Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership

This alumnus wants to share his story of starting at Lewis & Clark and becoming the NBA’s Senior Creative Director, where he helps merge traditional pop culture with the NBA’s global brand

Meet a Portland Business Journal reporter who just returned from Columbia University’s journalism school and will discuss what it is like to be a reporter in Portland.

Meet the Director, Head of Labs at WeWork who is a community leader and claims that spreadsheets are his super power and sneakers his kryptonite.

Learn from an alumna how she uses virtual and augmented reality to make ideas more meaningful, and potentially change how we think and work.

Listen to stories from a liberal arts graduate who went from working at Nike to engaging with the start-up ecosystem and listening to hundreds of pitches a year.

Artists, writers, performers (and everyone else): How do you market your skillset in this gig economy so it shows value and builds trust with potential/existing clients? Social media expert, business advisor and artist, Rebecca Shapiro, will discuss the fundamentals for strategically creating branded and meaningful content.

Can you stay true to your ideals, align with like-minded funders, and run a successful business? Kim Malek, owner of the popular Salt & Straw ice cream chain, will discuss her guiding principles, her first mentor, and why she has some of the best employee retention in the food industry. Dessert will be served!

Meet the former CEO of Dave’s Killer Bread who started by wrapping muffins in the bakery, rose to build and sell a popular brand, and now advocates for a better understanding of the broad benefits of working with the underserved.