Forensic Leadership is a book about a young man who grew up on the westside of town in the government subsidized projects and how he learned to lead in a very diverse, conservative community in the Deep South. By age 23 he was the youngest member to be elected to the Board of Commissioners, an offi ce he held unopposed for over 20 years. He was actively recruited to serve on bank, hospital and chamber boards and held a variety of administrative positions in one of the most successful school systems in the state. Being thrust into leadership at such a young age forced the author to hone his leadership skills as he learned to navigate the diff erent races, the hidden rules of diff erent cultures and the silent roles placed on leaders by society. Th e leadership principles learned along the way are included in the book and refl ects the gifts he wishes to pass on to his daughters.