2018 G. Russell Kirkland Distinguished Visiting Executive Lecture Welcomes Dr. Ruby K. Payne

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The College of Business at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is thrilled to announced Dr. Ruby K. Payne as keynote speaker of the 2018 G. Russell Kirkland Distinguished Visiting Executive Lecture and recipient of the related award. Payne, who is the CEO and founder of aha! Process, Inc., will headline the Kirkland lecture, which will take place on Tuesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the University Center, Anchor Ballroom. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Payne is an expert on the mindsets of economic class and on crossing socioeconomic lines in education and work. Payne is well-known for her foundational book, “A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” which is now in its 5th edition and has sold more than 1,500,000 copies. She is an experienced author, publisher and career educator and has collaborated on or co-written more than a dozen books.

The mission of Payne’s aha! Process, Inc. is to improve the lives of people in poverty around the world and to break the cycle of generational poverty. Payne has trained more than 8,000 people and presented her work to more than 1 million people in North America, Europe, Australia, China and India.

“Social entrepreneurship is highly beneficial to the community and an area of study that is becoming increasingly popular with students,” said Dr. John Gamble, Dean of the College of Business at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “The application of solid business principles to organizations with social missions leads to better survival rates for not-for-profits and maximizes their impact and good will.”

The lecture series and accompanying award were created by friends of the late Mr. G. Russell Kirkland and A&M-Corpus Christi to honor Kirkland’s distinguished service to the development of the University, the city of Corpus Christi and South Texas. Kirkland was the Vice President of Development at A&M-Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi State University from 1975 to 1978. Recipients of the Kirkland award are chosen for their personal accomplishments and contributions to the success of students, faculty, the University and the Corpus Christi community.

The Kirkland lecture is free and open to the public though RSVPS are encouraged. Learn more at https://cob.tamucc.edu/kirkland.html; call 361.805.6045; or email shawn.elizondo@tamucc.edu.