Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference Announced

At a University of Connecticut press conference this morning, Coach Geno Auriemma, School of Business Dean John Elliott, Professor Lucy Gilson, and UConn President Susan Herbst, along with other members of the university community, officially announced a major new leadership initiative: the inaugural Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference, presented by Walmart, to be held April 29-30th at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center in Uncasville.

“This conference will be a valuable forum where we can learn from each other,” said President Herbst. Geno added, “There’s an awful lot going on at the University [of Connecticut] that doesn’t make it to the outside world as much as my players do. This is not just a Geno event, an athletic event, or a business event; this conference is a community event that will galvanize and benefit the entire university.”

The conference theme, “Leadership Excellence in an Ever Changing Environment,” will place focus on senior executive experiences, best practices for sustaining leadership excellence, leading a multi-generational workforce, and leading through a time of crisis.

Professor Gilson stated, “This conference has been designed to deliver a high-end educational experience to the business community and to our alumni. It leverages the expertise of our faculty along with the skills and experiences of our alumni, the support of the foundation board members, and our business partners into a single event that focuses on a most critical need in today’s ever changing business environment: leadership.”

A keynote entitled “Leading in a Time of Crisis” will be delivered by UConn alumnus, Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA, President & CEO Walmart U.S. The day and a half event will culminate with a keynote address by Charlie Denson, President, NIKE Brand on “Excellence and Winning: Leading for Continued Success.”

Other speakers include:

  • Kathryn Cassidy ’76, Senior Vice President & Treasurer, GE & GE Capital
  • Mitchell Etess, CEO, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority
  • Corliss Montesi ’86, Vice President, Finance and CFO, Sikorsky Aerospace Services
  • Ron Pace ’69, ’72 MBA, President, Kitchen & Bath America, Kohler
  • Deb Reif ’95 MBA, President & CEO, Equipment Services, GE (retired)
  • John Skipper, President, ESPN, Inc., Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks
  • Dan Toscano ’87, Co-Head, Global Leverage & Acquisition Finance, Morgan Stanley

The conference will be an intimate, high-end transformational event with limited registration. Proceeds from the conference will be received by the UConn Foundation, Inc., and will benefit Leadership Education at the University of Connecticut’s School of Business.

This conference is presented by Walmart and supported in part by Virtus Investment Partners, Aetna, the Hartford Courant, FoxCT, Hartford Magazine, WTIC-AM, WTIC-FM, WRCH, and the UCONN Alumni Association.

For more information about the conference or to register, visit www.genoleadership.com.

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