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Media Contacts

George Vlahakis
IU Media Relations
gvlahaki@indiana.edu
812-855-0846

Anne Auer
Kelley School of Business
aauer@indiana.edu
812-855-6998

Last modified: Thursday, February 3, 2005

"The Changing Identity of Corporate America" is theme for 2005 IU Business Conference

EDITORS: Arrangements are being made for media who wish to interview the conference presenters in advance of the event. Contact George Vlahakis at 812-855-0846 or gvlahaki@indiana.edu for more information.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's Kelley School of Business 59th annual business conference will feature four people who understand the forces driving corporate America towards dramatic change.

The conference's four speakers -- the chief executive of a consulting firm that serves more than one-half of the world's largest companies, a member of Fortune magazine's list of the 50 Most Powerful Female Executives in America, the founder of a television and magazine publishing company with operations in 24 U.S. markets, and an award-winning television journalist -- will speak on March 9 in Indianapolis.

"The Changing Identity of Corporate America: Opportunity, Duty, Leadership" is the theme for the conference at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave.

Speaking will be Aaron Brown, journalist and anchor of CNN's NewsNight program; Ursula M. Burns, president of business group operations and corporate senior vice president at Xerox Corp.; William G. Parrett, chief executive officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and senior partner of Deloitte & Touche USA; and Jeffrey H. Smulyan, chairman of the board of Emmis Communications Corp.

Registration and networking will begin at 8 a.m. The sessions will begin at 9 a.m. with a presentation by Brown about the impact of globalization, outsourcing and rising health care costs. Burns will follow and tell the story of the remarkable recent turnaround at Xerox. Parrett then will describe the challeges and opportunities presented to U.S. corporations by accelerating globalization. Smulyan will speak at lunch about leading his company through a period of rapid growth and deregulation.

The Kelley School will present its Academy of Alumni Fellows awards at lunch to three successful alumni, and also will recognize the recipient of its Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The program will conclude at about 2 p.m.

The registration fee is $130 by Feb. 22 and $140 after that. Table registrations are $1,200 for 10 persons or $625 for five persons. Table registrations include reserved seating at lunch and registration to the conference. Information and registration are available at https://www.kelley.iu.edu/busconf.cfm or 812-855-6340.

About the speakers:

Aaron Brown

Aaron Brown

With more than 25 years of journalistic experience to draw from, Aaron Brown is CNN's lead anchor during breaking news and special events as well as the anchor of NewsNight with Aaron Brown, CNN's flagship evening newscast. He also serves as host of CNN Presents, CNN's documentary series, and was the co-anchor of the network's election coverage. He is based in the network's New York bureau.

Brown has covered numerous news events for CNN, including the 9-11 attacks and the subsequent war on terrorism, the D.C.-area sniper, the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the British return of Hong Kong to the Chinese government, and Nelson Mandela's historic election as president of South Africa. His honors include three Emmy awards, a duPont-Columbia Award, a New York Film Festival World Medal and several Sigma Delta Chi awards for political, general and sports news reporting as well as in the category of outstanding documentary.

Ursula M. Burns

Ursula M. Burns

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Ursula M. Burns was named president of Business Group Operations at Xerox Corp. in December 2002, and also is a corporate senior vice president. The Business Group Operations is a $12 billion organization, consisting of five business groups -- Production, Office, Supplies, Worldwide Manufacturing and Supply Chain Services, and Xerox's Engineering Center. Burns also has been named by Fortune magazine as one the 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America.

Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern. She subsequently held several positions in engineering, including product development and planning. In June 1991 she became the executive assistant to Paul A. Allaire, then Xerox chairman and chief executive officer. From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams, including the office color and fax business, the office network copying business and the departmental business unit. In May 2000, she was named senior vice president for corporate strategic services, and most recently, president of the Document Systems and Solutions Group.

William Parrett

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Bill Parrett

As CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Bill Parrett brings a distinguished record of service to many of the firm's leading global clients. He co-founded the firm's Global Financial Services Industry practice and served as its first chairman. In recent years, he has led Deloitte's participation at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, including leading high-level discussions on corporate governance and on key issues impacting the financial services industry.

A long-time advocate of community service, Parrett serves on the board of trustees of Carnegie Hall, the National Advisory Board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the board of trustees of the United Way of America. He serves on the boards of the Japan Society and the U.S.-Japan Business Council, and is a member of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue and a trustee for the U.S. Council for International Business.

Jeffrey H. Smulyan

Jeffrey H. Smulyan

Jeffrey H. Smulyan is chairman of the board of Emmis Communications Corp., an Indianapolis-based radio, television and magazine publishing company with operations in 24 U.S. markets and Hungary and Belgium. After operating two radio stations in Indianapolis and Omaha, Neb., Smulyan formed and became principal shareholder of Emmis in 1980. A public company since 1994, Emmis owns and operates 23 FM and four AM radio stations in the nation's largest markets; 16 television stations; six local, regional and national magazine operations; the No. 1 radio network in Hungary; and nine radio stations in the Flanders region of Belgium. In 1995, Emmis became the first company to own top-rated stations in New York and Los Angeles simultaneously.

He is a director of the National Association of Broadcasters and former chairman of the board of directors of the Radio Advertising Bureau. His honors include the American Women in Radio and Television's Silver Satellite Award, the National Association of Broadcasters' National Radio Award, and Radio Ink's "Radio Executive of the Year." In 1995, the radio industry newspaper, R&R, voted Smulyan one of the 10 most influential radio executives of the previous two decades. A member of the Indiana Business Hall of Fame, he also received the Indianapolis Business Journal's Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the state of Indiana's "Sagamore of the Wabash" award.

In 1994, Smulyan was named by the White House to head the U.S. delegation to the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union. As a U.S. ambassador, he represented the United States in various bilateral meetings, negotiating a landmark agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Conference details:

Joining the host organization, the Kelley School of Business, are major sponsors Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, BKD, LLP; Deloitte & Touche USA LLP; Eli Lilly and Co.; FedEx Corp.; Guidant Corp.; Philip Morris USA Inc. and Simon Property Group Inc.

Send registrations to Annual Business Conference, Kelley School of Business, 1275 E. 10th St., Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405-1703. Credit card registrations can be sent by fax to Conference Registrar, Kelley School of Business, 812-855-3535. Make checks payable to the IU Kelley School of Business Alumni Association.