Plenary Sessions

Opening Plenary — The Year Ahead: Navigating Growth in Unsettled Times

Thursday, October 12 - 9-10:30 a.m.

Despite stock markets repeatedly reaching new heights this year and investment income above previous year returns, there is still uncertainty as we navigate into 2018. Balancing political and economic realities, what will the effects be on philanthropy? Our speakers will share current and emerging domestic and global economic and financial trends followed by a panel discussion with foundation leaders sharing their strategies from the past year and how they plan to respond in the year ahead.

Speakers: Stephanie Bell-Rose, Managing Director and Head at TIAA Institute; Robert Doll, Chief Equity Strategist at Nuveen Asset Management;  William Ginsberg, President & CEO, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven;  Sree Ramaswamy, Partner at McKinsey Global Institute; and  Vikki Spruill, President and CEO, Council on Foundations

Closing Plenary — The Wisdom of Finance: Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return

Friday, October 13 - 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. 

The finance industry is widely thought of as being morally suspect. Even those who work in finance tend to compartmentalize between their personal lives and how they get ahead professionally. Mihir Desai argues that not only is this preconception completely false but it's detrimental to those who work in finance as well as the industry itself.

In his recent publication, Wisdom in Finance, Desai deftly sets out his unexpected thesis: there is actually a deep connection between finance and morality. At its root, these two worlds are both animated by the same question: How do we pursue and create value? Using a variety of case studies, Desai shows how finance professionals can find a way to see their work as uplifting rather than dispiriting. In this featured closing session, Desai will discuss his game-changing philosophy and share why those just entering the field and those already enmeshed in the profession must completely rethink their work in a way that will change their personal and professional lives for the better.

Speaker: Mihir Desai, Professor at both Harvard Business and Harvard Law School, and author of The Wisdom of Finance

Introduction: Kenneth Jones, II, Vice President and CFO at the Annie E. Casey Foundation