UVA Darden School’s Student-Led Business in Society Conference to Highlight Public-Private Partnerships

Student groups from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the Frank Batten School of Leadership andPublic Policy will host the 2015 Business in Society Conference, to be held at the Darden School on Friday, 20 March, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Business in Society Conference is an annual event that brings together a diverse audience of students, community members and business leaders to discuss the role of business in providing lasting value within an increasingly complex global society.

The theme of this year’s conference is public-private partnerships (P3s), and the forum will explore how P3s are enhancing business relationships and improving communities worldwide, through a series of speeches, panel discussions and networking receptions.

The event will include a keynote address by Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Andrew O’Brien, in the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships . O’Brien and the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships collaborate closely with the Darden School Institute for Business in Society on annual initiatives including distributing the P3 Impact Awards at the Concordia Summit, which celebrate model P3s from around the world, and helping to promote Global Partnerships Week , a series of global, national and local events which recognize the critical role public-private partnerships play in promoting diplomacy and development around the world.

“Partnerships bring together the best of the public and private sector resources to leverage the creativity, innovation and core business resources of partners for greater impact and to create sustainable solutions to critical challenges,” said O’Brien, addressing the value of a conference focused specifically on public-private partnerships. “I think it is invaluable to gain an appreciation of what this cross-sector collaboration looks like in practice.”

“We are pleased to sponsor this student-led conference and to welcome Andrew O’Brien and all of the panelists to the Darden School next week,” said Dean Krehmeyer, executive director of the Darden School Institute for Business in Society. Krehmeyer continued, “We look forward to a productive forum highlighting the important role that public-private partnerships can play in addressing complex global issues. With the vast knowledge and experience that the speakers and panelists bring to this conversation, we anticipate an eye-opening and engaging day.”

Conference sessions will include a panel discussion on social impact bonds — a new method of funding public-private partnerships — by Larry Wilder Jr., special advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade on Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Robert H. Dugger, co-founder & chair of ReadyNation. During lunch, Edith Cecil, vice president of professional exchange and community outreach at the Institute of International Education, will lead a fireside chat to explore the role that international non-governmental organizations play in public-private partnerships.

The program will close with a session on how P3s can help build national resiliency by Marc-Philip Ferzan, a lecturer in public policy at U.Va.’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Ferzan previously served on the senior staff and cabinet of the Governor of New Jersey, having evaluated P3s on issues and disasters such as Hurricane Sandy.

The conference is organized and sponsored by the U.Va. Darden School’s Net Impact club, Emerging Markets Development Club, Energy Club, Education Club, Business & Public Policy Club, Healthcare Club and Institute for Business in Society, as well as the U.Va. Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

This event is free and open to the public; however, registration is required online . Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees will receive breakfast, lunch and hors d’oeuvres.

The full agenda and session details can be viewed on the Darden School Institute for Business in Society blog . Additional questions about the event can be directed to Niti Kalra ( KalraN15@darden.virginia.edu ).

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business delivers the world’s best business education experience to prepare entrepreneurial, global and responsible leaders through its MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. Darden’s top-ranked faculty is renowned for teaching excellence and advances practical business knowledge through research. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.