Business Leaders Gather at UA for Executive Ethics Forum
The Aug. 20 event will bring together business, government and nonprofit stakeholders to hash out issues involved with strategic mortgage default.

By Liz Warren-Pederson, Eller College of Management
Aug. 16, 2010


A panel of leaders representing stakeholders across sectors will gather at the University of Arizona Aug. 20 to discuss the financial, legal and ethical dimensions of a homeowner's decision to strategically default on his or her mortgage.

UA associate professor Brent T. White – who received broad coverage in the media for arguing that it is not immoral for underwater homeowners to walk away from their mortgages – will be joined by leaders from banking, real estate and community advocacy in a lively conversation.

The inaugural Executive Ethics Symposium is a project of the Ethics Program at the UA's Eller College of Management and is coordinated in conjunction with the UA chapter of Net Impact, an MBA organization focused on changing the world through business. The event is sponsored by Wells Fargo and EthicsPoint.

Panelists will include:

  • Larry Finuf, regional president, southern Arizona, Wells Fargo Bank
  • Rosey Koberlein, CEO, Long Companies
  • John P. Lewis, president and CEO, Southern Arizona Community Bank
  • Jonathan Peck, president and CEO, Tucson Urban League

The panelists will be joined by 75 invited participants including students and representatives from local government, banking, real estate and other industries.

"We've got a nice cross-section of interests," said Paul Melendez, EthicsPoint Distinguished Lecturer in Business Ethics and head of the Eller Ethics Program. "This is a great opportunity for stakeholders to come together and discuss a timely, relevant topic without being on the hook."

Each panelist will present briefly on the topic, then participants will be invited to engage the panel in an open question-and-answer session.
 
The Executive Ethics Symposium is the latest outreach venture by the Eller Ethics Program, which also coordinates the national Eller Ethics Case Competition for University students each October and the High School Ethics Forum for students in Phoenix and Tucson each spring.

The Eller College of Management is internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum, distinguished faculty members, excellence in entrepreneurship and social responsibility.

U.S. News & World Report ranks the Eller undergraduate program No.15 among public business schools, and three of its programs are among the top 25 – entrepreneurship, MIS, and management.

Financial Times ranks the Eller MBA full-time program No.19 in the U.S. and No.41 in the world, and Forbes ranks the program among the top 50 nationwide. The college also leads the nation’s business schools in generating grant funds for research.

In addition to a full-time MBA program, the Eller College offers an evening MBA program, an accelerated MBA program and the Eller Executive MBA. The Eller College of Management supports more than 5,000 undergraduate and 600 graduate students.

Extra info

This event is by invitation only, but it is open to the news media with a reservation.

Share

Resources for the media

Liz Warren-Pederson

Eller College of Management

520-626-9547

news@eller.arizona.edu