11th Annual Florida Tech/Harris Ethics & Leadership Conference Set for March 23
MELBOURNE, FLA.—The Florida Institute of Technology College of Business Center for Ethics and Leadership and Harris Corp. will host the 11th Annual Ethics & Leadership Conference on Wednesday, March 23. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton Rialto in Melbourne. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and a network reception sponsored by Mercedes Benz of Melbourne starts at 4 p.m.
The conference highlight will be international speaker Rich Luker, who wrote the book, Simple Community. His talk, “Building Simple Community,” will be from 1:30 to 4 p.m., followed by a panel discussion.
Luker is best known for his creation of the ESPN Sports Poll, which began in 1994. His research in 1999 identified a dominant sense of loss of community felt by most Americans. His study of American social development led him to believe that today there is less face-to-face interaction between family, friends and neighbors. In 2009, Luker published Simple Community, which documents the loss of American community and provides a way for American brands to profitably invest in restoring community.
His research has been featured in many national publications including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, and Advertising Age. Luker has appeared on national news programs on ABC, FOX, ESPN, and NPR. He has provided strategic consulting and research for a wide range of clients. These include major brands like Coca-Cola, VISA, McDonald’s, General Motors, Anheuser-Busch, Sony and NIKE, major sports leagues like the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NCAA, and media companies like Disney/ESPN, Fox, Turner and Sports Illustrated.
Luker earned his master’s degree in psychology and his doctoral degree from the University of Michigan
Jim Traficant, president and senior executive account manager for Healthcare Solutions, Government Communications Systems Division, Harris Corp., will speak on “Transforming Healthcare and Us.” Keith Engh, with Business Development at GrowFL, will present “Company Growth and Development in Your Local Community.”
Also, Isabella D. Bunn, the Robert L. Long Professor of Ethics at Florida Tech, will present “Corporate Responsibility and Ethical Leadership in the Community” and David Brock, CEO of Community Credit Union, will follow. He will present the winning team of Florida Tech’s 15th Annual High School Business Ethics Competition.
The conference is sponsored by Space Coast Business, Community Credit Union, LEAD Brevard, NetDirective Technologies and Mercedes Benz of Melbourne. Admission is $89. Proceeds will benefit the T. Roger Manley Business Scholarship Fund and LEAD Brevard.
For more information, visit www.LEADBrevard.org.
