Cardinals' manager to headline leadership summit

Mike Matheny, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, will be the keynote speaker at this year's Arrow Leadership and Success Summit.

The summit, sponsored by Saint Francis Medical Center, is slated for 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Show Me Center.

Matheny, who played in 13 seasons of Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, became manager of the St. Louis Cardinals on Nov. 14, 2011, and is the 49th manager in the history of the organization.

Matheny has led the Cardinals to the playoffs every year since the beginning of his tenure, making him the first manager in Cardinals history to lead the team to the postseason in all three of his first full seasons, and the eighth manager in MLB history to do so.

"He's a smart and respected baseball man. But this job is beyond baseball -- it's about leading an organization, creating a team culture and developing winning teams on and off the field," said Lucas Presson, general manager of the Arrow student newspaper at Southeast Missouri State University. "And in his first three years as the Cardinals' manager, he's certainly done that."

Matheny also has created community programs such as the Catch-22 charity that donated tickets to Cardinals fans between 2002 and 2004. The charity since has funded Catch 22 Miracle Field at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex, which gives children the opportunity to play baseball regardless of physical or mental disabilities.

The summit will be the culmination of this year's Arrow Leadership and Success Series, and will be followed throughout the rest of the school year by question-and-answer interviews of other influential and successful people from around the area, including Southeast alumni, students and faculty members.

"It is important to recognize those who have become leaders in their profession and communities, especially those who attended Southeast Missouri State University," said Steven C. Bjelich, president and chief executive officer of Saint Francis Medical Center. "They set an example for people of this region to achieve greater heights both personally and professionally."

Tickets to the leadership summit go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, and are available through the Show Me Center box office, by phone at 651-5000 or online at ShowMeCenter.biz. General admission tickets will cost $10, and there will be a limited amount of VIP tickets that will cost $99 and include a meet-and-greet and a photo with Matheny.