Leadership habit begins at Annual Conference

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General sessions to feature U.S. education official, filming of popular political talk show

The 2010 NCACC Annual Conference may leave some attendees' heads spinning. The second general session on Saturday, Aug. 28, will be devoted to a 75-minute version of NC SPIN, a long-running weekly political talk show that airs on stations across North Carolina.

A senior policy member of the U.S. Department of Education will provide the keynote address in the opening general session.

This year's conference will be held Aug. 26-29 at the Greenville Convention Center in Pitt County. Registration information will be available by June 1 at www.ncacc.org/annualconf.htm.

The theme for this year's conference is: "Developing the leadership habit. Preparing tomorrow's leaders today."

Dennis Bega

The opening general session will be held Friday, Aug. 27. The keynote speaker will be Dennis Bega, a senior education advisor for U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

North Carolina must have a world-class public school system to compete in the 21st century economy. As funders of schools, counties play a major role in the success of our public school system. What can counties do to help more students graduate high school and to prepare more students for post-secondary education? How can rural areas increase opportunities so that students who go to college will come home to work after they graduate?

Bega also serves as a department representative for the education provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). He coordinates the department's involvement with federal grant development and training, welfare reform, juvenile justice and at-risk youth. He also collaborates with the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Appalachian Regional Commission and other partners and represents the department at national, regional and state forums.

Prior to his present appointment, Bega held leadership positions in education, professional development, human services and economic development/workforce development in the states of Illinois and Indiana. He began his career working for a community-based program in south suburban Chicago. From there, Bega moved to education, training and development appointments with the U.S. Department of Education in Chicago.

Followers of North Carolina politics know the name NC SPIN, which bills itself as "the most intelligent half-hour on North Carolina television." NC SPIN is a lively discussion that combines current events with humor, and controversy with common sense! Unrehearsed, unpredictable and uncompromising, NC SPIN addresses a wide range of topics.

Tom Campbell

Tom Campbell, creator, executive producer and moderator of NC SPIN, serves as host for the program. He comes from a rich family tradition of public involvement in North Carolina. His family founded Campbell University as well as WNCT-TV, the first television station in eastern North Carolina. Campbell worked in his family's broadcast business for more than 24 years, writing and delivering daily radio editorials.

Prior to starting NC SPIN, Campbell served as assistant treasurer for the State of North Carolina, licensee of WRAZ-TV "FOX50" in the Raleigh-Durham market, and co-founder of The Family Business Institute, a consulting firm for family and closely held companies. His "My SPIN" editorials appear in newspapers across the state, and he is often a guest of talk radio stations.

Of his brainchild NC SPIN, Campbell says, "You can't expect people to make good decisions at the ballot box, the business place, or at the store if they aren't properly informed. Our mission is to present a balanced, in-depth debate on issues of importance to North Carolina. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree with our panel. We just want you to be informed so that you can form your own opinions."

Each week four panelists representing a range of political philosophies engage in an unrehearsed 30-minute program dealing with issues such as education, taxes, politics, race, transportation and the economy – the issues that affect North Carolinians. From the State House to your house, NC SPIN is current, relevant and informative.

Regular panelists include Chris Fitzsimon, director of North Carolina Policy Watch, and John Hood, president and chairman of the John Locke Foundation. Panelists for our special session include Dan Blue III and Henry Hinton.