The Albany State University College of Business will open its 2011 Business Lecture Series (BLS) with a presentation by an international management consultant on Feb. 14. The series, running through April 25, will be held in room 127 of Peace Hall at 11 a.m.

Debra J. McFadden-Bryant, a management consultant with domestic and international expertise in strategic planning, will kick off the lecture series on Feb. 14. McFadden-Bryant specializes in leadership development, transition management, and high performance work system cultures in start-up and growth companies, non-profit organizations, and municipalities. She has 24 years of experience with Procter & Gamble in consumer manufacturing and human resources.

McFadden-Bryant has a B.S. degree from Bennett College and a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina.  She is the owner of McBryant & Associates, Inc., and is marketing a new specialty food line, GeeChee Girl Foods, for the gourmet consumer market. She currently serves as the marketing specialist for the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative/Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc.

On Feb. 28 Debra M. Capers, a Supervisory Information Technology (IT) Specialist for the Marine Corps Logistics Command, will be the series’ featured speaker. Capers has more than 25 years of experience in the IT field.  She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in management from ASU.

Dr. Edward Bass, a medical doctor and native Floridian raised in Georgia, will lecture on March 14. Dr. Bass graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1984. He worked in the field of environmental toxicology in the Washington, D.C. region.  James Linton, a weapon system support manager for the U.S. Marine Corps, will lecture on March 28. Linton is a graduate of Alabama A&M University and a graduate of the three-year Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Logistics Intern Program in Washington, D.C.

On April 11 Ronnie D. Richardson, an ASU alumnus and assistant director of player development for the Atlanta Braves, will be the featured lecturer. Richardson, in his third full season as the Braves’ assistant director of player development, works closely with the Braves Director of Player Development Kurt Kemp in all aspects of minor league operations, including evaluation of the minor league system, roster and statistical analysis, international operations, free agent contract negotiations,

implementation of new development programs and the maintenance of existing programs.  Bernadette Johnson-Hairl, an accountant, author, business consultant, professional speaker, and trainer, is committed to “Keeping Small Business in Business.” She will be the series’ culminating speaker on April 25. As president of By The Book Accounting, she has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs across the country start, run and grow thriving ventures. She recently self-published her first book, “Business Blueprint:   A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Starting & Running a Business THE RIGHT WAY!”  She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Cheney University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management, DeVry University.

For more information, contact the ASU College of Business at (229) 430-2749.