Skandalaris Center

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Innovation Conversations

Innovation Conversations are events intended to help expose students to a variety of creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs. These interactive discussions showcase a new topic or industry every time.

Future Innovation Conversations to be announced. 

Past Innovation Conversations

  • National Veterans Small Business Week: translating unique skills to startups and transitioning from military culture to business culture with Jennifer Goetz, Veteran Student Services Advisor at WashU and career Air Force Reservist; Kellie McCoy, Founder of the Candra Group, Co-Founder of Upkeep Partners, and the founding City Leader of Bunker Labs STL; and Jim Phelps, Vice President for Operations at UNCOMN
  • The Pros and Cons of Continuing Postgraduate Life in St. Louis with Paul Bender, CEO of Greater than Games
  • Corporate Innovations with Deborah Barta, Senior Vice President of Innovation & Startup Engagement for Mastercard Labs, and Val Toothman, Executive Vice President of Brand & Beverage Marketing at Drinkworks
  • The Art of the Side Hustle with Doug Villhard, Olin's Professor and Academic Director of Entrepreneurship, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Second Street, and Chairman and Co-Founder of Father McGivney Catholic High School
  • Design Thinking with Tracie Wolfmeyer, Director of Innovation and Human-Center Design Services at Oracle
  • Starting a company while pursuing an undergraduate degree at WashU with Chuck Cohn, Founder and CEO of Varsity Tutors
  • From Cookies to Cannabis: How to innovate across multiple industries with Corey Rimmel, Founder of Hot Box Cookies and MizzMenus.com, current Director of Operations for Green Fox Entreprises
  • From the Central City to the CEO Executive Suite: Creating sustainable underserved medical practices with Dr. Tito Izard, physician, teacher, medical director, and President & CEO of Milwaukee Health Services
  • Indie film distribution with Andrew Karpen, Founder and CEO of Bleecker Street
  • Conversation with Shaun Arora, Managing Director of Make in LA
  • Branding and Ethics: Building a Profitable Business the Right Way with David Vinjamuri, Professor at NYU, Forbes writer, and author of Accidental Branding: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Brands