Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business has invited students, faculty, staff, members of the Penn State Community, and members of the public to attend its S.T.A.R.T. Conference. S.T.A.R.T., or Striving Toward Awareness and Respect for Tomorrow, focuses on business initiatives in diversity. The one-day conference will feature keynote speakers, opportunities for networking with company representatives, and breakout sessions. The S.T.A.R.T program is in its 15th year at Smeal.
The S.T.A.R.T conference will feature two keynote speakers. The first, Ken Bouyer, is the EY Americas director of inclusiveness recruiting. Bouyer develops and implements the global recruiting strategy for EY Americas, with the aim of attracting inclusive and diverse talent pools for the member firms of the company. The second keynote speaker, Michael Piwowar, is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner and an alumnus of Penn State Smeal’s finance Ph.D. Program.
The conference will also feature breakout sessions on topics including gender and generational differences in the workplace, unconscious bias, and building and leading diverse teams. The agenda will also include presentations from Smeal’s S.T.A.R.T. Diversity Award student winners, and a networking session with representatives of top companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Target, and Boeing.
Smeal’s S.T.A.R.T conference was sponsored by Kohl’s, EY, Shell, Target, Johnson & Johnson, Altria, GM, Capital One, Boeing, and United States Steel.
The conference is free and open to the public. It will take place on March 28 on Penn State’s University Park campus, in the Nittany Lion Inn. Registration is required, and can be completed online here.