The Sanders Speaker Series brings high-profile speakers of national and international renown to IU Southeast for dynamic lectures and discussions.
The speaker series was made possible through the vision and generosity of IU Southeast School of Business alumnae Judge Carlton and Sue Sanders. The couple’s goal for the series is to bring world-class speakers and experts to the IU Southeast campus to present vital issues to our community.
Considered one of the most progressive and talented baseball executives in the game today.
Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s General Manager and subject of Moneyball has molded the Oakland Athletics into a perennial postseason contender since assuming the general manager’s duties after the 1997 season.
Beane and Assistant GM Paul DePodesta forever changed the game by questioning the old-school philosophy in Major League Baseball that in order to win you had to field teams of superstars with huge payrolls. With a strategic approach that involved using statistics and probability undervalued players were identified to create a team that went from one of the worst to one that won five American League West Division Titles. Beane continues to show his strategic acumen and was recognized in November of 2012 by the Sporting News as Major League’s executive of the year. The award recognized his efforts with taking a constantly shuffling list of players to create a team that won their division following a 74-88 season in 2012.
As a speaker, Beane is known for conveying his innovative, winning style of management and leadership, which involves identifying undervalued assets to create and sustain a competitive advantage. His “Moneyball Philosophy” has allowed the Oakland A’s to have 94 wins for the 2012 season. This feat was accomplished with a payroll of approximately one quarter that of the NY Yankees who only had one more win than the A’s.
One half of frozen dessert’s most famous duo, Jerry Greenfield, of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream was the keynote speaker for the Sanders Speaker Series in 2012. In addition to being entrepreneurs, Jerry and business partner Ben Cohen have been recognized for their commitment to social and environmental causes. Along with Cohen, Greenfield has received the James Beard Humanitarian of the Year award and the Peace Museum’s Community Peacemakers of the Year award. Oh, and let’s not forget the outstanding Ice Cream. Jerry brought free samples for all attendees of the event (nearly 500 students, faculty, and members of the community).
See video highlights from the 2012 presentation by Jerry Greenfield
The second speaker in the series was Dr. Arthur Laffer, world-renowned economist and the founder and chairman of Laffer Associates and Laffer Investments. He was deemed the “father of supply side economics” for his work contributing to a world-wide tax-cutting movement in the 1980’s.
Laffer now sits on the board of several public and private companies. He was a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy board and also advised British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on fiscal policy in the United Kingdom in the 1980s.
Upon the announcement of his selection as keynote speaker Dr. Laffer commented, “I’m honored to be invited to participate in the Sanders Speaker Series,” and “Given the state of the economic and political outlook, the series is extremely timely and I’m thrilled to be able to provide some insight into national and international financial affairs.”
The inaugural Sanders Speaker Series took place March 30, 2010, and featured Dana Parino and Donna Brazile discussing current political and economic events in a debate format.
Ms. Brazile is a veteran democratic political strategist as well as author, syndicated columnist, television commentator, Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee, and former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. Ms. Brazile worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she served as campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore. This distinction made her the first African American woman to manage a presidential campaign.
Ms. Parino, the former White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush, served as only the second female press secretary in U.S. history and was one of the most widely respected members of the President’s senior staff. She is an expert in crafting and communicating key messages under stressful conditions.
The pair, political opposites, provided a lively discussion and took questions from the audience.
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