Leaders in Action Lecture Series

The Peter & Kathy Browning Distinguished Leaders in Action Lecture Series provides the McColl School of Business and Queens University’s campus community with an opportunity to interact with and be exposed to a variety of leaders with varying leadership styles and experiences. The lecture events are hosted in an intimate auditorium setting where the audience members may ask questions and hear personal and professional leadership experiences from our guests.

Peter and Kathy Browning have deep ties with Queens University of Charlotte and the McColl School of Business. Peter served as Dean of the McColl School from 2002 – 2005 and Kathy earned her bachelor’s degree from Queens. Peter currently serves as an Executive in Residence where his thought leadership (author of “The Director’s Manual” (Wiley, 2016), book chapters and articles, and the subject of the classic Harvard Business Case Study “Peter Browning and Continental White Cap”) comes to life for our business students. Thanks to their generous support of the McColl School of Business and our emphasis on leadership we will ensure that our students and business community have access to the most influential and compelling leaders in our community and region.

2024-2025 Lecture Series

Lecture featuring
Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer

January 28, 2025
6:00-7:00 p.m.

Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer and her family came to Charlotte in 2017 when she began leading Central Piedmont Community College as its fourth president. Dr. Deitemeyer came to Central Piedmont with an extensive and diverse background in community college administration. Her career has spanned 31 years in higher education, serving in community college systems in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida.

Dr. Deitemeyer’s leadership style is best described as engaging, collaborative, and energetic. She has an unmatched passion for the student experience and has strategically focused Central Piedmont on ensuring student success is at the heart of all that it undertakes. As a community college graduate, she also knows the journey of many of Central Piedmont’s students and believes that the impact of Central Piedmont on an individual’s life and our community can be transformational. Through her career, she has experienced first-hand the challenges women face as they work to have a lasting impact on their organizations and advance into leadership positions. She understands well the importance of women leaders having mentors and serving as mentors.

Dr. Deitemeyer and husband, Gary, and their daughter, Zoe, are proud to make their home in Charlotte.

Lecture featuring Rick Schnall

April 3, 2025
6:00-7:00 p.m.

Rick Schnall serves as Co-Chairman & Governor of the Charlotte Hornets and Hornets Sports & Entertainment. Along with Gabe Plotkin, Schnall led a group in purchasing the majority share of the Hornets from Michael Jordan on August 3, 2023. Prior to purchasing the Hornets, Schnall had been a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks and an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors since 2015. While with Atlanta, Schnall was involved in various aspects of the Hawks’ team-building process, as well as the renovations to State Farm Arena.

Schnall is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, where he has worked for 27 years. He is a member of the Investment and Executive committees, leads the firm’s Financial Services and Technology verticals, and chairs the Healthcare vertical, which he launched in 2003. Schnall is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a Board Member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Zeta Charter Schools, and the CD&R Foundation.

Schnall has been playing and watching basketball all his life. He and his wife, Susie, have three sons (ages 23, 21 and 19). Rick and Susie will split their time between New York and Charlotte.

Leadership Initiatives at the McColl School of Business

The heart of the McColl School of Business experience is leadership development. Leadership Development is not just a class on leadership theories; it is an ongoing process interwoven with experiential learning opportunities throughout a student’s career at the McColl School of Business.

The Leadership Initiatives at the McColl School emphasizes three key attributes of leadership, known as the 3C’s: Character, Competence, and Commitment to Community. These 3C’s of leadership are a legacy of our namesake, Hugh McColl, Jr., former CEO of Bank of America.

Previous Speakers

Explore our impressive lineup of esteemed speakers from past events!

Organizations Represented

Contact Us

Jane Williams
Program Manager, Leadership Initiatives
McColl School of Business
williamj@queens.edu