When Linda was widowed at age 28, her hopes for the future were dashed. She took a long journey, seeking insight about what to do with her life. Inspiration struck, in the middle of a dazzling moonlit night, when she climbed up the Great Pyramid in Egypt. She decided to return to the U. S. and provide seminars for people in transition, people like herself.

Having a great Stress Management seminar but no idea how to enter the seminar business, she drove around Dallas, Texas, went into big buildings, and marketed her program by talking to people. Southwest Airlines was the first major company to hire her and she worked with them for three years. Soon she garnered a number of large corporate contracts for a variety of types of training, including Leadership. Then she did some seminars for the U.S. Department of State that led to working with many branches of the government and every branch of the military. She’s worked in sixteen countries, presenting seminars and keynote addresses to more than 2000 corporate, public, and government audiences.

Over the years, Linda’s work has evolved to include Civility and Community Building, Life Skills, and programs for women. Today, after doing research on midlife women for her Doctorate degree, LifeMaps for Midlife Women is one of her most popular programs. Her work is renowned for being educational, inspirational, and fun.

Dr. Linda Hughes is an assistant professor of teacher education at Georgia Gwinnett College.

She lives in Braselton, Georgia, with her husband, two cats, and two dogs.
Here’s an overview of Linda’s work:

PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Full-time Faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College.

• 20 years of experience as a motivational speaker, consultant, instructional designer, trainer, educator, and writer.

• On-air subject matter expert for radio and television.

• Training programs and keynote addresses for hundreds of clients and thousands of audiences around the world, including major corporations, every branch of the U.S. military, government agencies, the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, twenty-six colleges and universities, and the public.

• Design and facilitate half-day to two-day seminars on life and business skills covering topics such as civility and community building, and women’s issues.

• Produce and perform motivational and educational audiotapes and videotapes, and serve as voice/over talent on others’ projects.

• Write nonfiction and fiction books, and screenplays that offer self-discovery insights for women.

• Adept at distance learning, teaching and coaching via the Internet.

• Provided instructional design services for Quick Start, a division of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education.

• Former editor of the Internet ezine Driving and Style.


EDUCATION:

• Ed.D., University of Georgia: Adult Education. Dissertation topic: The Role of Pop Culture in the Self-development of Midlife Women. Advisor: Dr. Sharan Merriam.

• M.A., Central Michigan University: Counseling. Thesis topic: How Widows Cope with Loss.

• B.S., Central Michigan University: Sociology/Psychology.


HONORS & MEMBERSHIPS:

• Georgia Perimeter College Writers Institiute Faculty Grant, 2008.

• Georgia Board of Regents resource committee, 2006.

• Georgia Educator Preparation Academic Advisory Committee (EPAAC) special project, 2006.

• Georgia Perimeter College Learning Innovations Award and Grant, 2006

• Member of International Honor Society, 2002.

• Member of Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce reaccredidation committee, 2002.

• Writer’s Digest and American Screenwriters Association Certificate of Merit for screenplay, Tough Rocks, 2001.

• National Writers Association Award for novel, Homecoming Queen, 1999.

• Delta Airlines Continuous Improvement Teams Appreciation Award, 1998.

• Cited as Top Performing trainer and motivational speaker for CareerTrack, 1988-97.

• Member of Professional Women’s Information Network, Romance Writers of America, National Education Association, and Georgia Association of Educators.