Sam A. Williams, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees for Partners for Livable Communities, has led coalitions of CEOs, government and civic leaders in Atlanta that successfully tackled a multi-state water issue, saved the region’s largest charity hospital from foreclosure, changed the controversial Georgia state flag, developed Latin American trade opportunities and organized five universities to conduct research for private companies, to name a few. Williams has helped business leaders identify the “tipping point” issues where a crisis or lost opportunity could not be ignored and government leaders were unable to fix the problem alone.

This new model of business-led coalitions to advance our cities is not unique to Atlanta — and Williams has researched other cities where CEOs have experienced similar success.

In his book, The CEO as Urban Statesman, Sam uses case studies in five U.S. cities to showcase how Urban Statesmen have applied their leadership skills and community connections to work through societal issues. With their long-term view and the ability to garner support from many sectors, CEOs can often successfully address urban challenges too big for political and bureaucratic leaders to solve alone. The book is available on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1tiOYRK.

While each city’s project is different, they share common themes. Williams explores these cases in detail, distilling best practices as well as cautionary tales for business leaders who want to help their cities thrive.

Case studies include:

• Atlanta, Georgia – CEOs Pete Correll, Tom Bell and Michael Russell helped rescue Atlanta’s Grady Hospital, a safety-net institution, from impending financial collapse.

• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – CEO Ray Ackerman and part-time mayor and printing company executive Ron Norick redeveloped the city's downtown

• Salt Lake City, Utah – Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson led a Salt Lake City business coalition that backed a successful sales tax referendum to jump-start their region's transportation plan.

• Houston, Texas – Former astronaut and entrepreneur Mae Jemison led a task force on natural disasters following the devastation of Hurricane Ike.

• Columbus, Georgia – Georgia executive John Turner worked for 14 years to create the longest urban whitewater course in the world on the stretch of the Chattahoochee River that runs through downtown Columbus.

Learn more about best practices for “tipping point” issues at www.urbanstatesman.com.