RALEIGH — The former chief executive officer of General Electric is scheduled to tell North Carolina CEOs about winning when he's on the defensive for accusing the Obama administration of twisting data on the national unemployment rate to help the president's re-election campaign.

Jack Welch is the keynote speaker Thursday at a Raleigh country club for the NC CEO Forum. Welch is expected to talk about the leadership skills executives need to succeed in coming years.

Welch said Tuesday he would quit writing for Fortune magazine after the publication's coverage was critical of comments Welch made Friday about the Labor Department's monthly jobs report.

The report showed unemployment dipping below 8 percent for the first time since January 2009. Welch suggested on Twitter that the Obama administration manipulated the numbers.