CANTON—SUNY Canton School of Business and Liberal Arts will host author and retired CIA chief human capital officer Mike Mears as part of the school's speaker series.

Mears will speak at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29 in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center's Kingston Theater. 

The event is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow in Miller Campus Center, Room 218-220.

Mears is the founder of the CIA Leadership Academy and travels the country teaching and lecturing about effective leadership for private and government sector organizations. His latest book is titled, "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation."

Prior to his tenure at the CIA, Mears was a senior vice president at GE Investments where he managed private equity funds and served as a turnaround specialist. Prior to GE, he led several successful start-ups.

His military service included commanding a nuclear missile site and serving as a general's aide in Vietnam, where he was decorated for valor. He earned his undergraduate degree at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from Harvard Business School.