Apr 16, 2019

A conference on developing ethical business and civic leaders will be held May 23 and 24 at St. Bonaventure University.

The “Creating Good Leaders” conference is the spring 2019 presentation of the university’s William C. Foster ’62 Center for Responsible Leadership, which strives to educate and inspire leaders in business and society to embrace responsible leadership traits grounded in Franciscan values.

“The conference is for academics who are educating future business and civic leaders, corporate leaders and managers of any kind who are interested in strengthening their ethical consciousness,” said Dr. Michael Gallagher, assistant professor of finance in St. Bonaventure’s School of Business and director of the Foster Center. “It’s an opportunity for academics and practitioners who share a common goal of better educating our future leaders to come together to share their expertise.”

The conference, which features 10 distinguished speakers and a keynote address by New York State Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio, is open to anyone with an interest in responsible leadership, said Gallagher. The registration fee is $65.

The conference begins Thursday, May 23, with registration from 4 to 5:30 p.m., a meet-and-greet session from 5:30 to 6 p.m., and dinner from 6 to 7:30 p.m., all in the Athletics Hall of Fame in Reilly Center.

Giglio will deliver his keynote address following dinner. A member of the Assembly’s Committee on Ethics and Guidance, and the Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry, Giglio will speak on ethics and leadership.

On Friday, May 24, the conference resumes at 8:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast in the William E. and Ann L. Swan Business Center on campus, the site for all of Friday’s events. Three separate sessions, each following the other, will be held throughout the morning. They include:

Session 1: Authentic Leadership, presented by Dr. Matrecia James, dean of the School of Business at St. Bonaventure, and Dr. Tiffany Boury, director of Catholic leadership at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.

Session 2: Catholic Social Thought: Franciscan Values in Leadership, presented by Fr. David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap., associate professor of theology and director of the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure, and Dr. Michael Fischer, professor of accounting at St. Bonaventure.

Session 3: The Role of the Unconscious in Leadership, presented by Dr. James Mello, executive director of institutional effectiveness at Franciscan University, and Alice Miller Nation, director of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern at St. Bonaventure.

Following the morning sessions, a box lunch will be provided to presenters and attendees. A lunchtime talk will also be available, presented by Donald J. Swanz, Esq., retired associate professor of accounting at St. Bonaventure and former director of its China Studies program. Swanz, a longtime attorney who taught courses in business and international law, will address legal enforcement of ethical standards of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The act prohibits U.S. firms and individuals from paying bribes to foreign officials in furtherance of business deals.

After lunch, two additional back-to-back sessions will be held:

Session 4: Leadership Through Service Learning. Dr. Deirdre Engels, associate professor of marketing at St. Thomas Aquinas College, near Nyack, New York, will speak on learning opportunities related to running a fair trade business, and Dr. Todd Palmer, associate professor and chair of the Department of Management at St. Bonaventure, will speak on service learning opportunities.

Session 5: Leadership in the Business and Civic Arena, presented by John Stevens, a lecturer of management at St. Bonaventure, and Dr. Barry Gan, professor of philosophy and director of St. Bonaventure’s Center for Nonviolence.

“It promises to be an interesting and engaging conference, with our expert presenters offering interdisciplinary and practical perspectives on educating and inspiring business and civic leaders,” said Gallagher. “What is authentic leadership? How does our unconscious affect how we lead and follow? Do our attitudes and behaviors keep the long-term best interests of the group in mind? We’ll gain insights into all of these topics and more.”

The conference will conclude at approximately 3:30 p.m. 

To register, go to www.sbu.edu/fostercenterevents.

The William C. Foster ’62 Center for Responsible Leadership is made possible through an endowment gift by Darla L. Foster, managing partner of Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC, honoring her late husband, William C. Foster, a 1962 graduate of St. Bonaventure. William Foster served on St. Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees from 2008 until his passing in 2010.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition.