The Business, Faith and Common Good Speaker Series brings a variety of speakers to campus each fall to help the Creighton Community consider the relationship between business, faith and the common good.  The 2021 BFCGI Fall Speaker Series will include some academics, some business leaders, some in ministry– and every one of them have interesting and challenging things to share about the relationship between business, faith and the common good.  So far this year’s speaker lineup includes:

 Julie Kalkowski, Director of the Financial Hope Collaborative, Heider College of Business (9/9, 2:00 Harper 2057/58)

A consumer advocate, Julie Kalkowski has worked directly with at-risk members of Omaha metropolitan area to find financial stability, helping them better manage their finances and avoid falling into cyclical debt.  The Financial Hope Collaborative and its Financial Success Program, housed at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business have been instrumental in helping many low-income families find financial stability.  She was a member of the Federal Financial Protection Bureau Advisory Board before it was disbanded. 

Panel Discussion: “Inclusion of the Disenfranchised and Marginalized through Intentional Business Practices” 3pm Thursday 9/9 in Harper 2057 (reception to follow at 5pm) How can business itself help make life better for everyone, and help include those who are frequently marginalized?  That is the topic of this panel.  Panelists will be Jo Giles (Exec. Director, Omaha Women’s Fund), Bianca Harley (Senior Director, Diversity and Inclusion, at the Omaha Chamber of Commerce), Natalie Hadley (VP, Outlook Nebraska). Led by Dr. Sarah Walker

  Charles Camosy Fordham University   “Resisting Throwaway Culture” (9/16) 6pm H3048

Charlie Camosy is the author of Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic can Unify a Fractured People (2019), as well as 4 other books and numerous articles on ethics including popular outlets such as USA Today, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Newark Star-Ledger, America and Commonweal..  Although originally from the cornfields of Wisconsin, he is now Associate Professor of Theology at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York.

  Luke Bobo, Director of Resource and Curriculum Development, @Made to Flourish. (9/23)6pm H3048

Luke Bobo serves as director of resource and curriculum development for Made to Flourish and works as an adjunct professor of contemporary culture and apologetics at Covenant Seminary. Previously, Luke worked as an electrical engineer. He is the author of Living Salty and Light-Filled Lives in the Workplace and A Layperson’s Guide to Biblical Interpretation. Luke currently serves as the minister of Christian education at Friendship Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri.  He i sCo-author with Paige Wiley of Worked Up: Navigating Calling after College

Paige Wiley, Engagement coordinator at Made to Flourish. (9/23) 6pm H3048

Paige Wiley is the engagement coordinator at Made to Flourish, an organization whose mission it is to bridge the “Sunday-to-Monday gap” between people’s faith (Sunday) and work (Monday-Friday) lives.  Paige has produced multiple podcasts and interviews on life after college, and is co-author with Luke Bobo of Worked Up: Navigating Calling after College

Leonard Greenspoon, Creighton University.  “From Precept to Practice: Jewish Perspectives on Ethics in Business.” (9/30) 6pm H3048

Professor Greenspoon, in addition to being widely published in areas regarding the Jewish Bible and texts of scripture,  has edited a number of interesting books including “Jews in the Gym: Judaism, Sports, and Atheletics” and “Jews and Humor”.  His knowledge of the Jewish wisdom tradition is extensive, and he will talk on a Jewish approach to business.

Jim Anderson, Special Projects Manager at S4 (10/7) 6pm H3048

Jim Anderson has spent the bulk of his career in middle management, dealing with the real and practical tensions which come while making management decisions as a Christian.  As an entrepreneur he has started a number of companies, and has developed many software solutions through his career, although he has mostly managed people.  He will discuss the tensions one faces when considering stockholder and company interests, as well as other stakeholders and the common good.    He and his wife Cindy live in Virginia.

Luke Carlson, Chief of Staff and Ventures Director at Refined Technologies, Inc. (Houston, TX) (10/21) 6pm H3048

After graduating from Baylor, Luke Carlson worked for Conoco Phillips for 9 years, holding many roles including global auditor, asset analyst, economist planner, and supervisor. He then worked for over 3 years helping structure deals for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He presently works at Refined Technologies, where he oversees and develops various ventures.

Adam Frost (Harvard/Copenhagen) “Private Enterprise in Maoist China: How Private Enterprise Flourished Under Communism”  (11/11)  4-5pm in Harper (Co-sponsored by the Institute for Economic Inquiry) 

Adam Frost has done extensive research into the history of illicit entrepreneurship in socialist China, particularly in the Maoist era. Beginning in the 1950’s, with the enactment of systems of rationing and distribution, there emerged in China vast illicit networks operating in circumvention of the planned economy. Within these networks, a broad class of specialists, ranging from petty traders of ration coupons to large-scale arbitragers, sought opportunities to profit from inefficiencies in central planning. Referred to by communist officials as “speculators and profiteers,”  these individuals were branded the economic enemies of socialism and became the targets of recurring anti-capitalist campaigns. Yet, as this research will show, these “speculators” were actually the PRC’s first generation of entrepreneurs who not only facilitated the functioning of the socialist economy but also helped pave the way for China’s marketizing reforms.