Thursday, April 16, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Forum Highlights:
Keynote by Van Jones, Founder of Green For All and White House Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation;
Keynote by Ophelia Dahl, Executive Director of Partners in Health;
Richard Stengel, TIME managing editor, remarks and Van Jones Q&A
WALTHAM, Mass., April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On April 16, 2009 Bentley University and TIME will present a dynamic half-day symposium featuring progressive leaders who are making a difference in environmental change, healthcare, fair trade, charitable giving, and diversity in business ownership at the annual Bentley Leadership Forum.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081002/DC36626LOGO)
This year's Leadership Forum, the fifth in a series of annual events designed to spotlight critical issues in business ethics, leadership and social responsibility, will explore how business and philanthropy can unite to take on global challenges and serve the needs of those who live and work in our rapidly evolving society.
Held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Bentley University campus, the Forum will feature speakers Van Jones, White House Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation and Founding President of Green For All and Ophelia Dahl, Executive Director of Partners in Health. TIME managing editor Richard Stengel will open the Forum with remarks on the role of national service and an introduction of Van Jones. Following Jones' keynote speech, Stengel will conduct an on-stage conversation with Jones.
Van Jones, founding president of Green For All and a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, recently joined the Obama administration as the Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). A champion for the toughest urban constituencies and causes, Jones is also the author of The Green Collar Economy (Harper One 2008). Green For All promotes green-collar jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged. Its mission is to build an inclusive, green economy - strong enough to resolve the ecological crisis and lift millions of people out of poverty.
Ophelia Dahl has worked tirelessly for over twenty years as an advocate for the health and rights of the poor. She founded Partners in Health (PIH), a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1987 with Paul Farmer, renowned anthropologist and physician. Dedicated to addressing health inequities and social injustice, Dahl and
her colleagues at PIH have worked together to bring health care to the destitute sick, beginning with a few small villages in Haiti's Central Plateau and expanding to Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Russia, the urban United States, Rwanda, and most recently, Lesotho and Malawi.
An impressive group of featured speakers will also share how their organizations are taking on global challenges including establishing global fair trade practices, improving public health and quality of life in the developing world, using social media tools to raise nonprofit funds, and empowering minority-owned businesses.
-- Priya Haji, Co-founder/CEO, World of Good
-- Leigh Blake, Co-founder, Keep a Child Alive
-- Milton J. Benjamin, President/CEO, Initiative for a New Economy
Tony Buono, Bentley Professor of Management and Coordinator for the Bentley Alliance for Ethics and Social Responsibility, will moderate.
Joseph Marchese '03, co-founder and President of SocialVibe.com, will be the featured speaker during the Tomorrow25 luncheon program. Bentley will honor the 2009 Tomorrow25, outstanding high school juniors who have been chosen through a Bentley-sponsored international competition as our next generation of leaders. The Tomorrow25 have demonstrated initiative, citizenship, intelligence, technological savvy, cultural awareness, social responsibility, and a dedication to making positive things happen in their schools, communities and society.
For more information on the Forum, the Tomorrow25 and to register, please go to www.bentley.edu/leadership-forum/.
About Green for All
Green for All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. By advocating for local, state and federal commitment to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy - especially for people from disadvantaged communities - Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time.
About Partners in Health
PIH was founded in 1987, two years after the Clinique Bon Sauveur was set up in Cange, Haiti, to deliver health care to the residents of the mountainous Central Plateau. PIH co-founders had been working in the area for years. The Clinic was just the first of an arc of successful projects designed to address the health care needs of the residents of the poorest area in Haiti. In the 20 years since then, PIH has expanded its operations to eight other sites in Haiti and five additional countries and has launched a number of other initiatives.
About SocialVibe.com
SocialVibe.com is a website focused on empowering people to raise money for charity by interacting with and sharing brands on social networks. SocialVibe recognizes that individual people hold the key to the attention and influence in social media that brands seek, and that empowering people to leverage their influence online can create positive impact for themselves, their brands, and their communities. SocialVibe.com allows visitors to "Get Sponsored" by their favorite brands on their social profiles while earning points for the reward of their choice. The company believes that making a real difference is possible without making a real difference to their visitors' bank account.
About TIME
TIME is a global multimedia brand that includes TIME magazine, the world's largest weekly newsmagazine, with a domestic audience of 20 million and a global audience of 25 million; four worldwide editions of TIME magazine, including TIME U.S., TIME Asia, TIME South Pacific, and TIME Europe, Africa & the Middle East; TIME.com, which draws 6 million unique visitors a month; and TIME's other brand extensions, including TIME Style & Design and TIME For Kids.
About Bentley University
BENTLEY UNIVERSITY is a leader in business education. Centered on teaching and research in business and related professions, Bentley blends the breadth and technological strength of a university with the core values and student focus of a close-knit campus. Our undergraduate curriculum combines business study with a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. The McCallum Graduate School emphasizes the impact of technology on business practice, in offerings that include MBA and Master of Science programs, PhD programs in accountancy and in business, and custom executive education programs. Located minutes from Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, the school enrolls approximately 4,000 full-time undergraduate, 250 adult part-time undergraduate, 1,400 graduate, and 30 doctoral students. Bentley is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges; AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), which benchmarks quality in management and business education.
Web site: http://www.bentley.edu/