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Dateline: 11/10/2009

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE
Dale Goodwin, Director
Peter Tormey, Associate Director

'One Tough Mother' Boyle Talks Leadership Nov. 18

Gert Boyle.
Gert Boyle will speak at Gonzaga University Nov. 18. Photo courtesy of Columbia Sportswear Company.
Gert Boyle, chair of Columbia Sportswear Company and author of “One Tough Mother,” will explain how her leadership story has led to the company's success at a Gonzaga University Comprehensive Leadership Program Fish Bow, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18 in the Jepson Center's Wolff Auditorium.

In 1970, after her husband died at age 47, Boyle found herself at the helm of the company. Columbia Sportswear endured years of hard times as Boyle’s leadership ability was tested. The company reinvented its outdoor product line and its prospects began to soar. Today, Columbia Sportswear is a leading global seller of outdoor apparel, footwear and equipment with annual sales of more than $1 billion.

Boyle has become a respected leader and industry icon. Her autobiography, “One Tough Mother,” was published in 2005. She has won numerous awards including, in 2009, the U.S. Small Business Association's Impact Award and the National Mother’s Day Committee’s Outstanding Mother Award. She was honored last month with the Women of Achievement Award from the Oregon Commission for Women.

Established at Gonzaga University in 2002, the Comprehensive Leadership Program is a three-year initiative designed to offer undergraduate students curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities to develop knowledge and skills for leadership. The Zambia Intercultural Servant Leadership Program is part of CLP.

For more information about the CLP, please contact Josh Armstrong at (509) 313-6493, via e-mail or visit the program Web site.