International Conference and Annual Meeting  

Plenary I: China, India and the Future of Everything
Robert  Reich, Economist, Author and Former U.S. Secretary of Labor 
The world has witnessed an increasing economic, social, technological, and cultural interdependence among nations during the last few decades. China has emerged as a major global creditor and manufacturing center for the world. India is fast becoming a world center for software development. If present trends continue, China will be the largest economy in the world and India will have displaced the U.S. as the center for high-tech development. Should we care? If so, what should we do about it? Robert Reich, former secretary of labor, is one of the nation’s most influential public leaders and thinkers on business and the economy. During the session, Dr. Reich will address these vital questions, as well as discuss the future of the emerging global economy.

Reich is a professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and was a member of the faculty of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also served in the Ford, Carter, and Clinton Administrations.

Beta Gamma Sigma International Honoree Luncheon and Plenary II: "Navigating Drama – Perspectives on Public Company Turnarounds”
Kevin Kennedy, President and Chief Executive Officer, JDS Uniphase
Presenter Kevin Kennedy will share his personal and professional insights on cycles that frequently challenge ethics and survival in business. Kennedy is president and chief executive officer at JDS Uniphase, an industry leader in optical communications solutions. He joined the company in September 2003 and has been a member of the Company's Board since November 2001. Kennedy also spent seven years at Cisco Systems, Inc. and seventeen years at Bell Laboratories. In 1987, Kennedy was a congressional fellow to the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Kennedy was an adjunct professor at Rutgers from 1982-1984 and has published more than 30 papers on computational methods, data networking, and issues of technology management.

Kennedy holds engineering degrees, including: a B.S. from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. He also completed the Executive Business Program at the University of Michigan in 1992. He is a co-author of Going the Distance, a book published by Prentice Hall.

Plenary III: The Competitive Advantage of Social Capital
Ronald S. Burt, Hobart W. Williams Professor of Sociology and Strategy, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business 
Social Capital, the advantage created by location in social structure, is a critical factor in business today. It determines the ways in which work-related relationships can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of both collective and individual interests. Ronald S. Burt is an award- winning professor and one of the world’s leading researchers on social structure of competitive advantage in careers, organizations, and markets. Benefit from Burt’s cutting edge research knowledge in his presentation The Competitive Advantage of Social Capital.

Ronald S. Burt holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from The University of Chicago, a master of arts in Sociology from State University of New York at Albany and a bachelor’s degree in Social and Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins.
 

Plenary IV: Critical Issues and Best Practices in B-School Development
John J. Glier, President and Chief Executive Officer, Grenzebach Glier & Associates, Inc.
John Glier is a consulting professional long recognized for his work in providing strategic counsel to fundraising campaigns in higher education, academic health care, and major cultural institutions. As a consultant at Grezebach Glier & Associates, Glier has conferred with deans and board leaders on some of the largest capital campaigns in higher education. His work in Board development is particularly well known, along with his work in building major gift and principal gift programs. He will present strategies and approaches for successful business school development and fundraising. Through his work in a variety of non-profit sectors, Glier will identify critical issues facing non-profit development as well as outline best practices to improve your business school’s fundraising strategies.