
Meaningful Work and Building an Ethical Future Forum
From business scandals, political divisiveness, and unintended consequences of new technologies, the importance of ethics as an essential part of business and society has become overwhelmingly apparent. Consumers, investors, and employees want to support companies and organizations they view as ethically responsible.
Employees have internalized this goal by turning to their careers to contribute something meaningful and beneficial. We have seen the development of many frameworks for “building a better tomorrow,” all illuminating the general sentiment that people are eager to address our current and future challenges.
Many seek meaningful work and opportunities to build an ethical future, but what exactly does that look like, and how does that get built? Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business and the non-profit Ethics in Entrepreneurship presented a one-day forum exploring these questions with a diverse range of speakers from industry, academia, and the public sector.
The forum was coupled with a career fair exclusive for Carnegie Mellon students to work for companies invested in meaningful work and ethically responsible cultures.
Forum Schedule
9 to 9:30 a.m. | Introductions
Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, Ph.D., Dean and Richard P. Simmons Professor of Finance, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business | Bio
Taya Cohen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Business Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business | Bio
Erika Cheung, Executive Director of Ethics in Entrepreneurship & Theranos Whistleblower | Bio
Derek Leben, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor of Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business | Bio
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. | From Theranos to WorldCom: Corporate Misconduct Over Time
Additional excerpts from the Corporate Misconduct panel can be watched on YouTube.
Brandy Aven, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Organizational Theory, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business | Bio
Erika Cheung, Executive Director of Ethics in Entrepreneurship & Theranos Whistleblower | Bio
Cynthia Cooper, Keynote Speaker, Board Member, Author, Advisor, CEO (CooperGroup) | Bio
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. | Honesty in Innovation
Taya Cohen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Business Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business; Past-President, International Association for Conflict Management | Bio
Daren Firestone, Partner at Levy Firestone Muse | Bio
Sophia Yen, MD, MPH, CEO & Co-Founder, Pandia Health | Bio
2:30 to 3:15 p.m. | Technology: Hopes, Fears, and Unintended Consequences
Derek Leben, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor of Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business | Bio
Michael Barber, Director of Data Science R&D, Highmark Health. | Bio
Rayid Ghani, Distinguished Career Professor, Machine Learning Department, School of Computer Science and the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University | Bio
3:15 to 3:30 p.m. | Break
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. | Aligning Values to Career Choice
Alison Smith, Managing Director, Bernstein Private Wealth Management | Bio
Eryn Correa, Founder & Managing Partner of Correa Legal | Bio
Tae Wan Kim, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Business Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business | Bio
Sophanite Gedion, Senior Director of Programs, Govern for America | Bio
4:30 to 6 p.m. | Networking Session
About the Forum
The question remains: What is the ethical future that stakeholders seek, and how do we move towards it?
Considering that all social change begins with a conversation, the one-day forum brings together representatives from industry and academics to start the practical conversation on what organizations are doing and can be doing to demonstrate their commitment to ethical practices and provide employees with a sense of meaning in their work.
The forum includes a series of talks, discussion groups, and networking to examine the best practical ways to move forward. We will explore questions like:
- What are current ways of thinking about ethics in business, innovation, and technology?
- How can companies demonstrate a sincere commitment to ethical responsibility to their employees?
- How do we prevent disenchantment and mobilize individuals to build fulfilling careers?
It is sometimes risky for companies to talk about difficult ethical choices, but it is even riskier to stay silent about them. The forum is a respectful and welcoming environment; progress comes from engaging with people with different views with a growth mindset, and the forum's purpose is progress.
Event Organizers
Taya Cohen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Business Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

Derek Leben, Ph.D.
Associate Teaching Professor of Ethics, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

Erika Cheung
Executive Director, Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Theranos Whistleblower
Event Sponsors

