On February 23-24, 2007, the Yale School of Management’s Christian Fellowship Club, in partnership with the Ethics and Spirituality in the Workplace program at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture hosted the second annual Christian Business Conference in New Haven, Connecticut.
(Note: The Yale Believers in Business Conference was formerly called the Yale Christian Business Conference.)
The conference, aimed at MBA students and entitled “MBAs, Money, & Meaning? Finding Purpose and Value in Your Work,” explored issues related to finding purpose and value in work drawing on Christian principles. The Yale Believers in Business conference is designed for MBA students. The goal of the conference was to give MBA students an opportunity to learn from and have access to business leaders who shared how they seek to integrate their faith and their work. These visiting CEOs and senior executives talked about real business issues they encounter – whether particular to their industry sector and company, or more generally as part of life in the marketplace – and how they respond. Ample time was built into the agenda for the MBA students to engage with the executives, during the program and informally.
Speakers included Steve Reinemund, former chairman of the board and former CEO of PepsiCo; Mo Anderson, Vice Chairman of the Board and former CEO, Keller Williams Realty; C. Stephen Lynn, Chairman of the Board, Cummings Incorporated; Jill Pemberton, Director of Finance, Delta Air Lines; Dennis Pemberton, Chairman & CEO, Global Asset Alternatives; Ken Eldred, CEO, Living Stones Foundation; and, Dr. Noel Woodroffe, President, Congress WBN. David Miller, the Executive Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, who is also a former business executive provided thoughtful reflections on the Biblical Value of Work. Each of these business leaders brought a wealth of experience in leading global companies, and finding meaning through their work. For an overview of the conference including the agenda and bios of the speakers, see the 2007 conference page at the Yale SOM website.
