006, the forum has attracted a steady stream of political leaders, business giants, authors, celebrities, athletes, coaches and other well-known speakers to the city for the two-day event, which is named in honor of retired Synovus Financial Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Blanchard.

A year ago, former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush were the headline attraction on the opening evening, with billionaire Mark Cuban the top speaker in 2014, preceded by the husband-wife duo of astronaut Mark Kelly and wife Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords in 2013.

The lineup through the years has had a heavy political presence, starting with U.S. Senators Zell Miller and Sam Nunn in the inaugural event, and culminating with the star power of former President Bush in 2013 and again last year. But there also has been a steady stream of authors (Ken Blanchard), military leaders (Colin Powell) and business CEOs (Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy, Aflac's Dan Amos and Ford Motor's Alan Mulally).

More than 700 have registered for the event thus far, according to the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University, which hosts the annual gathering along with corporate sponsors. The event typically has room for about 1,000 attendees.

Landing Manning is a major move for the forum, with the former University of Tennessee and Southeastern Conference football star coming off a victory in Super Bowl 50, which the Denver Broncos won 24-10 over the Carolina Panthers. Manning, who retired shortly after the game, is a 14-time Pro Bowler, is the NFL’s only five-time most valuable player, and holds several passing records. He’s the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different teams, having also done so with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. He also has been a philanthropist through the years.

Dunn, meanwhile, is a former Florida State University star who rushed for more than 10,000 yards in a dozen NFL seasons with the Buccaneers, who drafted him in 1997, and the Falcons. He retired in 2009 after a brief second stint with Tampa Bay. Aside from three Pro Bowl selections, he also is a Walter Payton “Man of the Year” Award recipient. A philanthropist himself, Dunn during his career launched Warrick Dunn Charities and Home for the Holidays and co-founded Athletes for Hope. A 2008 autobiography focused on the murder of his mother and his struggles with depression.

Previously announced speakers for this year’s Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum include:

▪  Bonnie St. John, leadership consultant, Olympic medalist and best-selling author

▪  Jim Nantz, three-time Emmy Award-winning sportscaster with CBS sports

▪  Ajaypal Singh Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard

▪  Patricia Florissi, vice president and global chief technology officer with EMC Corp.

▪  Tommy Spaulding, former president and CEO of Up with People and New York Times best-selling author and leadership expert

▪  Bill Curry, former Super Bowl champion, college coach at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky, inspirational speaker and author

▪  Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Army chief of staff

▪  Marcus Luttrell, former U.S. Navy SEAL and author of “Lone Survivor”

▪  Dr. Henry Cloud, psychologist, life coach and author

▪  Jim Blanchard, retired chairman and CEO at Synovus, parent company of Columbus Bank and Trust

▪  Shana Young, director of the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University

The cost to attend the forum is $529 per person or a table of eight for $4,200. The event begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 12. The second-day program concludes at 5 p.m. on Sept. 13, with the Trade Center located at 801 Front Ave. in Columbus. Visit the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum online to register.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 2:05 PM with the headline "NFL great Peyton Manning to headline Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum in September."