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

9:30 to 10:15 a.m. | Keynote Speaker

Karthik Krishnan, Venture Chair, Global CEO, NYU- Stern Professor & NACD Certified Board Director | Bio

John Levinson, Founder, President of Westway Capital | Bio

10:15 to 10:30 a.m. | Break

10:30 to 11 a.m | Trust and Growing Ethical Expectations

Tolonda Tolbert, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Chief Strategy & Culture Officer, Eskalera | Bio

Andy Moss, Board Member, Executive, Educator, Mentor/Advisor | 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

12 to 1:30 p.m. | Lunch

Dror Yaron, Innovation Ethics Coach | 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

3:30 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.