13th Business Symposium Focuses On ‘Leadership in Challenging Times’

Students as well as regional business and non-profit community members learned about creativity and innovation, education, business law, sustainability, mental health and leadership in a rapidly changing world at the 13th Shenandoah University Business Symposium on Friday, March 24, in Halpin-Harrison Hall.

Keynote speaker Anya Kamenetz, an award-winning journalist, author, and future of work and technology expert, shared her perspective on post-pandemic realities and how to move forward with purpose, resilience and hope.

We are living in a time of once-in-a-century events. Overnight changes are the ‘new normal.’ The pace of change is accelerating and human evolution is not catching up with this change. Maybe what’s happened since March of 2020 is exactly what we are going to need to get to a place of comfort in adversity, flexibility and resilience in a world of change.”

Anya Kamenetz, journalist, author, and future of work and technology expert

Kamenetz noted that resilience (i.e., focusing on rest, self-care, controlled exposure, and a clear-eyed view of reality with a future focus), as well as post-traumatic growth (i.e., relating to others, seeing new possibilities, and fostering personal strength, spiritual change and an appreciation of life), are ways we can adapt, change and learn from difficult times.

Plenary speaker Johnny Crowder, founder and CEO of Cope Notes, and an expert in resilience, well-being and mental health, shared personal and practical self-care tools and strategies to improve emotional and mental health and well-being.

One in five Americans live with a diagnosable mental illness, and that is so misleading,” said Crowder. “The actual statistic means that 53% of Americans will face mental illness sometime in their lifetime, and that is just the people who are honest in the surveys.”

Johnny Crowder, Founder and CEO of Cope Notes

Crowder, who has spent more than a decade teaching people how to change the way their brains respond to trauma and stress, said most individuals spend years attempting to deny or hide their mental or emotional health issues. Yet on some levels, he said, we all experience or are exposed to friends, colleagues or family members living with or struggling with these issues, which makes the topic relatable to nearly everyone’s personal and professional lives.

Additionally, the symposium featured 16 practical breakout sessions presented by the School of Business faculty and various community leaders on topics ranging from employment law and digital marketing to managing generational differences, sustainability, mental health and building a leadership culture. Below is a full list of sessions.

• Building Brand Awareness For Your Business (Lexi Lucido, Vice President of Digital Sales at iHeartMedia)
• Business Law Issues: Intellectual Property (Thomas W. Steinberg, Virginia licensed attorney with a specialization in patent law, and Michael J. Mlotkowski, Strategic IP Counseling & Portfolio Management Practice of Ditthavong, Steiner, & Mlotkowski)
• Customer Discovery: Everyone Is Not Your Customer (Yolanda Shields, Ph.D., MBA, Founder and CEO of Yes Builds and Instructor of Entrepreneurship at the Shenandoah University School of Business)
• Employment Law: The Values Act – Updates and Best Practices (Professor John Winn, J.D., LLM, Professor of Business Law, Shenandoah University School of Business)
• Esports: How To Create Sustainability In An Emerging Industry (Christopher Scroggins, CEO of Esports Development and Growth Enterprise [EDGE])
• Engaging Employees Through Clarity and Alignment (Susan Schall, Founder and Lead Consultant of SOS Consulting LLC)
  

  

• Firehose & Punching Bags: Adventures In Upcycling (Giles Jackson, Ph.D., Baxa Professor of Stakeholder Capitalism and Director of the Institute for Business, Sustainability & Society at Shenandoah University with business student Conor Bailey ’23)
   
• Generations 2023: Managing Generational Differences From A Leadership Perspective (David Miles, Ph.D., Founder and Principal of Dr. Dave Leadership Corporation)
• Important Information You Need To Know About SECURE ACT 2.0 (Garrett Rohrbaugh, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) and a BA (2017) and MBA (2018) graduate of Shenandoah University School of Business)
• Leadership Leverage: The 5 Keys to Building a Leadership Culture (David Miles, Ph.D., Founder and Principal of Dr. Dave Leadership Corporation)
• Leading With Resilience Workshop (Lisa Talbott, Head Coach and Business Consultant, The Leader’s Craft
• Nature & Nurture: Impacts Of Early Childhood Development And Education On The Workforce (Matthew Peterson, Executive Director of the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation)
• Ready or Not, You’re A Leader (Sierra Collins, Leadership Development Coach, Speaker sand Trainer, and Founder, Sierra Learnership Collaborative)
• Shenandoah University MBA Program Overview (Bernadine Dykes, Ph.D., CPA, Associate Dean of Graduate and Certificate Programs, Shenandoah University School of Business)
• Using Digital Marketing To Support Your Growth (Angela Hausman, Ph.D., founder of Hausman & Associates and Visiting Associate Professor, Shenandoah University School of Business)
  

  

• Where Are We In The Economic Business Cycle? (Clifford Thies, Ph.D., Endowed Chair: Eldon R. Lindsay Professor of Economics & Finance and Professor of Economics, Shenandoah University School of Business)

The Business Symposium brought together students, faculty and the local business community to discuss the complexities facing leaders in business. The energy, networking opportunities, and shared learning provided an invaluable experience for attendees and an uplifting way to reflect on the future of business and how we can support our community.”

Suzanne O’Driscoll, School of Business Advisory Board Symposium Chair and Shenandoah University Associate Vice President of Student Affairs

Thank you to all our 2023 Business Symposium sponsors:

Learn more about the School of Business at su.edu/business/