Joe Early, Ron Sanders to Address 9th Grade Student Leaders at Nichols

Last year's START youth leadership conference was a huge success!	Nichols' student Megan Sherman mentors START participants.

Leaders to Address 9th Grade Student Leaders at Nichols College

Joseph Early, district attorney for Worcester County and Ron Sanders, chief correspondent for WBZ-TV News' Worcester Bureau will be addressing over 100, 9th grade student leaders at Nichols College on June 8th and 9th.

Both speakers are part of a youth leadership conference co-sponsored by Nichols College and the Student Leadership Training Program (SLTP). A $25 registration fee is all that is required. Interested students and parents must contact their high school principal or guidance counselor for registration information before the April 1st, 2008 deadline. Each high school may nominate one person and an alternate. For more information, please contact SLTP at 1-800-600-7223.

Last year's The START Conference for youth leadership program was a huge success! Nichols College hosted over 90 delegates from 86 high schools for a two-day residential experience. With registration, students receive all meals, lodging and materials, including a leadership handbook. Exercises in identity building, team building, situational leadership, ethics, and goal setting are designed to help participants become proactive, productive contributors to society.

The conference goal is to develop a strong foundation for a new generation of young leaders by pairing the strengths of Nichols College, at the forefront of business leadership, with SLTP, a Marshfield, Mass.-based organization with proven experience motivating thousands of high school students in the last 18 years.

Joseph D. Early, Jr.
After working for the Hampden District Attorney's Office and for the Massachusetts Attorney General, Joseph D. Early, Jr. hung out his shingle and practiced law for 17 years, specializing in civil and criminal litigation. His varied experience struck a chord with voters, and he was swept into office with 78 percent of the vote on November 7, 2006.

Early works with the law enforcement agencies in 60 communities that make up the Middle District. He oversees a law office of more than 70 prosecutors, the operation of 11 District Courts, Superior Court, Juvenile Court, three six-member jury sessions, the grand jury and an appeals division.

Early grew up in Worcester, the oldest of eight children born to former U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Early and Marilyn (Powers) Early. He graduated from Holy Name High School, Williston-Northampton Academy, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Georgetown University Law Center.

Before starting his private law practice, Early served as an Assistant District Attorney in Hampden County from 1985 to 1988. He then spent two years in the trial division of the state Attorney General's Office. From 1990 until January of 2007, Early ran his own law office. During this time he also represented the commonwealth as a special assistant attorney general.

Early lives in Worcester, Massachusetts, with his wife Judy and their four children.

Ron Sanders
Ron Sanders is chief correspondent for WBZ-TV News' Worcester Bureau, a station owned and operated by CBS Televisions Stations, A division of CBS Corporation.

A New England-based reporter for more than twenty-five years, Sanders joined WBZ-TV in 1998 after reporting and anchoring for WHDH-TV since 1979. Sanders also anchored and reported for WJBK-TV in Detroit, where he was co-host of "PM Magazine," and for WKHM-AM and FM in Jackson, Michigan.

Throughout his broadcast career, Sanders has been honored with several awards including four Emmy's for breaking news coverage, news events and programming; The Dennis Kauff Memorial Excellence in Reporting Award; the first place news story from the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association and Massachusetts Associated Press Broadcasters, and several honors from the Detroit Press Club and Michigan Broadcasters. Sanders covered official visits and campaign stops of every U.S. President dating back to Richard Nixon. He most recently flew across the country and back to cover the Presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry.

Born in Illinois, raised there and in Michigan, Sanders attended Wayne State University and Harvard University Extension School. He has completed the Boston Marathon five times and one co-wrote a song for David Ruffin, the late lead singer of The Temptations.

Sanders resides in Sharon, Massachusetts with his wife and son.