On Leadership: A Series of Conversations

This is a series of four talks by leaders in academia, industry, government and non-government organizations/foundations. Each talk will be an opportunity to hear first-hand about the challenges and rewards for people in leadership positions and how each person must find their own style. There will be plenty of time for questions from the audience and each talk will be more of a conversation than a formal lecture.

The first speaker in the series is John Hennessy, PhD, President of Stanford University. President Hennessy joined the faculty of Stanford in 1979 as an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and became President in 2000, along the way serving as Dean of the School of Engineering and Provost. This will be a wonderful opportunity to hear about leadership in academia from the person whose decisions affect all of our daily lives at Stanford. President Hennessy's talk will be on Tuesday, February 3, 2-3:30 pm in the Hewlett Building room 200, followed by an informal reception. (Download the video of this talk, below.)

Miriam Rivera, JD, MBA, former Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Google, will be our second speaker. Ms. Rivera holds four degrees from Stanford – in addition to the MBA and JD, she also has a BA in Sociology and a MA in Spanish Literature. She was recently elected to the Stanford Board of Trustees and was co-founder of the software firm 'On Your Mind." She will talk about leadership in the context of the commercial sector and how important it is to find a style that works for your own individual character. This talk is on Monday, February 23, from 4:15-5:30pm at the Arrillaga Alumni Center, Fisher Conference Room.

This series will continue with former Secretary of State Dr. George Shultz and former Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry in conversation with Professor Coit D. Blacker, Director and Senior Fellow at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. They will discuss leadership in government including the recent initiative of Drs. Shultz and Perry to work to eliminate all nuclear weapons. This is a unique opportunity to hear from three major players about how to lead when the stakes involve countless lives. This important conversation will take place on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 4:00-5:15pm at the Faculty Club. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Our final speaker for the 2008-2009 academic year will be Jane Woodward (MS, MBA-Stanford), founder and CEO of MAP Energy (http://www.maproyalty.com/about.html). Ms. Woodward will talk about the challenges and rewards of leadership in the energy industry. MAP invests in three specific areas of Sustainable Energy Education, devoted almost entirely to activities central to Stanford students interested in sustainable energy. This talk is on Tuesday, May 12 from 4-5:15pm in Tresidder, Cypress Room. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Advance sign-up for these talks is not required.

Winter and Spring Quarter 2009 Conversations

Speaker	Date	Time	Location	More Info
John Hennessy	Feb 3	2 - 3:30 p.m.	Hewlett Building, Room 200	Flyer (pdf)
Download the video of President Hennessy's presentation. (Click "Get Movie." Provided through Stanford iTunes).
Miriam Rivera	Feb 23	4:15 - 5:30 p.m.	Arrillaga Alumni Center, Fisher Conference Room	Flyer (pdf)
George Shultz and William Perry with Coit D. Blacker	April 7	4 - 5:15 p.m.	Faculty Club	Flyer (pdf)
Jane Woodward	May 12	4 - 5:15 p.m.	Tresidder, Cypress Room

 

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