Mitzi Perdue

Healing Hidden Wounds Project

Meeting Planners

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Mitzi specializes in giving Success Tips from Wildly Successful People. To find out more, including such topics as “How to Make Your Family Business Succeed Across the Generations”, “Building a Powerful & Effective Company Culture”, and her Spouse Program, “Why the Chicken Man’s Wife Is an Egg Lady”…

View Speaking Topics

Topics

Mitzi specializes in giving Success Tips from Wildly Successful People. To find out more, including such topics as “How to Make Your Family Business Succeed Across the Generations”, “Building a Powerful & Effective Company Culture”, and her Spouse Program, “Why the Chicken Man’s Wife Is an Egg Lady”…

View Speaking Topics

Introductions

Mitzi Perdue likes nothing better than sharing insider secrets for what made Frank Perdue a success. During their 17-year marriage, she was able to ask her husband in real time why he was making the decisions he did, and she carefully recorded the attitudes that led to his growing a father and son operation into a company that today employs 19,000 Mitzi herself is no stranger to agriculture and management. A former rice grower in California, she is a past President of the 35,000-member American Agri-Women, the oldest and largest American farmwomen’s organization. When Frank and Mitzi met, back in 1988, they decided that chicken and rice go well together!

Mitzi Perdue is the widow of the late Frank Perdue, and author of Tough Man, Tender Chicken: Business & Life Lessons from Frank. The book reached #5 in the Amazon rankings for Business Biographies.

She currently writes for the Academy of Women’s Health, and also for GEN, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. As a nationally syndicated columnist for 22 years she has written more than 1600 articles, and as a nationally syndicated TV hostess and producer, she produced more than 400 half hour shows.

Mitzi holds degrees from Harvard University and the George Washington University. A former rice grower, she is a past President of the 35,000-member American Agri-Women, the oldest and largest American farm women’s organization. She was also one of the U.S. Delegates to the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi and was a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

Mitzi Perdue is the widow of the late Frank Perdue. Her biography, Tough Man, Tender Chicken: Business & Life Lessons from Frank Perdue, reached #5 in the Amazon rankings for Business Biographies.

She currently writes for the Academy of Women’s Health, and also for GEN, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. As a nationally-syndicated columnist for 22 years , she has written more than 1600 articles, and as a nationally syndicated TV hostess and producer, she produced more than 400 half-hour shows.

She serves on the boards of the Institute of International Education, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, and the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. She’s a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Women’s Day Magazine Women Who Inspire Us Award, and the President’s Award from the Maryland State Medical Society, for Bettering the Health Care of Maryland Citizens.

Mitzi Perdue holds degrees from Harvard University and the George Washington University. A former rice grower, she is a past President of the 35,000-member American Agri-Women, the oldest and largest American farm women’s organization and was also one of the U.S. Delegates to the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi. She’s also the proud mother of two sons and four grandchildren.

Speaker Photographs

Photo by Helene deLillo

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Photo by Helene deLillo

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“I heard Mitzi speak at an industry event I attended. Within the first 10 minutes, I knew I needed to book her for an event I organize, the Executive Women in Agriculture conference. Mitzi is the perfect combination of actionable information, heartfelt messages and pizazz. Our attendees immediately related to her. They found her message inspiring and applicable to their family businesses. She was one of our agenda’s highlights.”

 

– Sara Schafer Editor, Top Producer Magazine, Farm Journal

“Mitzi was the most highly rated speaker on stage at our March 2018 Single Family Office Summit out of 35 speakers. Her real-life experiences, insights, and genuine passion for the topics of family culture, family values, and long-term enduring family office best practices shows in many ways. We would recommend others to have Mitzi speak and we plan on having her back again to speak for a longer session.”

 

– Richard C. Wilson CEO of the Family Office Club

“Mitzi Perdue was one of the most vibrant and interesting family business speakers that we have featured at a Transitions Conference. As a member of a successful family business and a married – in to another successful family business, Mitzi’s helpful tips for running a family company truly provided a wealth of knowledge. From her creative ideas on the family and childrens’ newsletter to suggestions on embedding the family culture, Mitzi’s passion for maintaining family harmony really resonated with our 280 family business CEOs and their families. We were lucky to have her presentation and hope she will return again to speak.”

– Caro U. Rock Family Business Magazine

“Mitzi Perdue’s presentations were the highlights of our 2017 annual conference. She brought an unbeatable combination of personal grace, her experiences as the daughter of Sheraton Hotels founder Ernest Henderson and wife of Frank Perdue, and unique story-telling ability. Connection with the audience was virtually instantaneous and personal due to Mitzi’s warmth and genuineness. She masterfully used stories about her father and husband to make powerful business points. Mitzi also shared with us personal stories about her commitment to family cohesiveness over generations and some of the things she does to create and nurture that cohesiveness in her own extended family. It is not easy for a speaker to captivate an audience of attorneys and other professional advisors, but Mitzi did that, and so much more.”

 

– Andrew N. Karlen and Peter P. Dougherty Co-chairs, AFHE 2017 Annual Conference

“Wow, Mitzi’s keynote was a hit with our conference attendees. She provided practical, thoughtful ideas for complex family business challenges. Her warm, engaging approach radiates a genuine passion for all things family and business. Mitzi was diligent and detailed in her preparation, making it fun and effortless to work with her.”

 

– Peter Begalla Education Director, Family Business Magazine

“After hearing Mitzi speak at a conference, I was convinced that my family business client would benefit from her hopeful message about proactively creating a positive culture in a large and complex family system. I asked the family office director to trust me. Mitzi enhanced my relationship with my client by delivering a powerful experience that exceeded expectations. Watching Mitzi light up the room at a family retreat for 28 family members ranging in age from toddler to 87, was a wonder to behold. Her special touches with the children will live on in family stories for years to come. As a collaborative advisor, working with her was a dream come true!”

 

– Don Opatrny LMFT, Owner-Lovins Group, LLC

“Mitzi Perdue was the perfect speaker for my audience of agribusiness professionals. She gets it! Her professional background enables her to really understand the issues my audience faces on a regular basis and, in turn, they trusted her and what she was saying. Her presentation was energetic and fascinating, and she kept the audience at rapt attention for the full hour she presented. She is a true force, and a wonderful addition to any conference speaker line up. “

 

– Rebecca Grubbs Director of Meetings & Event Marketing, National Grain and Feed Association

“Mitzi Perdue’s keynote speech on culture and values, and her working roundtable on ethical wills at our forum of NYC area families were both outstanding! Everyone said her keynote speech and her energy were the highlight of the day. All family businesses can benefit from Mitzi’s inspirational family business experience, practical tips and rich stories.”

 

– Warner King Babcock CEO, New York City Family Enterprise Center Inc.

 

“I highly recommend Mitzi Perdue as she struck a grand slam as keynote for our March 2018 Family Business Mini-Conference! Our members gave Mitzi the highest marks for practical content, relevance, and delivery, as well as keen attention to time. Mitzi has deep personal successful experience with developing a high-functioning family culture through her own intentional work in her Henderson & Perdue families; both families well-known to the business world. She shared both a strong family culture is foundational to business sustainability & family health, as well as to do it. She brought authenticity, humor, and plenty of take-home value through her presentation and Q&A time, with members looking forward to delving into her books!”

 

– Sally Derstine Managing Partner, Delaware Valley Family Business Center

 

“She has a tremendous stage presence and is truly a stage natural. Her advice, with clear and actionable steps, was awesome. And, I absolutely loved that she asked each person in the room to say “YES”!! Joyful. She was the talk of the night!”

 

– Wanda Ortwine Chief Family Officer, Luck Companies