April 3, 2017
Annual Business Leadership Conference
Kennedy Space Center Director Robert D. Cabana will be Keynote
By Michael Rudd
University Communication
East Carolina University’s College of Business (COB) will hold its third annual Business Leadership Conference April 11-12 at the Mendenhall Student Center.
The two-day conference, open to COB juniors, seniors and graduate students, complements the intensive leadership preparation students receive while enrolled. Speakers and breakout sessions will prepare students for the realities of the business world and provide opportunities to interact with conference speakers, ECU’s Business Advisory Council, alumni, employers and community members.
More than 50 leaders representing Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, startups, nonprofit organizations, higher education and government will participate in more than 30 breakout sessions during the two-day event. Discussions include:
- Vern Davenport of NovaQuest Capital Management will talk about how being willing and able to grow and change is central to success.
- Keith Bradford, vice president of Disney Springs, will discuss Disney’s approach to business excellence.
- Female executives, including Kris Carroll of Grady-White, retired CEO Jan Davis and Dasha Little of Apogee Solutions, Inc., will offer career advice and look at the challenges faced by women as they seek upper management positions.
- Thomas Arthur, a veteran and retired business executive, will bring his lessons learned in combat and show how they can be applied to business best practices.
Approximately 1,500 business students are expected to attend this year’s conference.
“From both keynote speakers to the breakout sessions to the closing remarks, the caliber of this year’s conference has indeed been elevated,” said Dr. Stanley G. Eakins, dean of the College of Business. “It’s going to be hard for me to choose which sessions to attend. I expect the students will feel the same way.”
Robert D. Cabana, Colonel U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), NASA astronaut and director of the Kennedy Space Center, will give the conference’s keynote address. Cabana completed naval flight officer training in 1972 and served as an A-6 bombardier/navigator with the Marine Air Wings in Cherry Point. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981 and served at the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River, Maryland, as the A-6 program manager and X-29 Advanced Technology Demonstrator project officer.
Selected by NASA in June 1985, Cabana completed initial astronaut training in July 1986, qualifying for assignment as a pilot on future space shuttle flight crews. A veteran of four space flights, Cabana has logged more than 910 hours in space. He served as shuttle pilot on missions STS-41 (Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, 1990) and STS-53 (Dec. 2 to Dec. 9, 1992). He served as mission commander on STS-65 (July 8 to July 23, 1994) and STS-88 (Dec. 4 to Dec. 15, 1998), which included the first International Space Station assembly mission. Cabana was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008.
The closing keynote address will come from Gerald Ladner, director of sales at the State Auto Insurance Co., Standard Lines Division (auto, home, farm, ranch and small commercial). Ladner leads, develops and directs all sales marketing activity and is responsible for profitable growth for the company’s largest business unit. Before this assignment, he served as regional president for the company’s Western Region, which includes Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas. His 35-year career includes underwriting, risk management and senior leadership roles with Zenith Insurance Co., Zurich North America and Cigna Property & Casualty Group.
Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Ladner to a six-year term to the Office of Risk Management Board of Directors. He previously received Texas Insurance Commissioner Appointments to the Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association and Texas Medical Liability Joint Underwriting Association board of directors. Ladner earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rollins College, Florida, where he currently serves as a trustee.
“We are so grateful to the participating leaders who have volunteered their time and expenses in coming to the conference,” says Dr. Shanan Gibson, associate dean for student and faculty development with COB. “I’m extremely confident our students will find their words inspirational.”
For more information about the Business Leadership Conference and a detailed program, please visit: http://business.ecu.edu/conference.
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