Spring Guest Speakers Share Industry Experience and Expertise with Business Students
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Manna Tree Ross Iverson speaks to students during the Leeds Professionalism Summit
Every semester, the Leeds School of Business welcomes thought leaders, innovators and industry experts to share their insights with students. These opportunities are more than guest presentations—they’re dynamic experiences that enrich learning, provide professional inspiration, and bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world practice.
This spring, students heard from accomplished professionals across industries, from real estate to tech to sustainability. Here are highlights from a few standout speakers who inspired us.
Inspiring voices
Alumna Dana Lorenze (Bus’88), senior VP of global customs for Expeditors, spoke to Teaching Professor and MBA Faculty Director Lori Seward’s International Operations Management class, discussing her career path, her 30 years of working at Expeditors, and how her company has responded to the many changes in U.S. trade policies.
Seward said Lorenze provided an eye-opening overview of how products from other countries make their way into the U.S. Lorenze answered students’ questions about how Expeditors handled customer data security, what was happening around the world with shipping, and where Expeditors saw its value proposition with international customers.
“I am so grateful that our Leeds external partners and alumni want to engage with our students,” Seward said. “Their real-world experience complements our curriculum, and my students tell me these speakers are highlights of any course they take. Hearing from business experts about how business actually works better prepares our students for their careers.”
CBRE Senior Vice President Jon Weisiger spoke with students in the Real Estate Project Competition course, led by Lecturer Craig Ferraro. Weisiger’s talk on retail real estate—covering demand, potential rents and more—inspired students to think big about their own class project: creating a development plan for a commercial site in Thornton, Colorado.
In February, two graduate classes heard from Daniel Ivanoff, founding owner and managing member of Schnitzer West, LLC, who shared his experiences in negotiating.
And students in Assistant Teaching Professor Visda Carson’s Consulting Skills class benefited from meeting Leeds alumnus John Min, the managing director of Accenture Operations, who shared his journey into consulting and how his career has evolved at Accenture. His impact didn’t stop there—after the talk, he joined several Leeds students for a coffee chat about how to pursue their professional goals.
Overall, Leeds students had the privilege of learning from more than 600 industry leaders and experts during the spring 2025 term. More speakers whose visits left a lasting impression included:
Shannon Sisler (right), Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, Crocs
Saber Sherrard, Partner, Bain & Company
Tyler Huggins, Co-Founder, Meati Foods
Jamie Saunders, Founder, Affix
Grace Trahan, Software Investor, Five Elms Capital
Jonathan Tress, Vice President, Media Marketing, Matter Communications
Ross Iverson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Manna Tree
Braeden Mayer, Co-Founder & Partner, Enosis Capital
Jennifer White, Director of Marketing for Oikos, Danone
Chris Joeckel, Senior Manager, GTM Enablement-Career Acceleration, LinkedIn
LeAnn Nichol, Director of Marketing, Ancillary Analytics, Vail Resorts
Danny Goldman, Goldman Property Group
Stephanie Savage, Senior Director, Energy Analytics, Microsoft
Matt Bruehl, Senior Hardware Infrastructure Engineer, NVIDIA
Leon McBroom, Senior Managing Director, JLL
Jackie Marquis, Chairman of the Board, Girls on the Run of the Rockies