Troy to hold annual leadership conference

( Photo / University Relations )Amya Mitchell Troy University will hold its annual leadership conference Friday night as part of Black History Month. This year, the conference will be virtual due to health and safety precautions, and will take place at 7 p.m. Also new this year is the name of the conference. The annual event was renamed theCongressman John Lewis Leadership Conference to honor “the boy from Troy” after his death. The free event will feature key speaker Dr. Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, the 29th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and will include a tribute to Bishop S.D. James who died Nov. 15, 2020. James was a member of the conference’s advisor board and served as the board chairman in 2018. Additional speakers this year include Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., Troy Mayor Jason Reeves, Troy University Phenix City Vice Chancellor Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims and the city of Troy’s director of public relations, Sheila Jackson. Past speakers at the event have included Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Sen. Reverend Raphael Warnock and Rickey Smiley. The city of Troy and the SD James Evangelistic Association have been major sponsors of the leadership conference since its beginning. Those who are interested can access the event at troy.edu/live, or watch via Troy University’s Facebook page and the city of Troy’s Facebook page.