Guest Speaker

Rod Odom, 1971 Psychology Alumnus

Keynote speaker Rod Odom is President of Network Services for BellSouth Corporation in Atlanta. The 1971 University of Florida psychology alumnus began his career with Southern Bell in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1972 as a communications consultant and held a number of sales operations and training assignments over the next several years with Southern Bell and AT&T.

Odom joined BellSouth in 1983 as Director of New Venture Planning. Since that time he has held a variety of sales, marketing and operations positions including Vice President of Marketing for BellSouth Telecommunications and President of Small Business Services and BellSouth Business Systems. In January of 2000, he was named Executive Vice President of Network Operations and was promoted to his current position just two years later.

In addition to his work at BellSouth, Odom serves on the boards of Oglethorpe University, Sheltering Arms and Piedmont Hospital. He is also on the University of Florida Engineering Advisory Board and the Corporate Foundation Committee of the Florida Foundation. The title of Odom's Convocation speech will be 'The Best of Times...'