Bill O’Rourke, an international leadership expert with years of diverse business experience, will discuss leading with integrity during the annual State Farm Ethics Lecture at 11:30 a.m. in Howard L. Hawks Hall, Room 2. The event is free and open to the public and will be simulcast in Hawks Hall, Room 212.
O’Rourke is the executive director of the Beard Institute in the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University, where he teaches graduate students in strategy, leading change and ethics. In 2011, he retired as vice president of Alcoa, the world’s sixth-largest producer of aluminum, after 36 years with the company. He joined Alcoa as a patent attorney and held numerous leadership positions with the company, including president of Alcoa-Russia. Prior to joining Alcoa, he worked as an industrial engineer for U.S. Steel and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.
“As this year’s speaker for the State Farm Ethics Lecture, Bill brings us the perspective of someone who has frequently dealt with ethical challenges in a large international corporation, both in the U.S. and Russia,” said Janet Near, Howard Hawks Chair in Business Ethics and Leadership. “He brings a familiarity of the ethical concerns that students feel about their future careers. These two sets of experiences make him an excellent source of expertise and knowledge for our students.”
Learn more about Nebraska Business’ focus on business ethics.
