Southeast welcomes Galen Bingham for annual Michael Davis Lecture

Business executive and leadership strategist Galen Bingham will present Southeast Missouri State University’s 29th annual Michael Davis Lecture on Feb. 24 at Rose Theatre.

Bingham is the CEO and executive coach of Kiln Global Coaching and Consulting. According to the company’s website, he has 30 years of experience working with Fortune 500 corporations, including Coca-Cola North America, Imperial Sugar Company and Kraft Foods. He also worked with brands such as Microsoft, Capital One and SpaceX. The topic of Bingham’s presentation has not yet been announced.

Chair of the Department of Mass Media, Dr. Tamara Zellars Buck, said the lectures highlight dynamic African American speakers to share their understanding of the media industry.

“I think he’s going to be a very exciting speaker, because he’s bringing a wealth of corporate knowledge to speak to our students,” Buck said.

At Coca-Cola North America, Bingham held three leadership positions, including senior manager, strategic selling, sales capability director, and director of area sales. He also worked as the national director of food service sales for Imperial Sugar Company.

In addition to Bingham’s corporate experience, he is the bestselling author of two publications and host of the “Whiskey, Jazz and Leadership” podcast.

“Bingham’s experience demonstrates how versatile media skills are and how they can be used in a variety of contexts and careers,” Buck said.

The annual lectures feature prominent speakers from diverse professional backgrounds who all have ties to the region. Bingham is the incoming chair of the SSM Cardinal Glennon Healthcare Foundation Board of Governors.

According to Southeast Missouri State University’s website, the lectures honor SEMO journalism student Michael Davis who died in a 1994 hazing incident. “Michael was a classmate of mine when I was a student reporter here…” Buck said. “Because I was a contemporary of him, it gives me a lot of pleasure to really commemorate him and recognize what he could have been by bringing in Black media professionals to speak.”

Buck says her hope is that students are inspired and invigorated by the lectures to pursue all possible opportunities the university provides. In doing so, they can strive to achieve the same level of professional excellence the speakers have achieved.

The Michael Davis Lecture is free to attend and begins at 6 p.m. on Feb. 24 at Rose Theatre.