Axe ’Em, Jacks!
2020 Program: Kendra Scott
This event has been postponed but will be rescheduled.
Date: April 20, 2020Time: 7:30 p.m.- Location: Baker Pattillo Student Center, Grand Ballroom
Fashion designer, CEO and philanthropist Kendra Scott will headline the 2020 installment of the Archie McDonald Speaker Series in April at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Scott, who started her Austin-based jewelry company in 2002 with only $500, leads her business on the foundation of three core values — family, fashion and philanthropy. Her company now employs more than 2,000 and boasts a thriving web business and more than 100 Kendra Scott standalone stores. Scott’s merchandise also is sold at retailers that include Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales. In addition to fashion and fine jewelry, her brand also encompasses home accessories and nail lacquer.
In 2017, Scott was presented with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She also has received the Breakthrough Award from the Accessories Council Excellence Awards, was named Outstanding Mother of the Year by the Mother’s Day Council, awarded Businesswoman of the Year by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce, listed by Forbes as one of America’s richest self-made women, named among the Top 100 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Upstart Business Journal and recognized as Best CEO by Austin Business Journal. She is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and maintains her position as chairman of the board of Kendra Scott.
About the Archie McDonald Speaker Series
The Archie McDonald Speaker Series was created in 2010 by the SFA College of Liberal and Applied Arts led by Dr. Brian Murphy, dean of the college. The annual event is designed to honor and preserve the legacy of a distinguished scholar, educator and community commentator who brings American culture to the average person. In the tradition of McDonald's writings and oral presentations, the speaker series will host a prominent national figure annually at SFA to discuss contemporary cultural issues-from politics to art. In the process, the national profile of SFA will be enhanced, and the community will be enriched.
SFA's Student Government Association sponsors the speaker series, which is open to the public. Passes may be obtained at the Involvement Center on the first floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus or at the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, located at 200 East Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-5406.
Read more about past Archie McDonald Speaker Series events.
Dr. Archie P. McDonald taught history at Stephen F. Austin State University for 48 years and represented SFA president Dr. Baker Pattillo as university/community liaison. His popular weekly commentary was broadcast by the Red River Radio network, a National Public Radio affiliate. McDonald served as director of the East Texas Historical Association and editor of the association's journal for 37 years. He also served as president of the Texas State Historical Association and as vice chair of the Texas Historical Commission. He was the author/editor of more than 20 books on historical topics, as well as one book of humor titled "Helpful Cooking Hints for House Husbands of Uppity Women." McDonald's wife, Judy, served as president and CEO of the Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation and was the first female mayor of Nacogdoches. She served on the city commission for a total of 18 years, and the city's public library is named in her honor. McDonald passed away Aug. 16, 2012.
The Archie McDonald Speaker Series was created in 2010 to honor McDonald's legacy as a distinguished scholar, educator and community commentator.
Sponsorship
The Archie McDonald Speaker series is sponsored annually by the SFA Student Government Association. SGA was established to be the voice of the students. SGA is made up of and administered entirely by students and is the representative body of the students at SFA. The purpose of SGA is three-fold: to be the voice of the student body at SFA, to serve as a model government (with its executive, legislative and judicial branches) and to foster leadership development.
"It has been a valuable learning experience for SGA to participate in the Archie McDonald Speakers series. The result has been a student event that is closely tied to the central academic mission of the university and that exposes students to a variety of new ideas. It is also a tremendous highlight of the Week of Reflection, a time when students can pause and think about how what they are learning at SFA is changing them into the person they aspire to be." - Dr. Adam Peck, SFA dean of student affairs.