Fall 2023 Private CEO Conference

Talent and job readiness skills are on the minds of most CEOs these days, and the Satell Institute’s Spring 2023 Private CEO Conference will shine a light directly on these crucial issues.

Entitled “Changing Lives Now: Corporate Social Responsibility’s Impact on Education and Workforce Readiness,” the conference — open to Satell Institute members and invited guests — will dive deep into the role that corporations, foundations and nonprofits play in ensuring that America provides an effective, equitable education to all students and prepares skilled workers for the future.

The event — one of two widely attended and much buzzed-about CEO conferences the Satell Institute hosts each year — will take place on May 16th at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The conference, sponsored by Philanthropi, will also be livestreamed to those who wish to attend virtually (including members of SI’s Pittsburgh and Central Pennsylvania chapters).

Offering the bipartisan keynote address will be Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who’s widely respected on both sides of the aisle for his commitment to education. Bush is currently the Chairman of ExcelinEd, an organization that advocates for student-centered policies to increase learning, eliminate inequities, and ready graduates for college and career.

Also offering rapid-fire remarks at the conference will be two Satell Institute members: Susanne Svizeny, Executive Vice President and MidAtlantic Regional President of OceanFirst Bank, and Malik Brown, President and CEO of Graduate Philadelphia.

In addition to a keynote address by former IBM CEO and executive chair Ginni Rometty about the vital roles free enterprise and Corporate Social Responsibility play in building better companies and communities, the event will feature rapid-fire presentations from Satell CEO members about their experiences with CSR and how it benefits their companies, employees and community.

The speakers for the event, which is open to Satell Institute members and invited guests only, include:

Joe Dougherty, CEO, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

Dougherty, who became CEO of Buchanan Ingersoll in 2016 and has played a critical role in the law firm’s growth, credits the Satell Institute for inspiration and helping him focus his attention on the firm’s CSR. He has been the Institute’s champion in helping to launch the Satell Institute’s new chapter in Pittsburgh.

Leslie Walker, Executive Director, Sixers Youth Foundation

Since joining the Sixers Youth Foundation in 2021, Walker has been developing, expanding and executing fully integrated programming designed to provide significant engagement within the Philadelphia and Camden communities through sports and entertainment. She’ll share behind-the-scenes stories on the important work of corporate foundations.

Matt Aaron, President and CEO, Special Olympics Pennsylvania

Over the last 13 years, Aaron has turned around this statewide nonprofit and fostered a strategic vision to expand the organization. SOPA has dramatically improved service deliveryand impact for its core constituencies, and Aaron has more than tripled annual revenues while positioning SOPA as an innovator and thought leader among peer organizations. He’ll talk about the vital role corporations play in supporting nonprofits.

Peter Frumkin, Ph.D., Satell Institute Research Director

Frumkin is the Mindy and Andrew Heyer Chair in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and leads the Center for Social Impact Strategy. A noted CSR expert, he’ll present exciting and intriguing new research  about consumer attitudes toward Corporate Social Responsibility.

In addition to the brief, insightful presentations (with audience Q&A), the conference will also feature SI’s hallmark, peer idea-sharing tables. These confidential, moderated tables give CEO members the opportunity to discuss CSR with their fellow business leaders.

The event, which is being chaired by David DeStefano, CEO of Vertex, is the 10^th private CEO conference the Satell Institute has hosted. The conference begins at 8 a.m. with a networking breakfast and ends at 11:30 a.m.

Those will be the driving questions and valuable idea exchange at the Satell Institute’s Spring 2022 Private CEO Conference, on May 12th at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Entitled IMPACT 2022: A New Era in Corporate Social Responsibility, the invitation-only conference will feature a morning of CEO presentations and idea exchange about the growing importance – and changing nature – of CSR as we move forward in a transformative world where CSR really counts for business and all who live and/or work in the community.

Rodger Levenson, Chairman, President and CEO of WSFS, serves as chair of the event, which is private for Satell Institute members and invited guests. David DeStefano, CEO of Vertex, serves as vice chair. A livestream of the conference will be available for members unable to attend in person.

The theme for the conference was suggested by the Satell Institute’s growing membership base, which now exceeds 300 members and affiliates. The twice-yearly private CEO conferences are the Satell Institute’s signature events, drawing a wide array of dynamic business leaders from Philadelphia, South Jersey and central Pennsylvania for discussion, strategizing, collaboration, and idea exchange.

In addition to a roster of speakers still to be announced, the spring conference will feature two new innovations:

• At the request of members, the breakfast that kicks off the event will be expanded to one hour and 15 minutes to allow for more informal networking among attendees.
• The roundtable peer idea exchange conversations that have long been the hallmark of the CEO Conference will now include several “affinity tables” dedicated to specific nonprofit impact areas, such as healthcare, workforce development, and improving educational outcomes. Attendees with a particular interest in one subject area can sign up to be placed at one of the affinity tables. The conference will also continue to feature general idea exchange groups.

The networking breakfast begins at 7:45 a.m., with presentations and peer-group sharing running from 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

• Catherine M. Cahill, President & CEO, Mann Center for the Performing Arts (2021 Summit Co-Chair)
• Loree Jones, CEO, Philabundance
• Keith Leaphart, MD, Chairman, Lenfest Foundation & CEO, Philanthropi (2021 Summit Co-Chair)
• Evan Linhardt, VP, Private Wealth Management, Bernstein Private Wealth Management