Tony Zeiss Receives 2002 Excellence In Management Award

Dr.Tony Zeiss pictured with wife Beth, and sons Brett and Bryan.

     Today’s program was the presentation of the Excellence in Management Award, sponsored by the Business Journal of Charlotte, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Club of Charlotte.  The award was established in 1987 to recognize a senior manager in Charlotte’s business community who exemplifies management excellence, and ten of the last 15 recipients have been members of our club.

      Dave Guilford introduced this year’s winner, Tony Zeiss, President of Central Piedmont Community College and a member of our club.  He received a standing ovation from the club and insisted on sharing the award with his staff and faculty at Central Piedmont.  His wife Beth and sons Brett and Bryan were guests, as were a number of his staff.  Tony is the third President of Central Piedmont, the largest community college in our state with over 75,000 students on its six campuses.  Since his arrival in 1992, Tony has been an enthusiastic advocate for workforce development training.  Tony, dubbed “Rocket Man” by his staff, has authored 14 books and served as President of the Board of the American Association of Community Colleges.  His community leadership extends to Boy Scouts, Little Sugar Creek Greenway and Charlotte Regional Partnership.

     In his acceptance remarks, Tony Zeiss defined leadership as the ability to influence and motivate others to achieve a common goal and defined the key to leadership success as the ability to transform strategic planning into strategic execution.  He articulated nine laws of good leaders – they are learners, organized, confident but not egotistical, results-oriented, good communicators, and they solve problems, work with teams, have a positive attitude and strong work ethic.  Leadership characteristics include commitment to excellence, servant leadership, a personal vision, self-awareness, passion, humility, and adaptability.   The five most valued attributes of leaders, as defined by George Vaughn of NC State University, are those of producing results, selecting and retaining good people, resolving conflict, communicating and listening well, and motivating and influencing others.  Tony added his conviction that good leaders develop good relationships and recognize a higher moral authority.  He closed with the challenge for all of us to make a positive difference in our families, business and community.

     Head Table: Bryon Bullard, Kit Cramer (Charlotte Chamber), Jeannie Falknor, Dave Guilford, Jim Woodward, Billy Wireman, Jerry Orr.

New Member

J. PAUL SOLITARIO

First Citizens Bank

Classification: Banking-Private Client

128 S. Tryon Street, Ste. 300 (28202)
704-338-3858
Fax 704-338-3821
Paul.solitario@firstcitizens.com

     Paul Solitario is currently a Senior Vice President at First Citizens Bank in their Private Client Group, which he joined earlier this year.  To First Citizens, he brought twenty years of experience to banking, having started his career in Atlanta with a small local bank and then moving to Charlotte in 1984 to join First Union.

      Paul’s career went from retail banking to part of the team that originated Private Banking at First Union to Capital Markets where he was involved in corporate banking and corporate finance for the Healthcare Finance Group.

     In 2001, Paul left the bank and became the President and COO of PPN Wireless, a startup technology based medical marketing and market research firm.

      Paul was born and raised overseas, having lived in nine different countries.  He moved to the States in high school and graduated from The College of William and Mary with a BA in Economics.

      Paul has been married to his college sweetheart and Charlotte native, Laura, for almost 20 years and they have two fantastic children – Christine, 13 and Elizabeth, 10.  Paul has always been very active in the community and in his church, St. John’s Baptist, where he currently teaches senior adult Sunday School, is a mentor to two Sudanese young men, is a former deacon, and where his children are fifth generation attendees.

     Welcome to Charlotte Rotary, Paul.

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Did You Hear...

è Welcome to new members Tom Wright and Jim Gearity.
è Rotary Foundation Banquet, November 16, 2002.  Reservation forms available at the check-in desk.
è Polio Eradication Update

Club Pledge: $60 per year, per member, for 3 years.
Received To Date: $9,735
Representing: 39 members
Pledge Cards available at check-in desk.

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­ Clothing will be collected for Crisis Assistance Ministries during the month of November. Members are asked to bring donations to a club meeting or call Jim Adams for pickup.­

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