Insights for steering the helm in sometimes stormy seas were on the agenda for the College of Business and Technology’s first “Executive Lunch and Learn: Leadership in the Age of Change” speaker series.

The keynote speaker was Joe Purzicki, a former executive at MBNA America, Bank One, and JPMorgan Chase, and former COO at Barclays Bank. He shared experience-based strategies for balancing innovation with operational discipline, building resilient teams, and leading with confidence in a climate of disruption.

More than 60 attendees participated in the virtual event for graduate students and faculty, moderated by Dr. Shawn McCloud. Dr. McCloud, who chairs the Master of Business Administration program, says the series is part of an initiative to provide executive coaching in the graduate curriculum.

“The Executive Lunch and Learn series gives our students the chance to hear directly from leaders who bring decades of real-world experience,” says Dr. McCloud. “It creates a space where working professionals can learn, ask questions, and think about leadership in a very practical way, while adding real value for our graduate students through executive insight and career-focused engagement.”