John Hardman, President and CEO of the Carter Center, will visit The University of Alabama Friday to speak with students about his leadership experience.

The event, co-sponsored by the Blackburn Institute and the Honor’s College, is located in Mary Hewell Alston Hall in Room 30 and will begin at 2 p.m.

The event is open to all UA students regardless of involvement in either the Blackburn Institute or the Honor’s College.

Mary Lee Caldwell, the coordinator of the Blackburn Institute, helped organize the upcoming lecture with Hardman.

“We encourage all students to attend,” Caldwell said. “This is something that all UA students would be able to learn from.”

Known as a philanthropist and global human rights leader, Hardman’s personal work with the Carter Center first launched in 1989 when he led the program to Reduce Global Tobacco Use. Through his commitment there, he then became the center’s representative for the World Health Organization’s Tobacco and Health Program a year later. He rose to become the center’s president and CEO in 2007.

“We came across [Hardman’s] name as a leader in his field and recieved a recommendation from a former UA administrator,” Caldwell said. “That put him on our radar, and once we read about the work he has done independently and for the Carter Center, we really wanted to reach out to him. We are very excited to give our students this opportunity and to offer this to all university students.”

Katie Jackson, a finance major with a concentration in global business and a French minor, became involved with the Blackburn Institute in March.

“I couldn’t be more excited to hear [Hardman] speak this Friday,” Jackson said. “Not only is his position with the Carter Center something that greatly interests me with regards to my major, but he is also an incredibly interesting person with a wealth of knowledge in a variety of areas.”