The Leeds School of Business Alumni Career Webinar Series provides online learning from thought leaders and industry experts who discuss topics for business professionals about finding a job you love, getting and giving feedback, taking the entrepreneurship plunge, understanding the latest faculty research, and more.
Because these webinars are recorded and made available online, you can access them anytime, anywhere, and as often as you like.
EXCLUSIVE: COVID-19 Webinar Series
CU Boulder and Leeds are hosting a second series of webinars featuring relevant, informative commentary from a variety of world-renowned faculty and alumni from disciplines across CU Boulder. Each presentation will provide frank and timely insights for life during and after the pandemic from their specific lens.
COVID-19 Webinar: Legal Ramifications of the Nation’s Response to the Pandemic
Friday, June 5th | 12pm MT
Presenter: Craig Konnoth (Law)
Description: COVID-19 raises numerous law and policy issues. In what ways can the government restrict our liberties to prevent its spread? What are the steps the government can take to alleviate the effects of its restrictions (e.g., halting evictions)? This seminar will answer some of these questions and more.
About the Presenter: Professor Konnoth writes in health and civil rights, as well as on health data regulation. His publications have appeared or will appear in the Yale Law Journal, the Stanford Law Review, the Hastings Law Journal, the Penn Law Review, and the Iowa Law Review. He is also active in LGBT rights litigation and has filed briefs in the Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit on LGBT rights issues. At the University of Colorado, Professor Konnoth teaches Health Law, and runs the Health Law Certificate Program. He also teaches Sexuality and the Law, and Property. Craig is formerly a Deputy Solicitor General with the California Department of Justice, where his docket primarily involved cases before the United States Supreme Court and also before the California Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Cases involved the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act, Sexual Orientation Change Efforts, Facebook privacy policies, and cellphone searches.
Before arriving at the University of Colorado, Craig was a Sharswood and Rudin Fellow at Penn Law School and NYU Medical School, where he taught health information law, health law, and LGBT health law and bioethics. Before moving into government, Craig was the R. Scott Hitt Fellow in Law & Policy at the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, where he focused on issues affecting same-sex partners, long term care, and Medicaid coverage issues, and drafted HIV rights legislation. He holds a J.D. from Yale, and an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge. He clerked for Judge Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Previous COVID-19 Webinars
Disinformation During a Pandemic: The Politics of COVID-19
Thursday, May 28th | 12pm MT
Presenter: Dr. Liz Skewes (CMCI)
Description: The political polarization in the U.S. is shaping how media outlets are covering the COVID-19 crisis and how the public is responding to information and disinformation. In this webinar, we’ll look at how major news organizations are framing the pandemic, how social media is contributing (or not) to the public conversation, and what can be done to better inform citizens about this coronavirus.
About the Presenter: Associate Professor Elizabeth Skewes is the chair of the Department of Journalism. Her research focuses on media sociology and news practices, the media’s role in electoral politics and politics in popular culture. She also is working on new research involving media coverage of mass tragedies and the victims of those events. She is the author of Message Control: How News Is Made on the Presidential Campaign Trail, and the author or co-author of book chapters and journal articles on journalistic norms, values and practices. She was a working journalist for nearly 20 years, was a reporter for newspapers in West Virginia and Florida, and also worked as a freelance reporter for newspapers in New York and Colorado.
COVID-19 Webinar: Lessons from the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic
Wednesday, May 27th | 12pm MT
Presenter: Dr. Susan Kent (A&S)
Description: Susan Kent will discuss the origins, spread, impact, and consequences of a disease that killed more than 50 million people in the space of six months. She will also discuss lessons learned as they apply to COVID-19.
About the Presenter: Susan Kingsley Kent is a Professor of Distinction in the Department of History. She has written numerous books treating gender, war, politics, and culture in Britain, the British Empire, and across the globe.
How is COVID-19 Affecting the Electric Power Grid?
Tuesday, May 26th | 12pm MT
Presenter: Dr. Kyri Baker (Engineering)
Description: Increased residential electricity consumption and decreased commercial electricity consumption due to stay-at-home orders and social distancing is dramatically changing the way the grid operates. Not only do weekdays now appear as weekends to the grid, but changes in demand patterns are changing which power plants are generating electricity, how much renewable energy is being utilized within the grid, and more. In this talk, we will discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the electric power grid, from exploring the impacts within neighborhoods all the way up to electricity markets.
About the Presenter: Dr. Kyri Baker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering and Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering (by courtesy) at the University of Colorado Boulder. Previously, she was at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in both the power systems and buildings centers. She received her B.S., M.S., and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2009, 2010, and 2014, respectively. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on developing techniques to improve renewable energy integration within the electric power grid, with an emphasis on optimization, machine learning, and intelligent building control.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Professional Sports
Thursday, May 21st | 12pm MT
Presenter: Tom Garfinkel (CU Boulder alumnus)
Description: This webinar will discuss the financial, community, and human impact of the sports stoppage and what the future might hold for professional sports.
About the Presenter: Tom Garfinkel serves as Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. Since his hire, Garfinkel has led the business turnaround of the Dolphins, highlighted by: • The initiation, creation and execution of a plan to privately fund a more than $770 million renovation of a 27-year-old stadium. • The sale of more than $600 million in future contractually obligated suite and sponsorship income, including the in- house sale of naming rights to “Hard Rock Stadium.” • Unprecedented ticket sales revenue growth and four years of consecutive regular season sell-outs. • The creation of an in-house creative content team that resulted in more than 200 million social media video views in 2018, the most in the NFL, as well as five Emmy Awards and two Clio Awards. • The winning bid for both the 2020 Super Bowl and 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. • The highest grossing soccer event in U.S. history in July of 2017 (El Clasico Miami: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona). The continuation and growth of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, which has garnered more than $38 million to date in donations for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. • The culmination of a partnership with IMG/WME to bring the Miami Open tennis tournament to Hard Rock Stadium, with the 2019 debut event setting record attendance numbers and increasing total revenue by nearly 25%. His operating experience includes serving as president and chief executive officer of the San Diego Padres, chief operating officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks and executive vice president of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR, IndyCar and Grand-Am racing teams. Prior to working in sports, Garfinkel held different leadership roles in sales, marketing and branding with Miller Brewing Company and Texaco, Inc. Garfinkel serves on the board of the National Football Foundation, Dolphins Cancer Challenge, the Gulliver School’s Board of Trustees and the Sports Management Advisory Board and Ross School of Business Advisory Board at the University of Michigan. Garfinkel graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned his MBA at the University of Michigan. Garfinkel and his wife, Allison, live in Coral Gables with their three sons.
Entrepreneurial Approaches to COVID-19: Plan, Pivot, and Persist
Tuesday, May 19th | 12pm MT
Presenter: Dr. Jeffrey York and Brad Werner (Leeds)
Description: Jeff York (Research Director, Deming Center) and Brad Werner (Faculty Director, Deming Center) will cover lessons learned from their podcast Creative Distillation. Since the pandemic began, they have interviewed multiple entrepreneurship researchers about entrepreneurial approaches to COVID-19, focusing on actionable, research-backed solutions. This webinar will present a framework and examples of how entrepreneurs can plan, pivot, and persist during, and beyond, the pandemic.
About the presenters:
Jeffrey G. York is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Research Director for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, and Shane Faculty Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his PhD from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Professor York’s teaching and research are focused on environmental entrepreneurship and the simultaneous creation of ecological and economic goods. He is interested in how and why entrepreneurs create new products, services, and industries that reduce environmental degradation. He teaches classes in business planning, entrepreneurial thinking and environmental ventures at the undergraduate, MBA and PhD levels. Professor York has published research in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Business Venturing, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. He serves as a Field Editor for the Journal of Business Venturing and on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.
Brad Werner is an instructor in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations Division at the Leeds School of Business. He is a commodity futures trader and investor. He has been a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for over 30 years, specializing in agriculture, energy, and currency products. While at the CME, he served on multiple regulatory committees. He has since moved his operations to Colorado and continues to actively trade a broad suite of futures products. Brad also has an active career angel investing in the energy, technology, real estate, and hospitality sectors.
The Epidemiology of COVID-19: Where Do We Go from Here?
Monday, May 18th | 12pm MT
Presenter: Dr. Matthew McQueen (A&S)
Description: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted our personal and professional lives. We take a moment to step back to explore where we are currently at with this virus and what scenarios may lie ahead.
About the Presenter: Dr. Matthew McQueen (ScD) is an Associate Professor of Integrative Physiology and Director for the Public Health Certificate Program on the CU Boulder campus. Dr. McQueen is an epidemiologist by training and is engaged in a highly interdisciplinary research program. He teaches Introduction to Epidemiology for the public health certificate program as well as introductory and advanced biostatistics for the Department of Integrative Physiology.
How Can Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 Indoors be Minimized?
Friday, May 1st | 12pm MT
Description: Dr. Miller will summarize some of the recent scientific information that has been accumulating to support that COVID-19 transmission occurs via the airborne exposure route; crowded, poorly ventilated environments are particularly at risk. Dr. Miller will also discuss what can be done in buildings during pandemics to minimize airborne transmission risk.
Presented by: Shelly L. Miller, Ph.D., is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and faculty in the Environmental Engineering Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, holding an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of California, Berkeley and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College. Dr. Miller teaches about and investigates urban air quality and works diligently to understand the impact of air pollution on public health and the environment. She is also an expert on indoor environmental quality including air cleaning technologies. Dr. Miller is a member of the Academy of Fellows of the International Society for Indoor Air and Climate (ISIAQ). Dr. Miller has published over 70 peer reviewed articles on air quality, authored a Chapter on Indoor Air Quality in the Environmental Engineering Handbook, is an active scientist on twitter, and publishes open access as often as possible.
COVID-19 Economic Discussion: What we Know
Thursday, April 30th | 12pm MT
Description: This webinar will present observations on the current impact and future expectations for the national and Colorado economies.
Presented by: Richard L. Wobbekind is Associate Dean for Business & Government Relations, Senior Economist and Faculty Director of the Business Research Division and at the University of Colorado Boulder. He joined the faculty at the Leeds School of Business in 1985, and has served as an Associate Dean since 2000.
As Faculty Director of the Business Research Division his responsibilities include developing an annual consensus forecast of the Colorado economy and performing various economic impact assessments of the Colorado economy. Wobbekind also produces the quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index for Colorado.
Rich is the past president of the National Association for Business Economics. He participates annually in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Regional Economic Roundtable, and is a contributor to the Western Blue Chip forecast newsletter and the National Association of Business Economists Economic Outlook and Policy Surveys.
Rich is a member of the Governor’s Revenue Estimating Advisory Committee and the Boulder Economic Council. He is an advisory board member for the Western Regional Science Association.
Practical Strategies for Supporting Mental Health During COVID-19
Wednesday, April 29th | 12pm MT
Description: Many people are experiencing mental health difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Feelings of grief, fear and anxiety are common, along with sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and more. In addition, social distancing requirements can be emotionally challenging, potentially increasing feelings of loneliness and undermining social support. However, each of us can put coping strategies in place to help us manage such challenges. During this brief webinar we will discuss detrimental effects of chronic stress, and will encourage identification of preferred coping strategies. In addition, we will review innovative ways to connect to and grow our social support networks. Resources will be provided for those interested in follow up services. .
Presented by: Courtney Welton-Mitchell is a mental health clinician and social psychologist. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, where she teaches several courses, including a Disaster Mental Health course. She is also a Research Associate with the Natural Hazards Center, CU Boulder.
Job Searching during COVID-19
Monday, April 27th | 12pm MT
Description: Job searching is a challenge on its own, let alone during a global pandemic. Join CU alumnus and Leeds Advisory Board Emeritus Member, Alan Arney (PolSci'85), for an informative look at insights and lessons from his work with senior executives in job search in Colorado. Alan will discuss the major changes you may be facing as a jobseeker in the current market and provide tips on researching available opportunities, networking, and positioning yourself for success.
Part of the webinar will also focus specifically on executive roles and the job search.
This webinar is appropriate for job seekers at all levels and on how the job search process has changed in light of COVID-19.
Presented by: Alan Arney is a Senior Career Consultant in the Denver office of Lee Hecht Harrison, where he coaches senior corporate executives going through career transition. Alan previously served as Vice President of Global Learning & Development at Western Union where he was responsible for managing the development and delivery of learning programs to Western Union’s 8,500 employees.
Prior to Western Union, Alan was a Director in the Denver office of Accenture and worked for the company for 21 years. At Accenture, Alan worked with global and domestic companies to deliver management consulting and business process outsourcing services.
Alan began his career in Operations at Bank Western Federal Savings Bank following his graduation in 1985 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Political Science. Alan served on the Board of the Leeds School of Business from 2012-2019, and previously served on the Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Denver Area Council and the YMCA of Southwest Denver.
Understanding the Societal Impacts of COVID-19: Convergence Research in a Pandemic
Friday, April 24th | 12pm MT
Description: This webinar will describe the efforts of the Natural Hazards Center – one of the nation’s oldest social science hazards and disaster research centers – and its CONVERGE initiative. The Center and the CONVERGE team are funding novel research on the social, behavioral, and economic impacts of COVID-19 and supporting a global network of research Working Groups in the social sciences and public health. The Center and CONVERGE have also launched the first global registry for COVID-19 related research. Please attend this webinar to learn more about these efforts and how they are making a difference in terms of informing decision-making.
Presented by: Lori Peek is Director of the Natural Hazards Center and Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is author of Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 9/11, co-editor of Displaced: Life in the Katrina Diaspora, and co-author of Children of Katrina. Peek also helped develop and write school safety guidance for the United States, Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety. Peek is the principal investigator for the National Science Foundation-funded CONVERGE facility, which is dedicated to improving research coordination and advancing the ethical conduct and scientific rigor of disaster research.
A Supply Chain Perspective on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thursday, April 23rd | 12pm MT
Description: The current COVID-19 pandemic is posing challenges to the ways businesses and humanitarian organizations traditionally conduct their operations. This webinar gives an overview on supply chain management and humanitarian operations, how they work and how they are affected by the pandemic.
Presented by: Gloria Urrea is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations Management (SEO) Department at the Leeds School of Business. Gloria studies operations of humanitarian organizations, whose mission is to alleviate human suffering and improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable population. Her research focuses on two main questions. First, how humanitarian organizations can access and manage the required donations to perform their work and second, how humanitarian organizations can make their operations more efficient.
Brands Must Matter
Monday, April 20th | 12pm MT
Description: If you believe that business is good for America, now is not the time for marketers to shrink from communication. Brands must, however, be good citizens. Brands can provide normalcy, reassurance, assistance, and cheer. The brands that get their communication right will be part of the solution and will also build a stronger consumer base for the future.
Presented by: Associate Professor Kelty Logan has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing executive in the advertising, broadcast network and product marketing industries. She worked for multinational advertising agencies in New York and Europe, managed program promotion for NBC, and directed brand management for Mars, Inc. As an academic she focuses on the challenges of the new media environment. In particular, she is fascinated by the changing patterns of media usage resulting from digital technology and its impact on the advertising industry. She received her BA in history from UCLA, an MBA from Tulane University, and a PhD in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin.
Taxes and the CARES Act: Opportunities and Pitfalls
Thursday, April 16th | 12pm MT
Description: Taxes are integral to the relief provided by the CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus package recently passed by Congress. This webinar unpacks and explains various tax aspects of the CARES Act that affect everyone from households to small businesses to multinational corporations. Navigating this landscape is challenging, and taxpayers must plan carefully to secure benefits and avoid detriments. The CARES Act’s tax provisions produce winners and losers, and, by identifying these groups, we can better evaluate the law’s value in combating the COVID-19 crisis.
Presented by: Sloan Speck is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School. Professor Speck’s research interests are in tax law and policy, with an emphasis on corporate and international tax, legal and business history, and the ways in which taxation informs relationships between state and society. Before joining Colorado Law, Professor Speck taught at New York University School of Law and practiced in the Chicago office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. Professor Speck has a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law.
Shtick to Innovation. What Today’s Popular Comedians Can Teach You About Using Humor to Get Through a Crisis and Build a Serious Career
Wednesday, April 8th | 12 p.m. MT
Presented by: Pete McGraw, Professor of Marketing and Psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder
As coronavirus creates fear and uncertainty, there is a surprising place people can turn for help: comedy. Indeed, comedians are the masters of turning tragedy into comedy. But more importantly, the world’s funniest people can provide important lessons in creativity and innovation—something people need now—even more than laughs.
Unlocking your Virtual Team’s Potential: Research-Backed Strategies for Improving the Synergy of Remote Work Teams
Monday, April 6th | 12 p.m. MT
Presented by: Dr. Christina Lacerenza, Leeds' Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior
Are you finally in a remote working groove but feel like your work team’s collaborative performance continuously falls flat? Is your team lacking the “a-ha” moments, creativity and innovation given a newly remote structure? Virtual teamwork has unique challenges but can be just as synergistic (if not more!) as in-person collaboration.
Leadership in a Crisis
Thursday, April 2nd | 12 p.m. MT
Presented by: Leeds alumnus and Advisory Board Member, Scott Kingdom (BSBU ’82), Vice Chairman of Korn Ferry
To quote Korn Ferry's CEO,“No one thinks much about this leadership quality until ‘you know what’ hits the fan.” Largely ignored, underappreciated and overlooked, the skills of leading in a crisis clearly shine a light on good, better and best practices. Leeds alumnus Scott Kingdom, Vice Chairman of Korn Ferry and Leeds Advisory Board Member, will share dos, don’ts, new approaches and best practices for the extraordinary leadership needed in times of crisis.
Economic Discussion: What we Know Thus Far
Tuesday, March 31st | 12 p.m. MT
Presented by: Richard L. Wobbekind, Executive Director of the Business Research Division, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Finance, and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Observations on the current impact and future expectations for the national and Colorado economies.