Fuel Your Learning with Executive Education Events

Join us each month for the Leadership Breakfast Series, an inspiring event designed to foster innovation, networking, and empower leaders from all backgrounds and stages of their careers. Register for upcoming networking or virtual events and be part of the discussions shaping today's modern business landscape.

Date: March 28th, 2024; 8:30AM-10:00AM ET

• 8:30-9:00am | Networking Breakfast
• 9:00-10:00am | Interactive Presentation with Q&A

Location: State Street Headquarters, One Congress Way, Boston MA 02114

Successful leaders make hundreds of decisions every day, and many often presume that ethical considerations are part of all business decisions.  Rather than relegating ethics into a presumed operational norm, it becomes imperative for managers to consider ethics as an integral component of their strategic framework to help drive growth.

Join local professionals along with Bentley alumni at State Street’s Boston headquarters to network and learn from Dr. Jill Brown as she provides an overview on Ethics and Strategic Decision Making. Dr. Brown draws on examples from contemporary events, demonstrating how ethical practices can shape strategic decision-making and add value to organizations. 

Throughout this session, participants will acquire insights into: 

• Enhanced Decision-Making: Embedding ethical considerations into strategic decision-making processes facilitates the generation of well-informed and principled choices. 
• Innovative Problem-Solving: Ethical considerations serve as catalysts for creative and innovative solutions. The program empowers leaders to confront challenges with a renewed perspective, fostering a culture of innovative problem-solving and adaptability. 
• Prioritizing Ethics: Enables business professionals to earn and sustain trust with stakeholders, fostering stakeholder loyalty and engagement. 

Jill Brown (PhD), is the Hieken Professor of Business Ethics and Professor of management at Bentley University and the Director of the Executive PhD in Business program. Her scholarly interests include ethics, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, corporate governance and strategic leadership. Brown’s work has been published in Organization Science, Journal of Business Ethics (JBE), Business Ethics Quarterly (BEQ) Journal of Management Studies (JMS), Strategic Organization, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice (ET&P), Business & Society (BAS), Corporate Governance: An International Review (CGIR), California Management Review, to name a few. She is past Co-Editor of the Business & Society journal, and a former Associate Editor for JBE and CGIR. She is Past Division Chair of the Social Issues in Management Division (SIM) of the Academy of Management. She is also co-author of the 11th edition of the textbook Business & Society: Ethics, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management with Archie Carroll (2023; Cengage Publishing). Prior to her career in academe, Brown was a commercial banker and consultant.

Cost to Attend

Price: FREE

Register for this session 

Date: April 5th, 2024; 12:00PM-1:00PM ET

• 12:00-1:00pm | Virtual Lunch and Learn Presentation with Q&A

Learning to manage workplace relationships improves job satisfaction and contributes to career success, but can often be challenging and nuanced. Join Bentley University's Becky McDougal for 'Managing Up' so you can better understand the challenges in managing important workplace relationships and gain a wide array of strategies to improve them. 

'Managing Up' will help attendees: understand organizational hierarchies; assess managers’ styles and learn how to adapt to them; conduct a self-assessment; learn how to provide and receive feedback; negotiate workplace boundaries; and leverage actionable communication strategies and frameworks.
 

Rebecca McDougal, (she/her/hers), is the Director of Programs & Engagement for the CWB. Becky builds community with corporate partners, DEI leaders, and associations. She leads the development of new and innovative programs that support the mission of advancing intersectional gender equity. Becky engages partners in developing programs that address their challenges of fostering more inclusive and equitable cultures. Becky designs and facilitates a wide variety of the CWB’s workshops and leadership development programs for professionals of all levels.

Becky holds an Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University. Becky earned her BS in Marketing from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, with a minor in Sociology, and holds a Master’s in Organizational Psychology from William James College, with a concentration in Talent Management.

Cost to Attend

Price: FREE

Register for this session 

Date: April 12th, 2024; 9:00AM-10:30AM ET

• 9:00-10:30am | Interactive Presentation with Q&A

Transgender & nonbinary (TNB) employees face numerous barriers unique to their identities, in part because their visibility is perceived as a disruption to gendered norms that organizations perpetuate as what it means to be a “professional." These norms include adherence to binary dress codes, use of pronouns/names/honorifics that match one’s assigned sex at birth, bathroom policies that assume cisgender identity, and gendered behavior that “matches'' one's gender expression (i.e., “men should be agentic; women should be communal”). While these norms are problematic for people of all genders, they specifically harm TNB people whose gendered behavior is often policed through acts of interpersonal microaggressions and violence from co-workers, customers, and organizational leaders.

Though we have a moral imperative to support the TNB community as leaders who dedicate our lives to improving the workplace, there are also real economic and organizational consequences for not doing so. While it is currently estimated that TNB people make up less than 2% of the US population (2022, June 7), new studies suggest more than a quarter (28%) of Gen Z (those between the ages of 9 - 24 years) identify as nonbinary (The Trevor Project, 2021, National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health). Young people from Gen Z not only expect, but demand, that employers create policies to support trans inclusion (Stern et al., 2018). 

Thus, the purpose of this event is to present what intersectional inclusion looks like in an era of heated anti-trans sentiment. Drawing from research and practice, Dr. Cruz will share: (a) why TGNB allyship is relevant, necessary, and central to the advancement of intersectional inclusion in our institutions; (b) what job demands TNB people experience and the supports that make a difference; and (c) how TNB allies can be most effective in their roles as co-workers, managers, and leaders.

The event will be evidence-based, interactive, and focused on practical solutions. It is open to all - regardless of gender identity, role, or the amount of knowledge you possess about the TNB community. 

Mateo Cruz (PhD), (he/him), is an award-winning teacher-scholar at Bentley University. His primary research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice (DEIJ), and change in groups & organizations. His research has been published in top management & psychology outlets and presented to academic & executive audiences in the US, Europe, and South Africa. As a scholar-practitioner, Mateo’s work is guided by one central goal: To research, design, and deliver evidence-based interventions that advance change leaders at the intersection of identities. 

Mateo holds 20+ years of experience as an OD consultant & trainer specializing in inclusive leadership, group & team dynamics, and organization change. He currently serves as a Faculty Advisor to the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and is a proud member of the Board of Directors for GLSEN National, a leading LGBTQ+ education organization in the US. Mateo holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in social-organizational psychology from Columbia University and a B.A. in social work from the University of Portland.

Cost to Attend

• Price: FREE

Register for this session 

Navigating the AI Landscape: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for professionals in 2024

Date: March 7th, 2024

12:00-1:00pm | Virtual Panel Discussion with Q&A

Join Bentley University Executive and Professional Education for a virtual panel discussion on "Navigating the AI Landscape: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for professionals in 2024," where experts delve into the evolving AI landscape, addressing emerging trends and offering insights into the challenges and opportunities awaiting professionals in the field. Gain invaluable perspectives to steer your career through the dynamic world of artificial intelligence.

Moderator: 

Dr. Jeffrey Moriarty | Bentley University Philosophy Department (PhD)
Jeffrey Moriarty (PhD) is a Professor of Philosophy and Executive Director of the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics at Bentley University. His current research centers around issues at the intersection of business ethics and political philosophy. He focuses on questions of distributive justice – in firms, markets, and states. This has led him to investigate the ethical aspects of compensation arrangements, including executive compensation. He enjoys teaching a range of courses, including business ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of sport, and more.

Panelists:
Dr. Jennifer Xu | Bentley University Computer Information Systems Department (PhD)
Jennifer J. Xu is a Professor of Computer Information Systems at Bentley University. She received her PhD in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, business analytics, social network analysis, FinTech, healthcare informatics, and human-computer interaction. She has published more than 80 articles in Information Systems journals, books, and conference proceedings. She is currently serving on the editorial boards of Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) and Communications of the AIS (CAIS).

Pedro Uria-Recio, (MBA) | Chief Analytics & AI Officer, True Corporation | Author, Machines of Tomorrow: From AI Origins to Superintelligence & Posthumanity

Pedro Uria-Recio (born in Bilbao in 1980) is a Spanish business executive and an expert in AI currently residing in Southeast Asia. Pedro is the author of the book “Machines of Tomorrow: From AI Origins to Superintelligence & Posthumanity” (https://www.machinesoftomorrow.ai).

Pedro was the Chief Analytics and AI Officer at True Corporation, a prominent telecommunications company in Thailand. There, he oversaw analytics and AI initiatives for the digital segment of the business, leading a unit that utilized telecommunications data to develop corporate solutions in advertising, credit scoring, and consumer intelligence. Additionally, he serves as a visiting lecturer in AI for business at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Before his tenure at True Corporation, Pedro was Vice President of Analytics at Axiata, a digital and telecommunications conglomerate operating in six Asian markets. Previously, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, focusing on telecommunications and financial services.

Pedro has a strong interest in entrepreneurship and served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Antler, a venture capital studio in Singapore. He is also an official member and contributor to the Forbes Technology Council and has been a speaker at two TEDx events. He was recognized as one of the Top 100 Global Innovators in Data and Analytics in 2020 and received the Cloudera Industry Transformation Award in 2019.

Pedro holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a telecommunications engineering degree from the School of Engineers in Bilbao.

Robert MacGuire, (MSc) | CEO of Altruistic

Robert builds and invests in technologies and companies that are on a mission to change the world through data, digital and AI. Specializing in strategic direction and thought leadership in the field of technological Innovation, Robert aligns his career with the evolving innovation landscape and open talent methodologies.
 

As the CEO of Altruistic, Robert leads an investment and tech development firm with products in sport, medicine, crowd, ESG, Energy, fashion and AI. Robert has successfully raised and exited multiple companies in Europe and the US aligned with the tech explosion.
The co-owner of several algorithmic patents that are responsible for ground breaking technologies, and the core founder of Altruistic, Robert is on a mission to bring data science and digital transformation to all corners of the globe. 

Robert holds an MSc in Marketing with Honours from Dublin Business School and is a leading voice of open innovation in Europe and a board member of two non profit organizations. Robert is currently enjoying life in Milan, Italy with his wife, daughter & dog. He loves travel, food/wine, art and all things digital.

Fostering more equitable care in your personal and professional environments 

Date: March 1st, 2024

9:00-10:30am | Interactive Virtual Panel Discussion with Q&A

Paradoxical as it may sound, achieving health equity benefits from a business and human-centered lens. Join a panel of Bentley University thought leaders to explore how businesses can work across sectors to expedite current efforts to achieve health equity locally and globally. The conversation will also explore how government, business, and academic institutions might work together to design and coordinate health equity efforts. Attendees will leave empowered with specific tools for creating more equitable care in their personal and professional environments.  

Panelists: Danielle Blanch Hartigan | Executive Director for Bentley University Center for Health and Business and Associate Professor at Bentley University, Janelle Estes | Chief Insights Officer at UserTesting and Lecturer for Bentley University User Experience and Design Center, Yaro Fong-Olivares | Executive Director for Bentley University Center for Women and Business, Melissa Hector | Director of Equitable and Strategic Initiatives for Boston Public Health Commission

Danielle Blanch Hartigan (PhD, MPH) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences and Executive Director of the Center for Health and Business at Bentley University. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Northeastern University, an MPH from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute. Her interdisciplinary research in psychology and public health aims to improve the patient and provider experience and foster patient-centered care delivery through better communication. She has given workshops on clinical communication for academic institutions, hospital systems, and Fortune 100 healthcare companies. In 2020, she was named as one of the 40 Under 40 in Cancer.  Dr. Blanch Hartigan has published over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals across psychology, health communication, and medicine.

Janelle Estes (M.S.), with over 20 years in the industry, has notably advanced customer-centric strategies, beginning her journey at Forrester Research and most recently holding the role as Chief Insights Officer at . A respected figure in transforming global firms by applying deep customer understanding and insight, her career includes roles at Nielsen Norman Group and contributions across in-house and agency settings. An author, keynote speaker, podcast host, and a thought leader featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company, Janelle's academic prowess is rooted in a M.S. in Human Factors and Information Design from Bentley University.

Yaro Fong-Olivares (she/her), M.S. – is an Afro-Caribbean and Chinese immigrant from the island of Ayiti and Quisqueya (now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Washington Heights, and now living in Massachusetts. Her most salient identity is as a priest of Yemaya in the Lucumi spiritual tradition. She serves as Executive Director of Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, an organization dedicated to advancing intersectional gender equity from the classroom to the boardroom. Yaro is also an Organizational and Leadership Psychology PsyD candidate at William James College; she has an M.S. in Organizational Change Management from the Milano School of Management at The New School; and a B.A. Sociology, Barnard College, Columbia University. As an Organizational development leader focusing on racial justice, equity, and inclusion, she has developed and delivered programs worldwide that focus on advancing an intersectional equity-centered approach to complex, often covert workplace dynamics. As part of her commitment to learning and to be of service, she is the Past President of the Executive Committee for the New York Center; a Member of the Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems; a Co-Creator, of Group Relations International; and a Certified Consultant, at AK Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems. As a former personal trainer, she is a big fan of High-Intensity Training and Yoga.

Melissa Hector (M.S., MBA), is a dynamic and enterprising leader dedicated to making a positive impact on her community. Born and raised in the vibrant neighborhood of Roxbury, MA, she embarked on her journey of advocating for social and economic justice at a young age. Melissa is a diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioner, as well as a public servant strategist, with a career spanning various sectors. She has a proven track. record of creating community engagement opportunities that lead to improved living outcomes for individuals and families. Throughout her career, Melissa has been a driving force behind various community initiatives while working in the Office of Human Services for the City of Boston. Currently, she serves as the Director of Equitable and Strategic Initiatives at the Boston Public Health Commission. In this role, she has collaborated with internal and external partners to develop a comprehensive COVID-19 health equity community engagement framework, further illustrating her commitment to public health and community well-being. Melissa is a lifelong learner and possesses an impressive academic background, holding a BA in Media and Culture from Bentley University, an MS in Global Studies and International Affairs from Northeastern University, and an MBA from Boston University. Her educational journey has equipped her with the knowledge and skills needed to drive positive change on a global scale. Outside of her professional endeavors, Melissa is a passionate advocate for African American emancipation and women's empowerment. Additionally, she has served as an adjunct professor at both the Urban College of Boston and Bentley University, where she imparts her knowledge and expertise to the next generation of leaders.

Leading with Emotional Intelligence to Support Change

Date: February 16th, 2024

9:00-10:30am | Virtual Presentation with Q&A

Change is inevitable, but how leaders navigate it makes all the difference. Bentley University Senior Lecturer of Management, Susan Vroman, will delve into the critical role of emotional intelligence. By understanding and managing emotions effectively, leaders can inspire teams through transitions, driving successful change initiatives.

Susan Vroman (EdD, EdM), is a Senior Lecturer of Management at Bentley University.  Her research interests include the impact leadership enactment has on organizational culture and employee engagement, authentic leadership, leading teams, and inclusive leadership, with specific focus on supporting flexible work arrangements. 

Prior to her academic career, Susan spent over 20 years as an organizational effectiveness and strategic people and culture executive and advisor both internally and in a consulting capacity. Susan’s passion and expertise lie in values-based leadership development and profit-centered culture development. She has demonstrated superior results in designing and creating engaged workforces with direct business results.

Susan has engaged with companies ranging from 8 to 50,000 employees. Her consulting niche is in entrepreneurial businesses that are “coming of age.” Susan has served as Executive Coach (specializing in high potential emerging leaders), designed and used 360 degree questionnaires to help leaders achieve greater success, and has facilitated retreats to foster better results. Susan has also led Change Management initiatives ranging from organizational re-engineering to culture and human resource assimilation preparing for and in the aftermath of leadership changes, mergers, and acquisitions. Susan’s work facilitating troubled teams has also helped them to overcome obstacles.  Susan has been the architect of corporate universities and has designed and developed programming for leadership development, upskilling, and soft-skills effectiveness.

Susan holds her undergraduate degree in Communication and Human Resource Development from James Madison University; a Master’s Degree in Leadership Studies from Harvard University; and her doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership Studies from Northeastern University.  She is also certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Predictive Index (PI), Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), ExperiencePoint Change Management, Emotional & Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), Hogan’s Derailers, and in DiSC. 

Ethics in Action: Integrating Ethics into Strategic Decision-Making

Date: Friday January 26th,  2024
9:00-10:30am ET | Virtual Presentation with Q&A

In an era of rapid change, leaders must go beyond day-to-day operations. Rather than regarding ethics as an assumed mode of operation, it is necessary for managers to consider ethics as an crucial part of their strategy. Dr. Brown utilizes examples from current events to illustrate how ethical practices can inform strategic decision making and vice versa, for overall added value to an organization.

During this session, participants will learn: 

• Enhanced Decision-Making:  Integrate ethical considerations into strategic decision-making, yielding informed and principled choices.
• Innovative Problem-Solving: Ethical considerations lead to creative and innovative solutions. The program will empower leaders to approach challenges with a fresh perspective, fostering a culture of innovative solutions and adaptability.
• Risk Mitigation: Identify and mitigate potential ethical risks, which protect the organization's reputation and minimizes legal and financial liabilities.
• Stakeholder Trust and Loyalty: Gain and maintain trust of stakeholders by prioritizing ethics, which cultivates shareholder loyalty.   

Jill Brown (PhD), is the Hieken Professor of Business Ethics and Professor of management at Bentley University and the Director of the Executive PhD in Business program. Her scholarly interests include ethics, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, corporate governance and strategic leadership. Brown’s work has been published in Organization Science, Journal of Business Ethics (JBE), Business Ethics Quarterly (BEQ) Journal of Management Studies (JMS), Strategic Organization, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice (ET&P), Business & Society (BAS), Corporate Governance: An International Review (CGIR), California Management Review, to name a few. She is past Co-Editor of the Business & Society journal, and a former Associate Editor for JBE and CGIR. She is Past Division Chair of the Social Issues in Management Division (SIM) of the Academy of Management. She is also co-author of the 11th edition of the textbook Business & Society: Ethics, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management with Archie Carroll (2023; Cengage Publishing). Prior to her career in academe, Brown was a commercial banker and consultant.

Leading and Empowering Individuals through the Change Curve

Date: Friday September 8th, 2023

• 8:30-9:00am | Networking Breakfast
• 9:00-10:30am | Interactive Presentation with Q&A
• 10:30-11:00am | Meet with the Presenter

Join emotional intelligence expert Veronica Barber at Bentley University for a seminar on change management. Learn to use empathy and self-awareness to inspire teams during transitions. This is a must-attend seminar for executives, managers, and those driving organizational change.

Veronica Barber (MS, EdD), is a lecturer and assistant chair of the management department at Bentley University.  She is a promoter of presence-based leadership, life-enriching work, and healthy organizational change. 

Her professional career spans over 30 years in the healthcare and aging services fields, in which she has worked as a Chief Operating Officer for a health system in New York, a Senior Vice President of Human Resources for a national assisted living company, and continues to function as an organizational development consultant, serving clients nationwide.   

Veronica is also an International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) certified coach. She has helped countless executives across the United States to develop their emotional intelligence competencies, and is actively involved in the coaching community, whereby she assists with the education of coaches and functions as a mentor coach.  

Veronica’s other passions and expertise lie in the areas of leadership, culture, talent management, and leading change.  She holds an international certification in organizational culture assessment and development and is a DISC certified assessor/trainer. Veronica has a doctorate in executive leadership with a research focus on organizational change, a master’s in health services management and a bachelor’s in mathematics.

Navigating ESG’s Impact on Your Job

Date: Friday, October 13, 2023

• 8:30-9:00am | Networking Breakfast
• 9:00-10:30am | Interactive Presentation with Q&A
• 10:30-11:00am | Meet with the Presenter

As ESG considerations become paramount for businesses globally, understanding their implications is crucial for career success and advancement. Led by industry experts, this seminar will delve into the intricacies of ESG criteria, exploring how they shape corporate decision-making, risk management, and overall sustainability practices. Discover how to align your skills and expertise with ESG priorities, fostering a purpose-driven approach to your work and positioning yourself as a valuable asset in a socially responsible world.

Cynthia Clark (PhD) is an  author, scholar, and faculty member at Bentley University.  Her interests revolve around management, ethical decision-making, shareholder activism, and governance procedures. Cynthia actively collaborates with industry professionals and thought leaders, having been cited by media outlets including CNN, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal, for her expertise. Her insights have been published in academic journals such as Harvard Business Review, Business Ethics Quarterly, and Journal of Business Ethics.  

Demystifying Applied AI for Leaders: Practical Insights and Best Practices

Date: Friday November 10, 2023

• 8:30-9:00am | Networking Breakfast
• 9:00-10:30am | Interactive Presentation with Q&A
• 10:30-11:00am | Meet with the Presenter

Designed exclusively for forward-thinking executives and decision-makers, this transformative session will cut through the complexity of AI and provide you with clear, actionable guidance on integrating AI technologies into your organization's strategy. Led by seasoned AI experts, this seminar will demystify the concepts, applications, and potential pitfalls of AI, offering practical insights and best practices to harness AI's full potential. Through real-world case studies and hands-on exercises, you will gain a deep understanding of how AI can optimize operations, drive innovation, and elevate decision-making across diverse industries. Embrace this opportunity to lead confidently in the era of AI, unleashing the true potential of your organization and staying ahead of the curve in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Chase C. Cicchetti (MSF, PhD) is the Director of the Lab for Economics, Accounting and Finance at Bentley University. Dr. Cicchetti has over a decade of experience in financial markets from bases in Singapore, London and Boston. Dr. Cicchetti managed State Street Global Markets’ North American fiduciary currency sales process before transitioning to private markets and independent research. He has worked intimately with global central banks and institutional investment teams; he continues to advise on geopolitical and currency risk.
Dr. Cicchetti’s research interests include emerging markets, volatility, FinTech, sustainability and applied artificial intelligence, along with others.

Transform Your Communication for Inclusive Leadership

Date: Friday December 1, 2023

• 8:30-9:00am | Networking Breakfast
• 9:00-10:30am | Interactive Presentation with Q&A
• 10:30-11:00am | Meet with the Presenter 

In today's diverse and interconnected world, effective communication is paramount for fostering inclusivity and driving organizational success. Led by expert facilitators, this transformative session will provide you with practical strategies and tools to enhance your communication skills and create an inclusive environment within your team and organization.

Wiley Davi (PhD) is a Professor in English and Media Studies (EMS) at Bentley University. They have published articles on leadership, the value of liberal learning in a business curriculum, and diversity in the classroom. Wiley co-authored the book "Leading with Uncommon Sense: Slowing Down, Looking Inward, Taking Action" in 2020.

Committed to diversity initiatives, Wiley facilitates Bentley's faculty and staff workshops on diversity, LGBTQ allyship, and transgender allyship, receiving Bentley's Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award. Since 2015, Wiley has been a Women in Leadership program facilitator for the Erasmus Center for Women and Organizations (ECWO) at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. Through ECWO, they work with women in organizations like ING Bank, TNO, and the European Central Bank.