Keynotes

Gardner Campbell
“From Memex to YouTube: How Information and Communication Technologies are Transforming 21st-Century Higher Education”

Sponsored by: TIAA-CREF

How can Web 2.0 and beyond help colleges and universities not only preserve the past but transform the future? Gardner Campbell, director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning at Baylor University, will explore the meaning and effects of Web 2.0 in higher education, and suggest ways that new technologies could increase both prestige and academic excellence in a diverse and expanding group of colleges and universities worldwide.

Before joining Baylor University, Gardner Campbell was a professor of English at the University of Mary Washington, where from 2003-06 he also served as assistant vice president for teaching and learning technologies. He has been involved in the teaching and learning technologies field for nearly 20 years, including work at the University of San Diego and the University of Richmond. Gardner is a fellow of the Frye Leadership Institute and has served on program committees for EDUCAUSE and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. He also is a life member of the Milton Society of America, a former secretary of the Literature/Film Association and a contributing editor for Literature/Film Quarterly.

Margaret Morford
“Creative Business Thinking for Success — When Pigs Fly”

The ability to innovate is essential to all organizations that want to compete successfully in today’s business environment. This session will shift your mindset and teach you to think in ways you never thought possible. Practical exercises show how to discard the rules, make imaginative leaps never before possible and analyze problems from radically different points of view.

Margaret Morford is president for The HR Edge, Inc., an international management consulting and training company. Prior to owning her own company, Morford was senior vice president of human resources consulting for a national consulting firm out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a juris doctorate from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. She has worked as an attorney, specializing in employment law, and has been vice president of human resources for three large companies.

Nick and Carolyn Ryberg
“A Cautionary Tale — Lessons Learned and Business Ethics”

This program is based on the professional and life experiences of the Rybergs with a focus on where things went wrong, the experience of facing federal prosecution and incarceration, renewal, redemption and key lessons learned. This is an inspirational and emotional tale, providing a first-hand view of the consequences and impact of ethical missteps and illegal behavior. The presentation provides a warning about crossing the line of unethical behavior, the likely consequences of doing so, and key lessons learned from two individuals with real-life experience. Carolyn and Nick Ryberg founded Ethos-One Consulting in 2008 (www.ethos-one.com), a consulting and training firm focused on business ethics.

Nick and Carolyn Ryberg met and married in 1988 and began a family and a professional career that took them back and forth across the country with a variety of large private-sector companies. By most standards, they were hugely successful. Although their lives were filled with many opportunities, there was a growing element of excess and arrogance. Appearances and materialism soon became the center of their existence. The Rybergs eventually decided to embark on a business relationship that started as a conflict of interest and soon grew into an illegal structure of financial transactions between Nick’s employer and Carolyn’s search company. In 2003, Nick left his private-sector employment and the Rybergs opened and began operating a franchised professional recruiting firm. Within the year, the Rybergs were sued in Federal Civil Court by Nick’s former employer for approximately $1 million. Following the resolution of an extended civil suit, their case was subsequently referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Rybergs made the decision to accept responsibility for their wrongdoings and subsequently entered into a plea agreement including criminal charges for three counts of mail fraud. They were both sentenced to federal prison and required to serve their sentences concurrently. The legal process was exacting, and in its wake the Rybergs were left with only several boxes of personal belongings while their young children were sent to live with family and friends.

Since their prison experience, both Nick and Carolyn have begun a journey of renewal and service to the community. They tell their audiences that “prison was the greatest blessing of our lives.” Following their release, the Rybergs reunited and began providing public speaking and awareness programs to a variety of organizations. The formation of Ethos-One is the next phase of dedicating full-time resources to their mission. The company is focusing its attention on a national audience and continues to build relationships across the corporate, educational, legal and faith communities.