VOE Past Speakers 2007-2008
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Corporate Governance: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Richard Koppes
Named one of the nation’s top 100 most influential lawyers by the National Law Journal, Richard is one of the nation’s leaders in corporate governance. He will share with the Voices of Experience audience his success at the once-beleaguered California Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Richard Koppes serves as counsel for Jones Day law firm in San Francisco, advising clients on corporate governance and shareholder value issues. He is former deputy executive officer and general counsel of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest public pension fund in the United States with more than $175 billion in assets. In that role, he became nationally recognized as a leading expert in the corporate governance and shareholder rights issues facing corporations and institutional investors today.
Among his numerous activities, Richard taught corporate governance as a consulting professor of law at Stanford Law School for a number of years in the late 1990s, served as a member of the New York Stock Exchange Board of Governors’ Legal Advisory Committee from 1994 to 1997, and was a member of the Blue Ribbon Commissions on Board Evaluations and Shareholder/Director Communications of the NACD. He is past vice chairman of the corporate counsel committee of the International Bar Association.
Richard is a frequent speaker and panelist on issues relating to the role of pension fund investors in corporate governance and fiduciary duties. He is the author of numerous articles on corporate governance published in a variety of periodicals and law reviews. He has been awarded a Certificate of Director Education from NACD.
Richard received his BA in political science from Loyola Marymount University in 1968 and his JD from UCLA School of Law in 1971.
Video
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Friday, October 5, 2007
Jamie Dimon
Considered one of the few rock stars of banking, Jamie will share his experiences in jumpstarting and shaping a giant banking conglomerate with the Voices of Experience audience.
A national and international business leader, Jamie Dimon became CEO of JPMorgan Chase on December 31, 2005, after having served as president and chief operating officer of the firm in the aftermath of its merger with Bank One Corp. At Bank One, he had been chairman and CEO. Guiding the successful merger of two huge banking institutions provided Jamie invaluable lessons in ethics and leadership.
A summa cum laude graduate of Tufts University, Jamie holds an MBA degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business, where he was a Baker Scholar. He serves on the boards of directors of a number of nonprofit institutions, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Harvard Business School and the United Negro College Fund.
Video
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Monday, October 29, 2007
Adversity is the Pathway
Erik Weihenmayer
Erik believes that inside each of us is a light, which feeds on adversity. The greater the challenge, the brighter that light burns. It can make us feel more focused, more driven and more creative – and can even transcend our own limitations and give our lives power. He tells about those people whom he calls "alchemists," constantly turning the lead of their lives into gold. "With an alchemist, you can throw road blocks in front of them, and they'll still find a way to win – not despite adversity, but because of it." He demonstrates how alchemists, rather than avoiding or circumventing adversity, harness it energy and use it to propel themselves into greatness. "Imagine," Erik offers, "if adversity was no longer your enemy, but your ally, no longer an impediment, but the pathway."
Despite losing his vision at age 13, Erik became an accomplished mountain climber, paraglider and skier who has never let his blindness interfere with his passion for an exhilarating and fulfilling life. On May 25, 2001, he became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He is the author of Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See, and co-author of The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Searching for Great Leadership
Robert Vanourek
Bob has been credited with turning around company after company and will share his leadership secrets during the January 22nd Voices of Experience event.
Since 2000, Bob Vanourek's focus has been on leadership development and volunteer work. He has been actively involved with MBA programs at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business, where he has championed values-based leadership.
He was chairman of the board of the Vail Leadership Institute from 2002 to 2005 and is now chairman emeritus. Bob is a board member of the Center for Corporate Excellence and the Vail Symposium. He serves on the board of and advises and/or consults with numerous businesses and community organizations. He assisted the board, senior faculty and staff at Colorado Mountain College in their pursuit of a comprehensive restructuring.
Bob's business career has been focused on leading companies or divisions experiencing extreme challenges. He specializes in applying ethical principles to rescue, turnaround and crisis situations.
From 1996 to 1999, Bob served as CEO of Sensormatic, a $1 billion NYSE electronics company, and guided it through a successful turnaround after major accounting irregularities were discovered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. That followed a similar turnaround he led as CEO of Recognition Equipment Inc., a $250 million NYSE company accused by the U.S. government of illegal activities.
Prior to that, Bob was group vice president and division president of two major divisions of Pitney Bowes. He was also vice president and general manager of two divisions of Avery International. In these positions, Bob spearheaded strategic turnarounds grounded in successful new products and restoration of stakeholder confidence.
His businesses have won numerous local, state and national awards, including a state-level Malcom Baldridge Quality Prize and the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence.
Bob graduated from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar in 1966. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University.
Powerpoint
Video
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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Lesson from Transformational Experiences
Jim Unruh
In his “Lessons from Transformational Experiences,” Jim will share his turnaround stories at companies such as Unisys Corp., where he was chairman and chief executive officer from 1990 to 1997.
Jim Unruh is a founding principal of Alerion Capital Group, a private equity investment group focused on significantly enhancing the value of the middle-market businesses in which it invests.
Jim has also served as an outside director with seven corporations, including three of middle-market size. Current board memberships include Prudential Financial Inc. and LumenIQ Inc. In addition, Jim serves as non-executive chairman of Apex Microtechnology and Tiros Corp.
Jim is the author of Customers Mean Business: Six Steps to Building Relationships That Last. The book shares Unisys research into the best practices of more than 100 companies recognized for customer service excellence.
Jim was born in Goodrich, N.D. He received a BS from Jamestown College and an MBA from the University of Denver.
Video
- High Speed (On DU campus only)
- Low Speed (512Kbps Cable or DSL)