Swallowing the Earth Whole: The Lives of Frank Loy and Steve Percy
What constitutes a reliable corporate executive? What characteristics establish a productive Board member, or a model Public Servant? Bruce Piasecki has written a book that explores these questions thru the lives of two exemplar executives Frank Loy and Steve Percy. Steve Percy sat on six Corporate Boards, both as Audit Chair, and as key change agent after rising to become the CEO of BP Americas, the wholly owned giant in oil and gas. After he left BP, he came to serve the author's management company for a decade as a Senior Associate, serving the top executives at a Warren Buffett firm for several years, and working as the Chair of the AHC Group's Governance workshop series. Frank Loy is a living legend in good governance, having chaired the Board of Directors of over a dozen organizations, including the Environmental Defense Fund. The author met Frank Loy whe Loy was the CEO of the German Marshall Fund, that financed the first two books by this author. Loy went on to become a top ranking member of the State Department, heading up all coverage of Oceans, Environment, and Climate matters. This book is a homage to these two great advisors and public servants, written from the author's first hand experiences of these leaders over several decades. While the Wikipedia coverage on Loy and Piasecki is visible, much of what Percy contributed is invisible. Come learn more.
The CEO of Globe Scan says of this biography: "Piasecki has offered us a priviledge access to englightened, inspired and thoughtful leadership." The executive director of the New York State Writer's Institute, Paul Grondahl, notes "Bruce Piasecki's new book can be a force for healing and understanding. Piasecki writes these biographies in a compelling style." The executive coach veteran Darryl Vernon Poole writes the afterword, comparing this work to a host of big impact books on The Supreme Court Judges, on social history leaders, and on the best business books. Piasecki things of their exemplar lives as masterful responses to growing complexities between business and society.
Dr. Bruce Piasecki has served as the president and founder of AHC Group Inc. since 1981, a general management firm specializing in growth, energy, environment, and sustainability. He has chaired the working group for reinventing the Environmental Protection Agency, served on the EPA's Executive Advisory Council, and was appointed to the White House Council on Environmental Technology. Over the years, Dr. Piasecki has run tenured professional educational programs and degree programs at Cornell University, Clarkson University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. At RPI, he was one of the first to develop a Master's of Science degree in Environmental Management and Policy, with award-winning students from around the world.
Dr. Piasecki speaks on competitive frugality, his work within firms like bp, Merck, and Walgreens on change and competitiveness. Topic range includes "Going Global, Going Green"; "To Master the Task of Tomorrow, Manage the Challenge of Today"; and "Money Doesn't Manage Itself." Throughout his four decade career, he has also authored books— including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Doing More with Less: A New Way to Wealth. Recently, Dr. Piasecki penned New World Companies: The Future of Capitalism, along with Missing Persons, a creative autobiography published by Square One. During Covid, he wrote a 2040: A Fable on the power of family and friends.
Dr. Piasecki earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell in 1976; and a Doctor of Philosophy from Cornell in 1981. Dedicated to his environment and community, Dr. Piasecki and his wife Andrea Masters sponsor annual Writer's Awards thru the New York State Writer's Institute. They contribute through a family-based community trust called "Creative Force Fund." His book on competition, frugality, and globalization, World Inc., has appeared in ten foreign editions, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Greek, winning a book of the year in Business in Japanese. His book Doing More with Less is now out in Spanish, Polish, and Mandarin.
He sits on the Board of Advisors of The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, an organization representing over 600,000 clinical practitioners. He also serves as a Board Member for Osiris Labs, a virtual reality immersive learning organization. Dr. Piasecki was honored for his lifelong achievement by being elected to the Lotus Club in Manhattan by Tom Wolfe, as well as the National Press Club. His work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and MIT's Technology Review. His six part biography series explores six exemplar lives for their attributes of adding social value and social cohesion in this swift and severe world. His book "Giants of Social Investing" has been an assigned reading at board of directors of global firms exploring the new realm of ESG investing. Dr. Piasecki is currently working on "A New Way to Wealth" and a remake of World Inc. called "Wealth and the Commonwealth", both expected in 2021 or 2022. Piasecki celebrates his family and influences in Missing Persons. www.doingmorewithlessbook.com
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