Events
Opus Distinguished Speakers Program
In December 1997, Opus Corporation funded an endowment at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business to develop an international speakers program. Today, the Opus Distinguished Speakers Program brings nationally recognized leaders of business, government and academia to campus for periods of up to five days. Those leaders invited to serve as Opus Speakers are chosen for their outstanding accomplishments, public service and character.
The purpose of the program is to expose students and faculty to the latest ideas and forces that are shaping American and international business. Leaders and executives, who face these issues daily, provide significant educational enrichment that complements the in-class curriculum. In addition, the program enhances the reputation of the business school by affording the greater community access to the visiting scholar.
2010 Speaker: Elaine Chao, Former U.S. Secretary of Labor
Elaine Chao was the first Pacific Asian American woman and the first Chinese American to be appointed to a president's cabinet. She will deliver a speech on "America's Competitiveness in a Global Environment on October 21, 2010. Learn more about this special event.
Past Opus Distinguished Speakers
David Brooks, author, commentator, and op-ed columnist, spoke on "The Age of Obama" (May 2009).
William Browning, founder of Terrapin Bright Green LLC, and a leading practitioner and spokesperson for sustainable building design and real estate development (April 2008). Watch the archived presentation>>
Mary Ann Glendon J.D., L.L.M., Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University Law School (October 2006)
Scott McNealy, Founder and Chairman, Sun Microsystems (May 2006)
Bill Gates, Founder and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation (October 2005)
Richard Schulze, Founder and Chairman of Best Buy Co. Inc. (October 2005)
Aaron Brown, anchor of CNN's NewsNight program (October 2004)
Leon Panetta, former White House Chief of Staff, under President Clinton (May 2004)
Charles Handy, London-based management scholar, best-selling business author, social philosopher and radio commentator (October 2003)
Jeffrey Taylor, founder and chairman of Monster (May 2003)
Gerald Levin, retired CEO of AOL Time Warner (October 2002)
Kenichi Ohmae, Tokyo-based corporate strategist and author of, "The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives for the New Economy" (March 2002)
William Lash III, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance. (October 2001)
Frances Hesselbein, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, and former CEO of the Girl Scouts of America (May 2001)
Richard "Skip" LeFauve, retired chairman and CEO of General Motor's Saturn Corporation (October 2000)
Thomas Friedman, foreign correspondent for the New York Times and author of "From Beirut to Jerusalem " and "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" (May 2000)
James Kouzes, chairman emeritus of the Tom Peters Group, and author of the widely read "The Leadership Challenge" and "Caring Leadership" (October 1999)
The Rte. Honorable Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada, and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party (May 1999)
