Past Speakers

The Albers School of Business and Economics Executive Speaker Series is sponsored by the Dean’s Office. These events are open to the public and do not require an RSVP.

Speakers 2010 - 2011:

Kurt DelBene 
President, Microsoft Office Division
Transforming the Microsoft Office Business for the Cloud
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Podcast  

Kimberly Harris
President & CEO, Puget Sound Energy
Delivering Our Energy Future
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Podcast 

Craig Jelinek 
President and COO, Costco Wholesale
Costco Global Expansion 
Tuesday, March 1,  2011
Podcast 

Jim Albaugh
Executive VP, The Boeing Co.
President & CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
There Are No Shortcuts: Reflections on Leadership, Ethics, and Innovation
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Podcast 

Andrew Doman
CEO, Russell Investments
The Changing Needs of the Global Financial Services Industry
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Podcast 

Speakers 2009 - 2010:

Jeff Raikes
CEO, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
"The Business of Doing Good"
Monday, May 24, 2010
Podcast 

Robert Cremin
Chairman, Esterline Technologies
"Designing a strategy for the turbulent aerospace market"
Monday, May 10, 2010
Podcast 

Deanna Oppenheimer
CEO, UK Retail Banking, Barclays Bank
"Retail Banking: The Way Forward.”
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Podcast not available.

Tom Lewis 
CEO, The Green Exchange Venture
“Environmental Finance and the Development of Cap and Trade”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Podcast 

Tay Yoshitani
CEO, The Port of Seattle
"The Port of Seattle: Where a Sustainable World is Headed."
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Podcast 

Bill Ayer
Chairman & CEO, Alaska Airlines
“Staying Aloft in an Industry Storm.”
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Podcast 

Co-operative Panel
Sally Jewell, President & CEO of REI
Gary Oakland, President & CEO of BECU
Scott Armstrong, President & CEO of Group Health
"Cooperatives: A Better Path to Socially Responsible Business?"
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Podcast 

Dick Kovacevich
Chairman, Wells Fargo Bank
"A Conversation With Dick Kovacevich - How Wells Fargo Stayed the Course"
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Podcast 

Speakers 2008-2009:

Dan Fulton
President & CEO, Weyerhaeuser
"Managing Today to Grow Tomorrow"
Monday, May 11, 2009
Podcast 

Colleen Brown
President & CEO, Fisher Communications
"The Future of Media"
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Podcast 

Tom Falk
CEO & Chairman of the Board, Kimberly-Clark
"Operating a Global Company in a Global Recession"
Monday, February 9, 2009

Jerry Grinstein
Former CEO, Delta Air Lines
"Restructuring 101"
Thursday, January 29, 2009

Kemper Freeman Chairman/CEO of Kemper Development Co.
"The Entrepreneur-Driven Economy"
November 6th, 2008

Peter Rose CEO, Expeditors International
"Making 5.2 billion out of 300,000"
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Speakers 2007-2008:

Kevin Turner
COO, Microsoft Corporation
"Being a Leader: Experiences In Leadership"
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Steve Reynolds
Chairman/CEO, Puget Sound Energy
"Cleaner, Greener, Smarter"
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Jeff Brotman
Chairman, Costco Wholesale
Wednesday, February 27, 2008

James C. Alling
President, Starbucks International
Thursday, January 24, 2008

Scott Carson
President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Monday, November 5, 2007

Carol Nelson, President and CEO of Cascade Bank;
Melanie Dressel, President and CEO of Columbia Bank;
Deborah Horvath, Chief Information Officer of Washington Mutual
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Speakers 2006-2007:

Blake Nordstrom
President, Nordstrom Inc.
Monday, May 7, 2007

Bill George
Former CEO, Medtronic; author of True North, and Authentic Leadership
Monday, April 30, 2007

Paula Reynolds
President and CEO, Safeco
Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Mark Olson
Chairman, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
"Auditing in a post-Sarbanes-Oxley World"

Robbie Bach
President, Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft
Monday, January 22, 2007
"Connected Entertainment"

Family Business Panel Discussion
Tomio Moriguchi, Chairman, Uwajimaya
Carolyn Kelly, President and Chief Operating Officer, Seattle Times
Bruce Williams, President and CEO, HomeStreet Bank
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Steve Rotella
President and COO, Washington Mutual
Thursday, November 2, 2006
"Leading Through Change"

Speakers 2005-2006:

Gary Brinson
SU Alum, 1966
Acclaimed expert on global investing
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
"Opinions and Reflections on Investment Management"

Jim Whittaker
Monday, May 8, 2006
"If You Aren't Living On the Edge, You're Taking Up Too Much Space."

Leo Hindery
President and CEO, Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
"Leadership: Don't Forget Your Stakeholders."

Mohamed Ali Alabbar
Monday, April 10, 2006
"Economic Success in Dubai: What's next for the Middle East and the US?"

Phyllis J. Campbell, Alaska Air, Nordstrom, and Puget Energy
Mary E. Pugh, Washington Mutual
Sally G. Narodick, Puget Energy, Cray, Solutia, Penford Corporation, and SumTotal Systems
Thursday, February 16, 2006
"Boardroom Ethics & Culture: What Have We Learned?" a panel discussion.

Jim Voelker, Infospace
Jim Weber, Brooks Sports
Tracy Cumming, Lang Manufacturing
Monday, January 23, 2006
"Leading a Business Turnaround" a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Greg Magnan.

Rick Holley
President and CEO, Plum Creek
Monday, November 7, 2005

Mark W. Olson
Member, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Thursday, October 13, 2005

Speakers 2004-2005:

Bill Ayer
CEO, Alaska Airlines
May 24, 2005

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft
Mark Pigott, PACCAR
Jim Sinegal, Costco
April 5, 2005
"Celebrating Leadership: Impact and Legacy," a panel discussion moderated by Marilyn Gist to inaugurate the newly remodeled Pigott auditorium.

Sally Jewell
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, REI Corporation
February 15, 2005

W. G. "Gary" Reed, Jr.
Simpson Investments
January 20, 2005

Jeff Raikes
Group Vice President, Information Worker Business, Microsoft
November 16, 2004

Mike McGavick
Chairman and CEO, Safeco Corporation
October 13, 2004

Speakers 2003-2004:

Frank Shrontz, former CEO, The Boeing Company
Chuck Pigott, former CEO, PACCAR
Jack Creighton, former CEO, Weyerhaeuser and United Airlines
May 27, 2004
These three distinguished business leaders from the Puget Sound area spoke on a panel discussion on business ethics, "Building Ethical Organizations," moderated by John Dienhart.

Denise Morrison
President of Global Sales and Chief Customer Officer, Campbell Soup Company
May 4, 2004

Howard Schultz
Chairman, Starbucks
February 26, 2004

Alan R. Mulally
Executive Vice President, The Boeing Company
President and Chief Executive Officer, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
February 11, 2004

Michael J. Phillips
CEO, Russell Investment Group
November 18, 2003

Gary Brinson
SU Alum, 1966
Acclaimed expert on global investing
October 13, 2003

Speakers 2002-2003:

Kerry Killinger
CEO, Washington Mutual
May 29, 2003

Charles Munger
Vice Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway
April 7, 2003

John Conners
CFO, Microsoft
March 3, 2003

Thomas J. Falk
CEO, Kimberly-Clark
February 3, 2003

Peter Rose
CEO, Expeditors
October 29, 2002

Fran Conley
CEO, Cutter and Buck
October 29, 2002

Jim Sinegal
CEO, Costco
October 29, 2002

Leo Hindery, Jr.
President and CEO, Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network
April 22, 2002

John K. Wulff
FASB Board of Directors
Former CFO, Union Carbide