Tag Archives: Leadership

Whether in art, sports, academics, or business, we are inspired by excellence. We celebrate those who have the commitment to achieving the highest levels of success in their respective fields.  Aristotle once said, “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” His statement reminds us that excellence is truly a choice.

We can choose the level of commitment we are willing to give to a task. Colin Powell once noted, “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” We see that it is striving for excellence in the little things that has the compound effect of creating a life of excellence.

Dr. Jason L. Walton

My interviewee this week, Dr. Jason L. Walton, brings that kind of passion for excellence to his new role as the sixth head of school at Jackson Preparatory School, which he assumed July 1, 2014. He succeeded Susan Lindsay, who served in the role since 2004, and retired this June after 40 years of service to the school that has founded in 1970 and is one of the leading private schools in the state.

Walton is a fourth-generation Mississippian who grew up in Greenwood and Hernando.  After getting his associates degree from Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi, he went on to earn his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Education Leadership and Policy Studies.

Walton’s work experience includes serving as a classroom teacher in the DeSoto county schools, associate editor for the Peabody Journal of Education and a legislative staffer. Prior to joining Jackson Prep, Walton served as chief of staff/staff liaison to the board of trustees at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.  Inspired by the Presidential debate held at his alma mater Ole Miss in 2008, he personally pitched, built internal institutional support for, and orchestrated the strategy that brought the third and final 2012 Presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney to Lynn University.  This debate, held on Oct. 22, 2012, was viewed by 59.2 million households, had a $13.1 million immediate economic impact on Palm Beach County, and yielded a combined $63 million publicity value for the university, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach County.

Walton shared with me that his educational philosophy is best captured in one simple axiom… excellence without exception. He emphasized, “Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.” His philosophy aligns well with Jackson Prep’s mission, which is “Striving to educate and inspire students toward academic, athletic, and artistic excellence.” For future leaders, he encourages them to maintain a sense of wonder.  He noted, “I encourage them to cultivate a restless curiosity about everything that fascinates them in the world and then endeavor to search out and consume all the content you can about those things.”  I am excited about Walton’s return to his home state, and I know that he will make a positive impact on the students at Jackson Prep and the community in the years to come.

Prior to moving to Memphis, I was a member for a number of years of The Rotary Club of Jackson, which is the State of Mississippi’s largest service club.  Most readers are probably familiar with Rotary, but for those who aren’t, it is an international service organization formed in 1905 with over 1.2 million members worldwide. On July 12, The Rotary Club of Jackson will be celebrating its 100th anniversary with a special event and will have Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang from Taiwan as a guest.  This will be a historic occasion to have a sitting RI president visit a local Mississippi Rotary club. One of the things I like about Rotary are its mottoes:  “Service Above Self and One Profits Most Who Serves Best.”

Scherry Gilliland

My interviewee this week, Scherry Gilliland, embodies these mottoes. She has been a member of The Rotary Club of Jackson since 1998 and as of Jan. 1, 2014, she is serving as executive director of the club. Scherry grew up in Brookhaven and graduated from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Belhaven College. She shared, “I loved learning . . . and still do. Growing up, there were many opportunities to get involved in service activities. I was fortunate to serve in a number of different leadership roles throughout these years.” Scherry had an early interest in music and learned piano from her grandmother. She has shared her love of music for many years as a piano teacher and choir pianist. She also noted, “Raising my sons was the greatest leadership experience I have ever had. It was the lengthiest and the most important. During the years when I was preparing them for life, I didn’t realize that I was being prepared for my own future.”

In 1998, Scherry found her next passion, non-profit public relations and development. She has been a certified fund raising executive since 1998 and has worked with numerous organizations including Mississippi Children’s Home Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi, Junior Achievement and Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi. In 2010, she was contracted to set up a 501(c)(3) organization that drills water wells in Malawi, Africa. I know for many, the thought of fundraising is overwhelming. I asked Scherry how she has been so effective and seemed to enjoy it so much.  She emphasized that she loves to learn people’s stories and see the real joy that comes from giving. Scherry, like other effective leaders, is a change agent and enjoys serving where positive change is needed.

A person of deep faith, Scherry said, “My faith guides every day of my life. My daily opportunities are God’s gift to me. What I do with those opportunities is my gift to Him.” She also shared that her advice for future leaders is to remember that every experience in leadership is preparation for your next opportunity. Don’t be afraid to take the opportunity that is offered to you…It is YOURS! If you don’t take it, someone else will.” Scherry’s passion is contagious. Her current role as executive director of The Rotary Club of Jackson allows her to share her passion with other service oriented leaders. In addition to other service activities, the club’s signature philanthropic project provides college scholarships for at least four high school seniors annually.

I have seen first-hand how philanthropic activities like these can impact lives. My sister, Meg Willoughby Swayze, was a beneficiary of the club’s generosity years ago when she was able to earn a master’s degree as a Rotary scholar. I am thankful for leaders like Scherry who are on the front lines of making a difference in the lives of our communities.

When I first began writing this column, my goal was to uplift and inspire leaders and entrepreneurs around the state. By interviewing successful Mississippians and sharing their stories, I hoped to make a positive impact. For those who enjoying learning from the experiences of outstanding Mississippians, I am excited to share with you about Mississippi Entrepreneurs by Polly Dement, which was recently published by Cat Island Books, LLC with University Press of Mississippi. I caught up with Polly to visit about the book in a recent interview:

MW:  Tell me a little bit about the book.

PD:  The book profiles outstanding entrepreneurs from around the state including legends who have passed on and up-and-comers.I interviewed over 100 people for the book which contains 70 profiles of 85 Mississippi entrepreneurs.

MW:  How did you become involved in this project?

Martin Willoughby

PD:  I grew up in Vicksburg and graduated from Millsaps College before pursuing a career in Washington D.C. I would regularly come back to the state and had always hoped to one day work on a project back in Mississippi. My conversations started with Tim Medley, who had been inspired by a book he saw while in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina on entrepreneurs in New Orleans. He began to think about how to do a similar book on Mississippi entrepreneurs. He formed Cat Island Books along with Paul Calhoun, David Martin, Mike McRee and Rowan Taylor to make that dream a reality.  They asked me to conduct the interviews and write the articles on the Mississippi entrepreneurs.

MW:   Tell me a little more your career and travels.

PD:  After Millsaps, I moved briefly to Atlanta and then found my home in Washington D.C. My husband, John Mayer, and I have spent most of our careers based in D.C.  I have always been interested in communications, and I have worked both in the public and private sector over the years.  One of my first jobs in Washington was working for the Senate Watergate Committee where I wrote profiles of the witnesses who testified.  I had the opportunity to write profiles on entrepreneurs for over a decade beginning in 1981 for the National Association of Investment Companies. I also worked for the National Commission on Children and Hager Sharp Inc., a communications firm in Washington, DC.  n 2005, my husband and I decided to take a career “time out,” and we traveled the country for three years in a mobile home before relocating to Sante Fe in 2008.

MW: What was it like working with the Cat Island Group?

PD:  I have tremendous respect for these gentlemen who shared a passion for trying to encourage entrepreneurs and Mississippians around the state. They had never published a book before, but they were entrepreneurs in their own right who had the vision, figured it out, took risks and enabled this book to be written. They carefully considered who to feature in the book as they wanted to make sure that the entrepreneurs represented the state geographically and a diverse mix of business and social entrepreneurs.

MW:   I understand that you will be doing some book signings.

PD: We launch the book in Jackson on June 3 at Lemuria then we will be traveling around the state for other book signings.  Many of the entrepreneurs will be joining locally as well and there are some special celebratory events.  People who would like more information on these events can follows us on facebook at www.facebook.com/Mississippi Entrepreneurs.

MW:   How did this project impact you?

PD: I had an incredible opportunity to personally interview each of the entrepreneurs or those who knew them if they were deceased. I came away inspired by each of their stories in unique ways. Mississippians have much to be proud of, and I hope these stories will encourage people to reach for their dreams.