Georgia Congressman John Lewis and Alabama Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell will be the keynote speakers at the 17th Annual Leadership Conference at Troy University this weekend.

Lewis will be the keynote speaker at the opening session at 7 p.m. Friday at Sartain Hall and Sewell will close the conference at the luncheon Saturday at the Trojan Center Ballrooms.

Shelia Jackson, City of Troy public relations director, said it is an honor to have two such distinguished keynote speakers at the Leadership Conference.

“We would be very fortunate to have either Congressman Lewis or Congresswoman Terri Sewell speak at the Leadership Conference but to have both of them is more than we could have imagined,” Jackson said. “I don’t know of any two speakers that would be better received and whose messages would be more pertinent than these nationally known and acclaimed leaders.”

Lewis, a native of Pike County, is an American politician and a prominent Civil Rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District and has served since 1987. His district includes three quarters of Atlanta. He is the dean of the Georgia Congressional Delegation.

“Congressman Lewis is a hometown hero,” Jackson said. “He has been called one of the most courageous people in the Civil Rights Movement. He has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and securing civil liberties. We are proud to welcome him back home.”

Congresswoman Sewell is in her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. She is one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in her own right and is the first black woman to ever serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation.

Sewell sits on the exclusive House Ways and Means Committee and the distinguished House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence charged with the oversight of our national security.

She is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on the Department of Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture, a key subcommittee on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Speakers for the Saturday morning sessions include Melvin Carrington Smith, Sr., Dr. Khaalida T. Forbes and Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims. Student speakers will be Dr. Forbes, Theo Moore and Chad Sanders.

“We are confident that those who attend the 17th Annual Leadership Conference will leave with the tools needed to become even more effective leaders in their communities,” Jackson said. “And, they will be motivated and inspired to help move their communities forward.”

The 17th Annual Leadership Conference is hosted by Troy University and the City of Troy. Dr. S.D. James is the conference chair.

Adult registration is $30. Student registration is $15.

For more information, contact Barbara Patterson at 334-670-3204 or Shelia Jackson at 334-670-2283.