About the Author

Dudley Slater learned firsthand how to inspire and lead people. As the co-founder and fifteen-year CEO of Integra Telecom, he grew the company from nine to over two thousand employees, transitioning it from a start-up to national prominence as one of the ten largest fiber-based telecommunications companies in the United States. He attributes his company's success to its people. Slater partnered with other leaders of iconic, nationally recognized organizations, to refine the knowledge and techniques that make up the practical, everyday tenets of the fusion leadership. Beyond his experience as an entrepreneur and author, Slater has served as president of three nationally recognized companies, an independent director on the boards of numerous private and public companies, and was appointed by the governor in his home state to serve on Oregon's Innovation Council. Slater earned a bachelor of science in geophysics from UCLA and a master in business administration from the Harvard Business School. Slater has two beautiful, grown children (Toryn and Kathrina) and lives with his wife of 29 years, Laurie, in Portland, Oregon and New York, New York. ------------ Steven T. Taylor is an award-winning journalist and writer who's had more than 750 articles, editorials, essays, and other works published by more than 60 organizations and publications, including The Nation, The Washington Post, Public Citizen, The New York Times best-selling history book Chronicle of the 20th Century and CBS Radio. He's a recipient of the Washington Press Foundation Award and several journalism grants from various organizations, including The Center for Public Integrity, Voice of the Environment, and The National Forest Accountability Alliance. Steve writes monthly articles for a national legal publication called Of Counsel. A professor at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, he teaches nonfiction writing and public presentation.