Leadership conference builds business leaders

Nearly 1,100 East Carolina University College of Business students had the opportunity to learn from business leaders and share their own acquired skills during the 10th annual Business Leadership Conference on Oct. 23 in the Main Campus Student Center.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Michael Harris, dean of the College of Business, encouraged students to get a minimum of five new professional contacts and to take advantage of opportunities that would come while at the conference.

“This is one of the most important events of the semester because of the learning and networking opportunities,” he said. “Today, I hope you come away with the understanding that you don’t have to wait until you graduate or are in your 30s and 40s to be a leader. You can be a leader now.”

Taylor Chappell ’19 ’20 served as the event’s keynote speaker. Chappell, a native of Hertford and a first-generation graduate, is the youngest keynote speaker in the event’s history at age 27 and is also the first keynote speaker to have been a conference attendee. She is a certified public accountant and is the controller at Nucor Steel Marion, a division of Nucor Corporation in Marion, Ohio. Chappell serves her alma mater by chairing the audit committee for the ECU Foundation Board and serves as an alumni advisor for Beta Alpha Psi honor society.

“It’s super rewarding and an honor to be asked to speak in front of an amazing group of students,” she said. “The ability to give back and try to provide or offer any sort of advice I can to help make their transition to adulthood and the business world a little easier is a reward.”

During her keynote address in the format of a fireside chat with Harris, Chappell spoke about the importance of saying yes when opportunities are presented even if they seem scary. She also discussed how to be a young leader, how to gain trust from co-workers and the most important lessons she’s learned early in her career.

“A leader is someone who is humble and is going to say, ‘I don’t know. I want to learn, help me learn,’” she said. “If you want to be a leader and it not just be a word, it’s about showing up. It’s about asking others how you can help them and understanding their story. You need to build that partnership with them before you can help them.”

Chappell later remarked that she was “inspired and intimidated” by the current group of COB students who are further ahead now than where she was when in their shoes and that they’re ready at this moment for any career they choose. During a student question-and-answer session, Chappell was asked about her ‘why’ and what will help current students work through tough times.

“What drives me in the ‘why’ is building a legacy,” Chappell said. “What I want people to remember about me is how I made them feel. Did I make their life a little bit easier? The best thing you can do is connect with others and leave them better than you found them.”

A man wearing a maroon jacket holding a microphone sits to the left while a smiling young woman wearing a black and white checkerboard jacket sits on the right. — Dr. Michael Harris, left, and Taylor Chappell participated in a fireside chat at the Business Leadership Conference. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

Sessions that shape

COB alumni as well as industry representatives from companies such as Amazon, Carhartt, Dollar Tree, Kinexo, Motorola Solutions, N.C. Department of Insurance and Whitener Capital Management led breakout sessions throughout the morning. The sessions covered a variety of topics including the COB leadership seven capabilities of empathy, communication, integrity, courage, competence, growth and vision as well as building authentic connections, positive mindsets, resilience and values.

COB alumnae Hope Grubb and Jenna Mallberg co-led the session, “From Campus to Corporate: Turning Lessons into Leadership.” Grubb and Mallberg challenged students to think about whether they’re ready for the real world or just the next class. Through shared stories and interactive activities, they encouraged students to get involved, stay curious and lead while developing a growth mindset.

Senior Shawn Taylor, a senior management information systems major from Rocky Mount, attended a session led by U.S Navy Capt. Joseph Ford, director of mental health for the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejune. Ford’s session, “Values-Informed Leadership: Driving Culture and Performance,” left Taylor with a key takeaway.

“Leadership takes courage,” Taylor said. “He (Ford) made it clear that it’s not easy, but at the same time, if you have the determination to hold those characteristics and those values, then it’s possible. Leadership is something that you can learn, but it’s also instilled in you. I feel like having courage is something that sets leaders apart from people who are just workers.”

Searching for opportunities

Later in the afternoon, students had the opportunity to attend a career fair with over 25 representatives from local, regional and national companies in both the public and private sector looking for Pirate business leaders to join their organization. This was the second year that a career fair was part of the event.

Junior Chloe Johnsen of Winston-Salem attended the career fair. A business marketing major, Johnsen is searching for an internship that would lead to a sales career.

“I feel like this helps me for the future,” she said. “It gets me one foot in the door for what I should be experiencing in my internships and how to get my name out there and start my career.”