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Spotlight On...
Bill Mclellan - L.E.A.D. Advisory Board Member

Bill Mclellan joined the L.E.A.D. family earlier this year. Bill shares with C.J. his connection to sports and academics and some nuggets of advice that are good for sports and the game of life.

C.J.: How did you become involved with L.E.A.D.?

Bill: - I met CJ at an Atlanta Sports Council networking event. In our first conversation, I was struck by how similar our past experiences were. For both of us, sports served as the vehicle to accessing a college education that our families did not have the financial means to provide. We spoke about L.E.A.D. briefly and I visited the L.E.A.D. website to learn more about the program. CJ, Kelli, and I met for lunch shortly thereafter and I knew based on that lunch meeting conversation that I wanted to get involved with L.E.A.D. and help young men gain access to a college education via sports as both CJ and I had done. I was very pleased and honored that CJ and Kelli agreed to add me to the L.E.A.D. team and allow me to serve as a member of the Advisory Board.

C.J.: How has sports personally impacted your life?

Bill: Sports served as the means by which I received a quality college education, I received a full athletic scholarship to attend a small, private school in the Northeast. I am the youngest of 12 children and my father, who was the sole bread winner in my family, passed away during my freshman year of high school when I was 14 years old. We simply did not have the financial means to afford college, and certainly not a small, private college. Since graduating from Manhattan College with a double major in Accounting and Computer Information Systems, I have worked for two of the most respected companies in the world during my 23+ years in corporate America. My wife Janet, my daughter Shannon and I enjoy a lifestyle that I would not have thought possible when I was younger. I attribute many of the good things I've experienced in my adult life to my participation in sports and to my college experience. The key was gaining the opportunity to attend college and to be exposed to people, subject matters, and situations that I would not have been exposed to otherwise.

Sports also helped me develop winning habits and taught important lessons which benefit me both personally and professionally to this day including:

1. Always give your best effort....always
2. Success in anything requires significant preparation, practice, and repetition
3. Set goals and write them down. Once achieved, set\write new ones
4. Leadership is a position of service, not a position of power
5. Teams are best when everyone is valued and is contributing to a common goal. Incorporate new teams members quickly and make them feel welcome.
6. Association says a lot about who you are. Everyone will not necessarily be happy about your success. Choose your peer group carefully, thoughtfully.
7. When seeking advice, look to individuals who have achieved what it is that you are looking to achieve.

C.J.: What would you say to others who are thinking about supporting L.E.A.D. through monetary and volunteer efforts?

Bill: I would tell them to meet CJ and Kelli in person and see for themselves the passion and commitment they have to this program. I would tell them to look at all of the components of the program. When you understand what L.E.A.D. is all about, you understand that there is more to it than just baseball. I would tell them to look at the results from 2008 in terms of the number of L.E.A.D. participants who received baseball scholarship offers. L.E.A.D. is getting results. Lastly, I would tell them that the players in the program are capable of achieving great things in college and after college. What they need is the opportunity and the same kind of help and assistance that both CJ and I received at similar ages. Lastly, I would tell them to meet the players themselves...great young men.

Bill is the Director of Pricing for Bluelinx Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia. He resides in Marietta with his wife Janet and daughter Shannon.