Ray Cole will speak at Morningside on Oct. 28 at 10:30 a.m. in the Yockey Room of the Olsen Student Center.

Ray Cole, president and chief operating officer of Citadel Communications and author of “Hangin’ with Winners: A Lifetime of Connections, Anecdotes and Lessons Learned,” will speak at Morningside University on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 10:30 a.m. in the Yockey Family Community Room of the Olsen Student Center on Morningside’s campus. The event is free and open to the public, and audience members will receive a free signed copy of “Hangin’ with Winners” while supplies last.

Ray Cole, who recently discussed his book on Good Morning America, is a native of Kingsley, Iowa, and a television broadcasting executive whose career spans five decades. He has held multiple management positions with Citadel Communications since 1985 and has served as president and chief operating officer since 1992. Cole is the only Iowan to have served on the boards of a major network affiliate association (ABC), the National Association of Broadcasters, and the Television Bureau of Advertising, and he served on the board of the Iowa Broadcasters Association where he was recognized as the 2008 Iowa Broadcaster of the Year and inducted in the Iowa Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2015. He currently serves on the board and executive committee of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, and he received their Leadership Award in 2016. In 2019, Cole was honored with the Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award from the Governor Robert D. and Billie Ray Center.

Cole, a graduate of Briar Cliff University and the recipient of their 2006 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and 2021 Presidential Distinguished Leadership Award, started his career in broadcasting with an internship at KCAU-TV, the ABC affiliate in Sioux City. A longtime friend and supporter of Morningside University, Cole also served as a guest lecturer for Morningside business classes taught by the late Morningside president Miles Tommeraasen.

“Hangin’ with Winners” was published in Oct. 2021. The book features stories and lessons from iconic leaders and changemakers in television, politics, and philanthropy including Bob Iger, Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Michael J. Fox, and more. All the net proceeds from the book sales are being donated to several of the charitable organizations mentioned throughout “Hangin’ with Winners.”