Last modified: Thursday, October 16, 2008
Kelley MBA student associations host fifth annual EXCEL Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 16, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Several MBA student associations in Indiana University's Kelley School of Business will present the fifth annual EXCEL Conference on Nov. 1 in Bloomington.
EXCEL stands for "Expanding and Creating Excellent Leaders" and this year's five topic areas focus on leadership through workshops and keynote speeches.
The event is organized by Intel, Kelley's Black MBA Association, in partnership with the Latin MBA Association, Kelley Association of Women MBAs and the MBA Association. The EXCEL Conference is student-planned and run, with financial support from a number of alumni and from the Black MBA Association's annual fundraising efforts, such as selling business cards to Kelley MBA students.
The half-day conference will focus on topic areas that are quite relevant to recent events, including emerging domestic markets, personal wealth management, running a business on the side, the business of politics, green business opportunities and energy and socially responsible leadership.
"On the heels of the most anticipated election in America's history, and the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, the EXCEL Conference will give attendees new insights on some important issues," said Kenton Lee McDonald, conference chair and president of the Black MBA association. "We also know that students care about leadership, and EXCEL is about developing those skills."
The keynote address will be given by Brad Hobbs, principal of BizBrand Foundry, a Kelley MBA alumnus whose consulting company specializes in strategic marketing and planning for for-profit and non-profit firms. Hobbs also will address emerging domestic markets along with Louis Maldonado, client director of D Exposito & Partners.
Green energy experts Daniel Oh, chief operating officer of Renewable Energy Group Inc., Mike Whittier, business developer at BloomEnergy, and David Sandefur, vice president of power supply at Hoosier Energy, will discuss alternative energy and the economy.
David Haeberle, the Peterson Faculty Fellow in Investment Banking in the Kelley School, will explore personal finance issues. Jan Roberts, owner of Alliance Home Care, and Brad Wisler, chief executive officer of SproutBox, will tell participants about their own experiences running a side business. Jason Carter, manager at KPMG Advisory, will give a presentation on the business of politics.
There is no charge to attend the conference. Organizers have invited students from other schools across the Midwest to attend, even offering lodging in their homes for current MBA students. For more information and to register, go to www.kelley.iu.edu/mbaexcel.
