Published Oct. 19, 2021
The CBSS Symposium “The Human/Machine Connection” begins with the College Brain Bowl
Competition from 4-6 p.m. in The Hangar.
By ULM Office of Marketing and Communications
The University of Louisiana Monroe's premier lecture and seminar series, the CBSS
Symposium is Wednesday-Thursday at ULM. This year's theme is “The Human/Machine Connection,"
with experts in in business, psychology, motivation, technology, strategy and more
presenting during the two-day event.
Most lectures and discussions will be in The Hangar on the second floor of the Student
Union Building (SUB) in rooms A, B, C, and D.
The CBSS Symposium offers subjects of interest to business students and students in
other programs, as well as businesspeople. Among the topics are wealth management,
entrepreneurship marketing, and more.
ULM alumna Gretchen Stangier will be the kickoff keynote speaker at 6 p.m., Wednesday,
Oct. 20, in SUB A. Stangier, CFP®, is CEO & Financial Coach of Stangier Wealth Management
in Portland, OR.
The CBSS Symposium will close at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in Brown Auditorium with
keynote speaker Julia Landauer, two-time NASCAR champion and STEM advocate from New
York City.
The sessions are free and those interested are invited to attend.
CBSS Symposium Schedule
Wednesday, Oct. 20
4-6 p.m., Hangar/SUB ballrooms – College Brain Bowl Competition, Hangar/SUB ballrooms,
coordinator: Janelle McDaniel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology
6-7 p.m., SUB A – Kickoff Keynote – Gretchen Stangier, CFP® - CEO & Financial Coach,
Stangier Wealth Management of Portland, OR, “There is Someone in my Head but It’s
Not Me: Short Circuiting Your Default Future”
Thursday, Oct. 21
8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Session 1, SUB A: “Entrepreneurship and Business Success” with Dhu Thompson, Past CEO Delta Plastics
of the South and Founder of the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup. Thompson is retired
and lives in Little Rock, AR
Session 2, SUB B: “SEC Reporting: The Ongoing Story of Public Companies” with Ashlyn Labat, CPA, Vice
President, Financial Reporting, Sr. Manager Comerica, Inc., of Dallas
Session 3, SUB C: “Monroe/West Monroe is Amazing! How We Get the Message Out” with Shelia Snow, Vice
President for Communications, Discover Monroe/West Monroe in West Monroe
9:30-10:45 a.m.
Session 1, SUB A: “Changes Aren’t Permanent…But Change Is: Things I Don’t Know About Your Future Career”
with Rich Jackson, Principal Systems Engineer, Walmart Stores, Inc., in Bentonville,
AR
Session 2, SUB B: “Learn, Adapt, and Be Brave” with Ryan Boyle, Category Manager, ExxonMobil in Bentonville
Session 3, SUB C: “Technology and Women’s Work/Life Balance” with Candi Hill, Ph.D., of Hill Psychological
Associates in Monroe.
Session 4, SUB D: “Aviation in the 21st Century” with E. Parker Davis, Designated Pilot Examiner, Baton
Rouge Flight Standards District Office in Shreveport
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Session 1, SUB A: “PTPs and SPACs: Private Equity Accessing Public Markets” with Jonathan Davies, Executive
Vice President, Golden Gate Capital in San Francisco, CA
Session 2, SUB B: “Data and Advanced Analytics: Solving Business Problems with AI” with Alex Deshowitz,
Data Science Project Lead, QuantumBlack|McKinsey & Co., in Dallas
Session 3, SUB C: “This is America: The Only Thing That Can Stop You is Yourself” Sharon Turrentine,
Singer and Philanthropist, I Got the Music in Me, from Hot Springs, AR
Session 4, SUB D: “Monroe: Crossing Lines through Coalitions” with Jasmine McConnell, J.D., Former
Assistant District Attorney, Monroe
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Lunch Provided by Louisiana National Bank, SUB Overhang
1-1:45 p.m., SUB A: “Managing Personal Financial Decisions for Success,” Beta Alpha Psi
2-3:15 p.m., SUB A: “Improving Campus Climate at Higher Education Institutions” with Toni Thibeaux, Assistant
Vice Chancellor for Diversity Affairs, LSU Health Shreveport
4-5 p.m., Library Conference Center: Keynote Speaker Meet & Greet, for freshman CBSS majors and invited guests
6-7 p.m., Brown Auditorium: Keynote Presentation by Julia Landauer, two-time NASCAR Champion and STEM Education
Advocate from New York City, “Drive: How To Gain And Maintain a Competitive Advantage”
