Institute for Leadership and Service Announces Spring 2018 Speaker Series

Valparaiso University’s Institute for Leadership and Service announces its spring 2018 Pathways to Purpose speaker series, featuring speakers and topics that generate momentum for engagement, learning and change.

The speaker series welcomes exemplary practitioners of leadership and service and alumni who respond to the deepest challenges of our time and help to expand student imagination about pursuing purposeful work.

All events will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Helge Center unless otherwise noted.

Speakers include:

Cristal Clark Brisco ’02: “The Logistics of Change: Providing a Legal Framework for Meaningful Action,” Jan. 24. As corporation counsel for the city of South Bend, Cristal Clark Brisco ’02 laid the legal groundwork for strategic initiatives that helped revitalize the city. During the summer she was also named college counsel at Saint Mary’s College.

Sandra Alboum: “Found in Translation: Using Language to Lead and Serve,” Feb. 7. As CEO of Alboum Translation Services, Sandra Alboum created a business that utilizes her unique skill-set, languages and business sense, and her passions, public health and education, in a meaningful way. Through her work, she exclusively supports nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.

Evva Kraikul: “Digital Games and Emerging Voices: Coding as Creative Practice,” Feb. 21. Working at the frontier of the digital age, Evva Kraikul, executive director of GLITCH, promotes the exploration of digital games as a culture, career and creative practice and the development of voices not often heard in the digital mainstream.

Steven Lehmann ’09: “Invest in Innovation: Funding Ideas for Lasting Impact,” April 25. Steven Lehmann ’09 is the assistant director at the University of Chicago Innovation Fund, a multi-million-dollar fund that invests in promising start-ups. The fund helps researchers turn their innovations into ventures that advance cutting-edge technologies, generate significant financial returns and create lasting impact for humankind.

Kat Chow: “Telling Complicated Stories: A Conversation with NPR’s Kat Chow,” May 2, 5 p.m., Duesenberg Recital Hall. Kat Chow is the founding member of NPR’s Code Switch, an award-winning podcast that covers complicated stories around race, ethnicity and culture.

All events are free and open to the public.