Special Thanks to all our Speakers! We couldn't have done it without you!
Spring 2007 speaker series:
March 8: Don ("Big Bird") Saleski: A Businessman, Leader, Mentor, and Legend of the Philadelphia Flyers.
 Don Saleski is Principal of Business Edge Development, a company he founded in 2004 to train and mentor others to help them achieve their business potential. He has more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, management, strategic planning, operations, human resources and finance.
Don enjoyed a very successful eight year professional hockey career with the Philadelphia Flyers, where he played on the 1973-1974 and 1974-1975 Stanley Cup Championship teams, and the Colorado Rockies. He was known in the NHL as "Big Bird" thanks to the popularity of Sesame Street, which had become a huge success when Don Saleski began his career with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1972. As legend had it, as the Flyers skated around in their pre-game warm up, a small fan commented that Saleski looked like the big yellow bird with the elephant friend that no one could see, which of course a teammate overheard. The nickname was born.
Don joined ARAMARK Corporation in 1980, where over the course of 18 years he rose to the position of Area President of the Sports and Entertainment Group. During his post as Area Vice President for ARAMARK's Business Services Group, Don managed approximately 2500 employees and achieved sales of $350 million. Following his time at ARAMARK, Don joined SMG as Executive Vice President, where he was responsible for the acquisition and development of arenas in the United States and abroad. He was recruited in 2000 by Club Systems Group, a technology solutions provider in the private club industry. Under his leadership as President and COO, the company's financial performance was the best in its history.
Don is past Chairman of the Board of After School All Stars and has helped in fundraising initiatives for the Boy Scouts of America. He has coached Little League baseball, youth soccer and ice hockey teams, and is active in mentoring men and youth.
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March 15: John Reilly Band.
(Live performance followed by Q&A)
 Four years ago, John Reilly began writing music to express the reality of the world around him. With no glitz or glamour, he worked hard honing his skills as a singer/songwriter. With a passion to share the valleys and peaks of his life, John's honest lyrics and melodies began to capture the hearts of audiences around.
In 2001, God worked wonders and pulled together 5 people, each with their own history of musical interludes, to begin a band under the lead of John. These companions added layers of musical and creative forces that propelled them quickly into the Philadelphia music scene.
The band's backbone is John's good old acoustic folk-rock. However, with 2 violins, a flute, guitars and drums, the band is versatile enough to blend many musical genres. From Baroque-like string arrangements to fiddle-happy Celtic jams, and all the way to jazzy grooves, the John Reilly Band generates a sound that's engagingly fresh.
During a live performance, you can hear Dan Huie and Noele Parris Huie trading violin solos with Trina Bass adding her jazzy flute flavor. The musical experience only deepends as Trina and Noele set down their instruments to add sweeping harmonies over John's soaring melody. Well-versed drummer Kyle Thoman and bassist Matthew Bomberger hold down the foundation with rock, jazz, and orchestral beats and rhythms.
Despite the band's pursuit of excellent musicianship, John claims their goal is not to be the next big rockstars. "The world has enough rockstars. It doesn't need six more. We're seeking to write music that points people to the hope that we've found in Christ. When our head hits the pillow at night that's what really matters."
[Read more about the John Reilly Band]
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March 22: William J. Byron, S.J..
“Take Your Diploma and Run!”: Matters of Faith and Work
 Whether you are already a member of the workforce or soon to enter it, work is undoubtedly one of the major aspects of your daily life. Where is God in all of it? Join us to consider aspects of faith and work with Fr. William Byron, S.J., economist and author of numerous books.
About Rev. Byron: The Reverend William J. Byron, S.J., is research professor at the Sellinger School of Business, Loyola College in Maryland. From August, 2000 until June, 2003, he was pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, DC. From 1992 to 2000, he taught "Social Responsibilities of Business" in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, where he held an appointment as Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Ethics and served as rector of the Georgetown Jesuit Community. From 1982-1992, he was president of The Catholic University of America. Prior assignments include service as president of the University of Scranton (1975-82), dean of arts and sciences at Loyola University of New Orleans (1973-75), and various teaching positions in his field of economics and social ethics. Father Byron writes a syndicated bi-weekly column (“Looking Around”) for Catholic News Service. He is the author of Toward Stewardship (Paulist, 1975), Quadrangle Considerations [Loyola, 1989 (winner of the Catholic Press Association's 1990 Best Book Award in Education)], Take Your Diploma and Run! (Paulist, 1992), Finding Work without Losing Heart (Adams, 1995), The 365 Days of Christmas (Paulist, 1996), Answers from Within: Spiritual Guidelines for Managing Setbacks in Work and Life (Macmillan, 1998), Jesuit Saturdays: Sharing the Ignatian Spirit with Lay Colleagues and Friends (Loyola, 2000); he edited The Causes of World Hunger (Paulist, 1982) and Take Courage: Psalms of Support and Encouragement (Sheed & Ward, 1995).He is a past trustee of Georgetown University and the University of San Francisco. His current directorships include Georgetown University Hospital, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Washington Jesuit Academy, and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. He was a founding director and past chairman of Bread for the World, a public member of the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and an original member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Commission on National and Community Service (now the Corporation for National Service).He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland, two theology degrees from Woodstock College, and a bachelor's degree in philosophy and master's in economics from Saint Louis University. He was the 1999 recipient of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities' Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for his contributions over the years to the advancement of Catholic higher education. In that same year he received the Council of Independent Colleges’Academic Leadership Award. He is the recipient of 25 honorary degrees.A native of Pittsburgh, Father Byron grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended St. Joseph's Preparatory School. After service in the army's 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1945-46, he attended Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia for three years before entering the Jesuit order in 1950. He was ordained a priest in 1961.
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March 29: Adam Bruckner, Philly Kixx.
 Adam Bruckner, a native of Los Alamos, New Mexico, joined Sam Lee and Kevin Sloan as an assistant coach beginning in the 2004-05 campaign after five years of competing, the last three with the Philadelphia KiXX.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay graduate began his professional indoor career with the Detroit Rockers of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). After two seasons, Bruckner signed with the KiXX and now proudly calls Philadelphia his home. He dedicates countless hours to the Helping Hands Rescue Mission in Center City Philadelphia, assisting the homeless and speaking to various youth groups in the area. Through the mission, the 30-year-old has initiated and continually operates a homeless outreach program that includes a weekly meal and assistance in obtaining proper identification including state IDs, birth certificates and social security cards. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is working to compile a book with profiles on local Christian Athletes. [Read more about Adam's service to his community.]
Bruckner, a member of the franchise’s 2002 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Championship team, was named the MISL’s Humanitarian of the Year at the Commissioner’s Gala at the 2004 All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, MO.
If you are interested in contacting Adam or making a contribution to his homeless organization, he has non-profit status and checks can be made out to SJYA (South Jersey Youth Alliance) (memo for "RESTART").
Those checks can be sent to:
Adam Bruckner
Philadelphia KiXX
3601 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148.
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