Listen to this founder who sells products that allow people to speak their truth without uttering a word.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Come meet our Expert in Residence Law Robert Scott, former General Counsel of Lattice. 

What can you do with a Sociology/Anthropology degree? Everything! Come listen to this alumna describe her journey juggling full time student responsibilities while being a single parent of a young child to Microsoft senior management.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Come meet our Expert in Residence Law Robert Scott, former General Counsel of Lattice.

Do you like to eat and drink and wonder about the stories behind your favorite brands? Come listen to someone who has worked with over 100 founders, from family-owned shops to multinational corporations.

If you have interest in AI, space exploration, corporate social responsibility, strategy, community partnerships, product development, or diversity, come listen to Corey talk about his career path and resulting advocacy.

How do you go from tech executive to owner of a knife company? Come listen to this speaker discuss what he learned over his career that gave him the freedom to work for himself.

Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship program Winterim which features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.

No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.

Join us from January 7 - 12, 2024.

Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship program Winterim which features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.

No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.

Join us from January 7 - 12, 2024.

Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship program Winterim which features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.

No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.

Join us from January 7 - 12, 2024.

Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship program Winterim which features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.

No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.

Join us from January 7 - 12, 2024.

Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship program Winterim which features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.

No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.

Join us from January 7 - 12, 2024.

Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship program Winterim which features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.

No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.

Join us from January 7 - 12, 2024.

Rose City Sneakerfest 

Using the tagline We take Black folks (and allies) to the wilderness. Grab your crew and book an adventure, Camp Yoshi launched during Covid and racial reckoning and grew to yearly delivering 20+ corporate and individual trips. Learn what motivated them to focus on unplugging from the world, connecting with nature, and seeking healing.

An English major in college, Katharine now leads the Digital Innovation team at adidas. She has decades of experience leading cross-functional teams, creating innovation and inspiring others to think creatively. Come listen to how her career detours have been part of her path to success.

A Comparative Literature major from a small liberal arts college, learn how Chris became part of the founding team at TREW where he was responsible for designing, developing, and sourcing outdoor apparel and accessories. His passion is backcountry skiing and helping people acquire the right gear, skills, and knowledge to go on human-powered adventures.

Entrepreneurship is often an immigrant person’s path. Born in a refugee camp in Indonesia, Lisa’s family took on a new journey as entrepreneurs when they opened Tân Tân Café & Delicatessen in Beaverton. Today, Tân Tân’s line of sauces can be found in more than 300 locations in the U.S. and Japan.

Meet the Executive Director of Business for a Better Portland and hear from this operations and finance leader about being a startup mentor and founder of “PitchBlack” pitch competition. Ask questions about how to improve Portland, increase diversity in business, and deliver community impact.

Discover our minor and mission over a free meal - open to current and prospective ELI minors. Meet other students and faculty/staff and see why our classes and programming dovetail with your major. Must sign up to attend. 

Every student who registers and attends will be entered into a raffle to win one of three $100 Amazon gift cards. Must be present to win. 

You should come if:

• You are interested in learning more about our minor, classes/programming and mission
• You are an ELI minor and want to learn what’s brand new this year
• You want a free meal
• You want to meet our Entrepreneur in Residence
• You want to meet some of our Faculty & Staff
• You are interested in meeting like minded students
• You are interested in the Entrepreneurship Club
• You want the chance to win one of three $100 Amazon GC. You have to register and attend the event for a chance to win.

Come listen to Dr. Cyrus Wadia talk about his multifaceted career in sustainability. Committed to a consumer led movement to combat climate change his career path spans from leadership roles in Silicon Valley, to the White House, to Nike and Amazon.  

CANCELED - Eric is no longer able to join us - new speaker at this time and date is Cyrus Wadia. 

Former adidas board member and once responsible for all its brands including Yeezy as well as the key brand management functions of product design, innovation, sustainability, marketing, and digital brand commerce, Eric recently launched the brand Unless Collective which makes 100% plant-based streetwear designed to leave nothing behind. 

Michael oversees eOne’s scripted and unscripted television.Shows include Yellowjackets on Showtime, The Recruit on Netflix, The Rookie and The Rookie: Fedson ABC, and Cruel Summeron Freeform/Hulu. eOne is a global independent studio for television and film that Hasbro acquired in 2019.

Shannon Berg is the founder of a women-owned strategic communications firm. She serves both as a crisis communications expert and helps companies communicate their social impact, sustainability and brand to build trust with stakeholders.

Interested in meeting the two alumni who are behind the matching gift to the Bates Center? Come listen to them describe their unorthodox fundraising method that resulted not only in their success but in $1.5M of funding for the Bates Center.

Arrive at 4pm to get a chance to mingle with the two alumni and members from our Advisory Board before the talk. Presentation starts at 4:30. 

If you are not available to attend in person this presentation will be recorded and made available to those who are interested.  

(Counts as Lunch with a Leader for purposes of satisfying the co-curricular requirement for the entrepreneurship minor.)

A reporter, Nájera has filed stories for NPR, the BBC, CNN and NPR’s Latino USA and describes himself as a “hybrid storyteller”: an actor/director/journalist/teacher. He created a one-man show which explores mental health issues in communities of color.

Lynn could not find boxing gloves that fit a woman’s hands, so she launched Society Nine, an award-winning, modern femme sports brand providing boxing gear and sportswear to empower women in their fight. Currently she is Brand Director at Adopt, an agency that uses the power of sport to build brand.

Inspiration - Workshops - Networking - Pitch Competition
January 8 - 13, 2023

A single conversation with the right person could change your career or venture trajectory! 

Inspiration - Workshops - Networking - Pitch Competition
January 8 - 13, 2023

A single conversation with the right person could change your career or venture trajectory! 

Inspiration - Workshops - Networking - Pitch Competition
January 8 - 13, 2023

A single conversation with the right person could change your career or venture trajectory! 

Topic: Ownership as the next revolution: Independence into perpetuity

Join our speaker Elizabeth Darrow, former CEO of Organically Grown Company to learn how she helped develop and implement the perpetual trust model later adopted by Patagonia and others.

Register here

Topic: How to Translate Your Liberal Arts Education into the Real World

Former Commodities Trader turned reporter Nigel Jaquiss will share his thoughts on how to have the courage and skillset to tell the truth.  

Register here

Inspiration - Workshops - Networking - Pitch Competition
January 8 - 13, 2023

A single conversation with the right person could change your career or venture trajectory! 

Inspiration - Workshops - Networking - Pitch Competition
January 8 - 13, 2023

A single conversation with the right person could change your career or venture trajectory! 

Inspiration - Workshops - Networking - Pitch Competition
January 8 - 13, 2023

A single conversation with the right person could change your career or venture trajectory! 

Ceremonial designer and outdoor futurist Jocelyn Rice is a visionary creative force, award-winning apparel designer, and Founder/CEO of Black Earth United. Her mission is to reclaim the narrative around Black folks and their connection to the outdoors through storytelling and clothing.

Learn how this cross-cultural communicator deeply influenced by his immigrant Colombian upbringing led to him being in leadership roles in private and nonprofit companies including the Director of Hacienda CDC’s Portland Mercado to overseeing the City of Portland’s economic development.

Learn how this Lewis & Clark alumna combined her pattern-making skills and knack for engineering, math, and art to create a company that works with a variety of apparel designers and innovators, enabling them to construct manufacturing-ready digital prototypes, all the way through from concept to creation.

Come listen to the entrepreneurial journey that weaves from janitor to Nike footwear designer, to leaving it all behind to start a coffee shop built around the sneaker community and the guiding mantra “Coffee Should Be Dope.”

Learn how the critical thinking mindset of his liberal arts degree translated to this speaker creating and nationally scaling a high-quality product that reflects the social and environmental values the founders hold true.

Want a free meal and meet the coolest minors on campus – sign up here!

Do you want to meet him because he is a world famous hacker, because he co-hosted a t.v. show, or because his nickname is Kingpin? Whatever the reason, grab lunch with us and hear how he testified in front of the US Senate and his role in crypto.

Whether launching your venture or figuring out your career, learn from this arts major how to develop, organize and hone your brand strategy.

Come learn how this immigrant went from industrial designer to problem solver to creating one of the largest international design and innovation consultancies in the world.

Hear how liberal arts has informed the passion and dedication of this History major alumna who went from Junior Year abroad in India to trailblazing Portland chef and entrepreneur.

Learn from this dynamic leader who uses her social entrepreneurship drive and political savvy to strategically utilize public and private resources to drive equitable educational transformation.

Converse with a retired NBA Champion and his business partner to learn how entrepreneurship (and wine) have fueled their passion project: Chosen Family wine.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Meet our Expert in Residence, Brie Bridegum Pierznik. Brie is an attorney at Stoel Rives LLP and an active member of the firm’s start-up and emerging companies practice. Office hours with Brie will be available via Zoom! 

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Meet our Expert in Residence, Brie Bridegum Pierznik. Brie is an attorney at Stoel Rives LLP and an active member of the firm’s start-up and emerging companies practice. Office hours with Brie will be available via Zoom! 

NEW DATE!!
Imagine using plastic pulled from oceans and beaches and using steam to cheaply make a building product that uses no additives, fillers or chemicals, and uses 95% less greenhouse gases than concrete. Meet Heidi Kujawa, the Founder and CEO of ByFusion and learn what’s next for bringing this machine to a pile of plastic recycling near you.

Come listen to this liberal arts grad talk about being a small business owner and creating a path to lead change that resulted in him being the first Black mayor in the Portland area. Let’s talk about his approach to breaking down the barriers of affordable housing and social justice.

This alumna promises to give you the B side of her resume! Come to discuss how she went from Palatine Hill to studying the interaction between humans and computers, how technology is changing everyday life, the future of money, alternative business models for the web, and creator compensation.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Meet our Expert in Residence, Brie Bridegum Pierznik. Brie is an attorney at Stoel Rives LLP and an active member of the firm’s start-up and emerging companies practice. Office hours with Brie will be available via Zoom! 

If only we could make biodegradable materials from methane. Come to this lunch and meet the woman who has done just that! Hear about her career path as well as methods to create closed loop, cradle-to-cradle technologies to sustainably recycle carbon.

CANCELLED DUE TO THE POWER OUTAGES! POSTPONED

Can a shoe company be successful if it focuses less on flash and more on mission? Can you combine purpose with profitability and give corporate bonuses based on carbon saved? Listen to this Kiwi talk about his love for wool’s remarkable qualities and why Allbirds’ technology is open source.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Meet our Expert in Residence, Brie Bridegum Pierznik. Brie is an attorney at Stoel Rives LLP and an active member of the firm’s start-up and emerging companies practice. Office hours with Brie will be available via Zoom! 

Engage with a seasoned life science entrepreneur on the various and nefarious ways to engage in entrepreneurship. Sandra’s career has involved product development, IP licensing, global health, and relationship-building among NGOs, government agencies and international businesses. She will share insights gleaned from work in academia, government agencies in the U.S. and Europe, start-up companies and nonprofits.

Come learn about Zoe’s mission to make the food sector more diverse and inclusive and why she is backing companies overlooked by traditional investors. The Chobani Incubator tackles broken food systems and provides start-ups with access and expertise to achieve scale and growth.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school? Meet our Expert in Residence, Brie Bridegum Pierznik. Brie is an attorney at Stoel Rives LLP and an active member of the firm’s start-up and emerging companies practice. Office hours with Brie will be available via Zoom! 

Converse with the first openly gay woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Beth Ford, CEO of Land O Lakes ( a company that touches 300,000 farmers and half the harvested acres in the nation) wants to respond to your questions about career advancement, innovations in sustainable agriculture, and amplifying underrepresented voices in the workplace. Beth is getting to know Lewis & Clark with her daughter, Gigi, who happens to be a First year here!

Listen to the Executive Director of Friends of the Children-Portland address the widening digital divide and the resultant issues impacting underrepresented children across Portland. Traci will discuss the challenges that “going virtual” has presented to her mission of removing the obstacles that stand in the way of success for these highest priority youth, and discuss solutions for closing that digital divide.

Talk with a leading diversity, equity and inclusion human resources professional about company culture: How to identify it, how it may affect you, and how to change it. Serilda, who owns her HR consultancy, will also discuss what employers in the virtual workspace are looking for in summer hires and recent graduates.

AN INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING WEEKEND WORKSHOP

Saturday and Sunday, October 17th & 18th from 9:30am to Noon

Whether you are starting a company or starting a revolution, learn how to understand your customer to best craft and communicate your message. Even in times of great disruption and change, you will learn universal marketing fundamentals that are constant.

REGISTER HERE

Marketing’s role begins and ends with a focus on the customer. It is one of the most important, dynamic and proactive parts of any organisation for driving revenues, and it is the key interface with the most valuable asset a company has - its customer.  Marketing is ultimately about creating a game-plan to win.

Join UK native Amanda Hill in our first marketing workshop. She is a highly experienced and passionate marketing executive with a proven track record in the commercial, strategic and creative development of brand and customer-led strategy and innovation that delivers a step-change in performance and ambition.

AN INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING WEEKEND WORKSHOP

Saturday and Sunday, October 17th & 18th from 9:30am to Noon

Whether you are starting a company or starting a revolution, learn how to understand your customer to best craft and communicate your message. Even in times of great disruption and change, you will learn universal marketing fundamentals that are constant.

REGISTER HERE

Marketing’s role begins and ends with a focus on the customer. It is one of the most important, dynamic and proactive parts of any organisation for driving revenues, and it is the key interface with the most valuable asset a company has - its customer.  Marketing is ultimately about creating a game-plan to win.

Join UK native Amanda Hill in our first marketing workshop. She is a highly experienced and passionate marketing executive with a proven track record in the commercial, strategic and creative development of brand and customer-led strategy and innovation that delivers a step-change in performance and ambition.

Meet the ELI Minor

Are you curious about the brand new minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership & Innovation? Join us for a question and answer session to learn what you need to do if you want to declare a minor. If you are unable to attend either of the sessions reach out to Brian Detweiler-Bedell ASAP to set up a separate time. The last date to apply for this year’s minor is October 15th.

• October 1 at 4pm - Meet the Minor session 2 for all interested students. REGISTER HERE

Bonus: receive a $5 amazon gift card for registering and attending one of our sessions

Come learn about Zoe’s mission to make the food sector more diverse and inclusive and why she is backing companies overlooked by traditional investors.

Overseeing an investment portfolio of about $750M and chairing a board that manages $90B of Oregon funds, hear how this liberal arts graduate weighs social justice in her investment decisions.

Learn about being mentored by an uncompromising leader in the natural food world and Jan’s rise to head of international sales in an employee-owned company with over $100M in sales and in over 80 countries.

Hear the story of developing a personal products brand in her kitchen, selling her products at farmers’ markets, and then selling her company to Unilever. Schmidt’s next venture is elevating emerging and underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Recognized as “Oregon’s best known scientist,” Brian Druker will talk about his inauspicious beginning and his path to becoming the Director of OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute. He will explain why he believes cancer will be treatable and curable.

Meet the CEO of TopGolf, the purveyor of golf and entertainment in 56 locations world-wide. With more than 13 million guests/year and 35,000 guests per day/location, engage in a trends conversation about sports, entertainment, music and business.

Join the conversation with the woman tackling the hardest problem in the corporate world: Achieving substantive sustainability and diversity goals while maintaining competitive business metrics.

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school?  Come meet our first ever Expert in Residence, Stoel Rives’ attorney Brie Bridegum.

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

Attend our second Idea Hour! This is an opportunity for free exchange of ideas and trends. Engage or just listen while enjoying free pizza!

Wondering what legal issues you should consider when exploring ideas? Do you need to form a business entity? Thinking about law school?  Come meet our first ever Expert in Residence, Stoel Rives’ attorney Brie Bridegum.