Business / Leadership Symposium

 

With Charles Olcott (Facilitator), Ken Blanchard, Michael Flaherty, Steve Green, & Marwan Rifka

In answering Christ’s call to servant leadership, contemporary Christians in management may struggle amid what often appears as a rift between competitive excellence and core Christian values. 

As we find ourselves in Christ, how can we fulfill our calling in the business world, pursuing the highest good in effectively leading our companies, coworkers, and employees? 

How can we practically envision Jesus’ summoning to “abundant life” in the modern management culture of competition and compromise? 

How can we, as managers and leaders, develop effective teams to assist in today’s uncertainty, and, in many cases, chaos?

How can we remain steadfast to Christian ethics when confronted with complex and challenging questions?

Join us as we pursue this discussion together.

	Charles Olcott — Facilitator, Business/ Leadership Symposium. Executive Vice President, C.S. Lewis College Foundation. Olcott’s distinguished career has included positions as President and CEO of Burger King Corporation (Miami, FL), Treasurer and VP of Investor Relations with The Pillsbury Company (Minneapolis, MN), and Senior Investment Officer in the Financial Division of Aetna Life and Casualty (Hartford, CT). He has also held numerous leadership positions in small entrepreneurial businesses, in conjunction with consulting assignments centered on business assessment and fundraising throughout the U.S. For the past six years he served as Administrator for Bethany Church, a large congregation in southern New Hampshire.
	Ken Blanchard — Best-selling author/co-author of more than 30 books (including The One Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus), and Cofounder/Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, an international management training and consulting firm. He is also Co-Founder of the nonprofit Lead Like Jesus, whose mission is to inspire and equip leaders of ministries, business, and churches. Ken has received many awards and honors for his contributions in the fields of management, leadership, and speaking including induction into Amazon’s Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 best-selling authors of all time. In addition, Ken teaches graduate classes in Executive Leadership at the University of San Diego.
	Michael Flaherty — Co-Founder and President of Walden Media, a publishing company that focuses on making educational entertainment for the entire family, including The Chronicles of Narnia film series. Through books, films, and accompanying comprehensive educational materials and programs, Walden Media aims to help teachers by creating enthusiasm in the classroom and connect learning to entertainment. Prior to founding Walden in 2001, Flaherty worked with the Boston Public School System.  He has contributed articles to journals such as The National Review, The Boston Business Journal,and The American Spectator.
	Steve Green — President of Hobby Lobby (since 2004), the world’s largest privately owned arts and crafts retailer. Founded by his father, David, in 1972 in 300 square feet of retail space, the chain has grown to 469 stores in 39 states and, along with its affiliated companies, employs some 18,500 people nationwide. Green began working for the family business as a store operations supervisor after graduating from high school in 1981 and became the company’s executive vice president in 2000. Today, Hobby Lobby and its affiliates have combined sales of more than $2.2 billion.
	Marwan Rifka — Executive Vice President, OneHope. After immigrating to the United States from his native country Lebanon, Marwan, at a young age, became a successful business executive with the world’s largest Information Technology companies: EDS. Marwan became one of the corporation’s Presidents credited with establishing and growing the European operations to over 20,000 employees. At the height of his career, Marwan left the corporate world to become the executive vice president of OneHope ministry, dedicated to sharing the gospel story with children and youth throughout the world. Marwan is a noted speaker on stewardship.