Business Professionalism
Speaker Series | Sponsored by Ron & Sandy Cohen
Fall 2017
The Business Professionalism Speaker Series is a professional enrichment program offered by the Marshall University Lewis College of Business.
The series allows students to make the connection between classroom teachings and real-world business applications through meeting experienced and successful business people.
The theme of this semester’s business professionalism series is: “Invest in Your Tomorrow: Think like a Business-of-One”. In other words, our goal is to assist students with learning important concepts that will empower them to be responsible for creating their own career path and future.
Students who complete the program will receive a formal printed certificate, an engraved padfolio, and an official LCOB lapel pin.
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
- Attend five events of the Business Professional Speaker Series.
- Have an approved resume on JobTrax with Career Services.
- Attend either the Career Fair or Etiquette Dinner— Ticket must be purchased at Career Services). These events are both sponsored by Career Services and will take place in the Memorial Student Center. Please check www.marshall.edu/career-services for dates and times.
- Develop a LinkedIn profile and join the Lewis College of Business at Marshall University LinkedIn page.
SPEAKER SERIES SCHEDULE
Kickoff Reception & Diana Sole Walko
Join us to get more information about the speaker series and how to obtain the certificate. Light refreshments will be provided.
As president and owner of MotionMasters, Diana is hands-on in every aspect of her company’s business. She has led film crews into remote villages in Africa—five times. She is a Lewis College of Business Alumna with an MBA.
Bill Bissett, EdD
Dr. Bill Bisset has been the president and chief executive officer of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce since September 2016. Prior to his current position, Dr. Bissett was the Kentucky Coal Association president and chief of staff and senior vice president for communications at Marshall University. A native of West Virginia, Bissett received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Marshall University, in addition to receiving his commission in the U.S. Army.
Commander Tim Clark, USS West Virginia
Friday, Oct. 13th, 1-2 p.m., Corbly Hall, Room 106
Kerri O’Rourke-Robinson
Kerri O’Rourke-Robinson is the vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Her responsibilities include Supervision, Regulation, and Credit department with oversight responsibility for supervisory programs for large banking organizations. O'Rourke-Robinson has also held a number of positions in banking supervision, including as the central point of contact for BB&T. Additionally, she worked for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She is a proud alumna of the College and with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Dr. Bill Dingus, Executive Director Greater Lawrence County Area Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, October 24th, 3-4 p.m., MSC, Shawkey Dining Room
Dr. Bill Dingus serves as Executive Director for the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation. In this position, one of his primary missions is to expand job creation and commerce in Lawrence county. One of his largest projects has been continually expanding and maintaining “The Point”: an industrial park in South Point, Ohio that has become a home for a variety of businesses and organizations. Before working in Lawrence’s Economic Development Corporation, he served as Dean of Ohio University’s Southern campus for more than 20 years, building and strengthening the focus of higher education at OU Southern. Beyond his work in the county, his regional development initiatives include serving on the Ohio Governor’s Transportation Review Advisory Council, which is in charge of allocating highway funding, and serving on the Tristate Airport Authority Board. Dr. Dingus is an alumnus of Marshall where he received his MBA degree.
Ross Dionne, CPA from Charleston and Vicki Dunn-Marshall, an entrepreneur
Thursday, Oct. 26th at 3 p.m. in the Drinko Library, Room 402
Ross Dionne started his career when he was given a great opportunity from his accounting professor at Marshall. He was asked to fly with a group to Albuquerque NM; he met with Bill Gates and his seven other employees. He starting selling Apple computers in his early 20’s. A 1978 accounting graduate and former owner of Economic Value Associates accounting firm. He served on the advisory board for the COB for three terms.
Vicki is the CEO of VDM Management where she is the franchise owner of Little Caesars Pizza restaurants, Real Estate Management and Development, Sock Manufacturing, Retail Management and American Saddlebred Horse breeding. Since the age of 16, Vicki Dunn Marshall has been involved in the Little Caesars business. She began as a crew member and then moved into various positions in the corporate office, where she got the entrepreneurial bug. At the age of 22, she opened her first Little Caesars restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky. Her empire expands WV, KY and OH. Vicki has two daughters, Kendall and Carissa Marshall, both of Barboursville.
Bob Bentz, President of mobile-first digital agency Purplegator and interactive service provider Advanced Telecom Services
Friday, November 10th, 3-4 p.m. in Room 106 Corbly Hall
Bob Bentz is the author of Relevance Raises Response: How to Engage and Acquire with Mobile Marketing (Skill Bites Publishing, 2016). He is the president of mobile-first digital agency Purplegator and interactive service provider Advanced Telecom Services. Advanced Telecom Services, with offices in Philadelphia, London, Prague, and Taipei, grew from a start-up, with no outside financing, to $62.2 million in annual sales.
Bentz is an adjunct at the University of Denver where he teaches the graduate level course in Mobile Marketing in the Communication Department. Bob is a 1983 graduate of Marshall University where he received his Master's of Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. His passions are dog rescue and baseball.
His book is available at RelevanceRaisesResponse.com, Amazon, and other fine online book retailers. It is also available at the Marshall University Bookstore.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
Financial Literacy
BB&T Representatives will cover budgeting, net worth, debt consolidation, homeownership and other important financial topics.
Resume Writing for the Business Major
Thursday, Nov. 2nd, 3-4 p.m. in Drinko Library, Room 402
Presenter: Glen Midkiff
Business Communications Etiquette
Thursday, Nov. 9th, 3-4 p.m. in Drinko Library, Room 402
Presenter: Dr. Deanna Mader, Associate Dean & Marketing Professor
Contact Information
Center for Stakeholder Engagement
Lewis College of Business
Glen Midkiff, DirectorDeans' Suite, Room 107 Corbly Hall
Email: midkiff2@marshall.edu
Website: www.marshall.edu/cob
Location: Corbly Hall, College Avenue, Huntington, WV, United States
Phone: (304) 696-3431
Facebook: facebook.com/MarshallCOB
Twitter: @herdbusiness