CBA Speaker Series

Throughout the year, the College of Business Administration brings top-level corporate, academic and industry leaders to campus to share their insights on current business issues and corporate strategies. Designed to educate, enlighten and inspire, these presentations not only complement and enrich the college's curriculum, but also promote and strengthen relationships between the CBA and business leaders.

Beta Gamma Sigma Initiation Ceremony & Banquet Speakers

Each year, the college recognizes its best and brightest students as they are initiated into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for AACSB-accredited business schools. An executive from a major organization in N. E. Ohio is invited to address the initiates. A history of speakers can be found on the Beta Gamma Sigma Pages.

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Corporation Leadership Forum Speakers

Initiated in 1991, this forum brings a high profile CEO from a large corporation to campus. Recent speakers include:

2011 - Anthony J. Alexander, President & CEO, FirstEnergy Corporation
2010 - Jim Clifton, Chairman & CEO, The Gallup Organization
2009 - Walter W. Bettinger II, President & CEO, Schwab Corporation
2008 - Carl T. Camden, Ph.D., President & CEO, Kelly Services, Inc.
2007 - David A. Daberko, Chairman, National City Corporation
2006 - Robert J. Keegan, Chairman, CEO, and President, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
2005 - Richard K. Smucker, President & Co-CEO, The Smucker Company
2004 - David Oreck, Founder, Oreck Corporation
2003 - J.D. Power III, Chairman of the Board, J.D. Power and Associates

Graduate Executive Forum Speakers

This executive speaker series was created in 2006 for the benefit of our evening MBA students. Senior executives from major organizations are invited to share career experiences and engage in a question and answer session with the students. The goal of this dialogue is to provide insights into the challenges and decisions encountered in leading successful organizations.

2010 - Wayne Earley, President/CEO, Polymer Ohio
2009 - Richard W. Pogue, J.D., Advisor, Jones Day
2007 - Michael B. Petras, Jr., VP, Lighting & Electrical Distribution, GE
2006 - Ronn Richard, President & CEO, The Cleveland Foundation

Donald L. Kaufman Business Speakers Series

This series was established in 2004 by Donald Kaufman, retired president and chief executive officer of Alside, Inc. to augment the academic experiences of CBA students. The series brings distinguished business leaders to the UA campus to speak on topics of current interest.

2009 - Ralph M. Della Ratta, Jr., Founder & Managing Director, Western Reserve Partners LLC
2008 - Michael Feuer, Office Max Co-founder, CEO & Sr. Managing Director of Max- Ventures LLC
2007 - John L. Mariotti, President & CEO of The Enterprise Group
2006 - Frank C. Sullivan, President & CEO, RPM, Inc.
2005 - Charles A. Ratner, President, CEO, and a director of Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
2004 - Elizabeth A. Lange, Vice President, Worldwide Customer Services, Tiffany & Co.

Program Enrichment Lecture Series Speakers

Initiated in 2006, the series engages senior executives in discussion with undergraduate students to facilitate bringing real world practices into the classroom.

Fall 2010 -Michael Gibbons Senior Managing Director & Principal Brown Gibbons Lang & Company
Fall 2008 - Manuel G. Serapio, Faculty Director, Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and the Institute for International Business, University of Colorado, Denver
Fall 2007 - M. Gibbons, Managing Director & Principal, Brown Gibbons Lange & Company
Spring 2007 - John Mariotti, President & CEO of The Enterprise Group
Fall 2006 - Jack Shewmaker, former Walmart CFO, President and Vice Chairman

Social Responsibility Lecture Series Speakers

This lecture series was initiated in 2006 and brings to campus a high profile individual who is well known as a champion for corporate and social responsibility.

Spring 2011 -David R. Williams, Ph.D Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health
Fall 2008 - Riley Lochridge, Chairman & CEO, ComDoc
Spring 2008 - Kevin O'Donnell, Managing Director of O'Donnell & Associates
Fall 2007 - Ronn Richard, President & CEO, The Cleveland Foundation
Spring 2007 - Stephen J. Petras, Partner, Baker & Hostetler, LLP
Fall 2006 - Sr. Mary Sujita Kallupurakkathu, Superior General, Sisters of Notre Dame, Rome, Italy

China Week

Fall 2010 -Douglas H. Smith, Ph.D Senior Vice President – Technology The Timken Company
Additionally, CBA hosted a panel discussion during China Week.
Panelists

• Mark Kline, Invacare
• Tim Knight, Sr. VP, Sherwin –Williams
• and Mike Smith, China Business Consultant

Moderator

• Dr. Robert Figler, Associate Professor, Dept. of Management

Global Supply Chain Forum

Fall 2010 -Byron Canady – Dell, Inc., Nashville, TN Global Operations Manager, Supply Chain Operations
Fall 2010 -Timothy Graham – The Timken Company, Canton, OH Director, Process Industries Supply Chain
Fall 2010 -Jim Rashid – Dealer Tire, Cleveland, OH Director of Inventory Management
Fall 2010 -Mike Uskert – Gartner, Inc., Connecticut

Economic Business Summit

Spring 2012 -The Economy 2012: Strategies in an Uncertain Global Environment

Keynote Speaker

• James D. McCool, Executive Vice President, Institutional Services, The Charles Schwab Corporation

Panelists

• Paul Christopher, CFA, Chief International Investment Strategist, Wells Fargo Advisors
• Lynn S. Hamilton, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Key Bank

Moderator

• Dr. Melinda Newman, Associate Professor, Finance Department, The University of Akron, College of Business Administration

Spring 2011 - The Economy: Expectations, Risks, and Opportunities 2011 and Beyond

Panelists

• Sandra Pianalto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
• Gary Thayer, Chief Macro Strategist, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
• Dennis Gartman, Editor and Publisher, The Gartman Letter

Moderator

• Mr. David Redle, J.D., Chair, Professor of Business Law