May 8, 2014
Turknett Leadership Group Announces Third Leadership Character Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
ATLANTA, Georgia (April 16, 2014) – Turknett Leadership Group (TLG) announced that Kent C. “Oz” Nelson, former Chairman and CEO of UPS, will be the third recipient of the lifetime achievement award for Leadership Character. The award recognizes leaders who exemplify the highest standards of character and integrity over a lifetime of service to an organization and to the larger community.
Mr. Nelson is the retired Chairman and CEO of UPS, a position he held from November 1989 to December 1996. He continued to serve on the Board until 2002 when he stepped down and ended 43 years of service with the company. He was the CEO when UPS moved its headquarters from Greenwich, Connecticut, to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1991, and immediately began active service in the Atlanta community.
Currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Carter Center, Mr. Nelson continues his long history of community service, which began while he was employed by UPS. He has served on the Boards and Executive Committees of United Way of America, Ball State University Foundation, Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative and the National Museum of Patriotism. He has chaired the Boards of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and United Parcel Service Foundation. Oz served for ten years as an advisor for the Turknett Leadership Character Awards.
A dedicated advocate for public education, Oz served six years as Chair of the Board of the Kentucky Partnership for School Reform. He chaired the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, served as a member of the National Business Roundtable Policy and Education Committee, and was appointed to the Georgia Governor’s Education Reform Commission.
A native of Kokomo, Indiana, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Ball State University in 1959. He was elected by Ball State to The Business Hall of Fame in 1990 and honored in 1991 with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Oz has received a number of honorary degrees including an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ball State University. He is the recipient of a number of local and national awards for business leadership and community service.
“No one exemplifies the Leadership Character Model better than Oz Nelson. His integrity is immediately apparent, he is accountable and courageous in everything he commits to, and he lives in a uniformly respectful and humble way,” shares Bob Turknett, CEO, Turknett Leadership Group.
“Oz Nelson is a true servant-leader, living out leadership character qualities that nominal leaders aspire to: putting others’ needs first, growing next-generation leaders, andempowering individuals to reach their fullest potential,” said Joe Iarroci, CEO, Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.
“Oz Nelson is the epitome of a global citizen who is the perfect blend of intellect, passion, commitment and integrity. He has become, for so many of us, the icon of a 21st century CEO leader who understands the value of the most important resource that any enterprise has, and that is the human resource, the people! Oz knows what it means to ‘Deliver on his promise.’ His vision, his courageous action, his bold leadership, his perseverance through difficult times and his heart for people have encouraged and empowered many of us to continue the journey,” said Ann Cramer, Senior Consultant, Coxe Curry & Associates.
The Turknett Leadership Character Awards will be presented this year under the auspices of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing servant leadership. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented as part of the 11th Annual Leadership Character Awards luncheon on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. The ceremony will be a part of the 18th Annual Servant Leadership Conference presented by the Greenleaf Center at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Atlanta. Nominations open at on April 15, 2014. For more information about the conference, visit
Since 2003, the annual Turknett Leadership Character Awards have recognized Georgia leaders who demonstrate character in leadership based on alignment with the Leadership Character Model™, a model developed by Bob and Lyn Turknett in 1995. The model represents character as a scale with integrity as the base and respect and responsibility balanced on either side. To read about the nominees and winners from previous years, visit
Contact:
Bianca Wirth, Consulting Services Coordinator
770.270.1723