Discussion with NYT Business Reporter Nelson Schwartz

Please join us for a discussion with New York Times business reporter Nelson Schwartz moderated by Dean Matthew Slaughter. Schwartz will share insights from his 2020 book The Velvet Rope Economy, a gripping investigation of how a virtual velvet rope divides Americans in every arena of life, creating a friction-free existence for those with money on one side and a Darwinian struggle for the middle class on the other side.

Nelson D. Schwartz has worked at The New York Times for a decade and has covered economics since 2012. Before that, he wrote about Wall Street and banking for The Times, and also served as European economic correspondent in Paris from 2008 to 2010. He joined the paper in 2007 as a feature writer for the Sunday Business section.

Schwartz is interested in all aspects of the American economy, with an eye toward combining human stories with data that tells the larger tale. He is especially interested in inequality, the future of manufacturing, and how workers and companies are adapting to the technological and economic changes transforming the country and the world.

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A Conversation with Michael J. Fox and Debi Brooks T’86

"No Time Like the Future"
Advocate and award-winning actor Michael J. Fox will join Debi Brooks T’86, co-founder and executive vice chairman of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) and member of Tuck’s Board of Advisors and MBA Council, in a personal conversation about his own experiences and lessons learned navigating an uncertain world with grit, courage, and resilience. Drawing on insights from his latest book, No Time Like the Future, Michael will share the moments he questioned his own hope and optimism and how he ultimately found grace in gratitude.

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Offshore Experts & Global Inequality

How has economic inequality become so extreme around the world? Before the pandemic, 26 men together owned as much wealth as the 3.8 billion people who comprised the poorest 50% of people globally; in 2021, the problem has become even worse. Who makes this happen? Can anything be done to stop it? These and related questions will be addressed by Sociology Professor Brooke Harrington, whose award-winning research examines the role of professionals, particularly offshore, in creating a system of economic and political inequality with global repercussions.

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A Conversation with Beto O’Rourke

Beto O’Rourke, former U.S. Representative (D-TX) and 2020 presidential candidate, will join Dean Slaughter to discuss the state of democracy in America today, reflecting on his experience in Congress, running for U.S. president, and combating voter suppression in Texas through his organization Powered by People. He will share on-the-ground insights regarding the impacts of climate change, economic inequality, and immigration at the border amid a polarized political environment and the on-going challenges resulting from the massive storms and subsequent power outages in Texas last month.

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The Widening Divide: Serving Consumers as the Middle Class Fades

The coronavirus has accelerated the collapse of the middle class, exacerbating the forty-year global trend toward income inequality. How can business realign its propositions to serve customers on both sides of this widening divide? Join Bain partners Darci Darnell T’00 and Shweta Bhardwaj as they discuss their research exploring a future in which companies must serve two different audiences—an expanding group that has fewer financial resources, and a smaller group that enjoys even more spending power.

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Breaking the Mold: A Conversation with Scott Wu ‘89, Impact Investor

Date: February 23
Time: 8 p.m.

In collaboration with the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, CBGS brings you: "Breaking the Mold". This speaker series supports students to learn from accomplished alumni with diverse social impact experiences. Join us for a conversation with Scott Wu '89 , Executive Director, White House Presidential Fellow at USAID under Obama, Impact Investor. Scott Wu's commitment to social impact should not be underestimated. His impact investing work and efforts to provide low-cost energy to off-grid communities so caught the eye of the Obama White House that he was appointed as a Presidential Innovation Fellow advising USAID. Now he's the head of the California IBank, tackling issues of employment and economy at a time when we're all looking for strong public leadership.

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Building a Regenerative Economy

Date: February 17, 2021
Time: 12 p.m.

Join the Revers Center for Energy, the Center for Business, Government & Society and the Tuck Sustains Club for a discussion with Alex Kremer T'16, Director of Worn Wear, Tin Shed Ventures, and Corporate Development at Patagonia. He will share his career path from Tuck to Patagonia and his various projects at Patagonia that focus on building a regenerative economy. The goal of these initiatives is to not just to build a sustainable business, rather a regenerative business that has a net positive social and environmental impact. Alex’s role across Tin Shed Ventures (Patagonia’s environmentally and socially focused venture capital arm), Worn Wear (refurbishing and re-selling used Patagonia products), and corporate development offers him unique access across Patagonia’s environmentally- and socially-focused efforts. Alex will discuss the regenerative economy broadly, as well as consumer retail’s role in being kinder to our planet.

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Alex Kremer T'16
Director of Worn Wear, Tin Shed Ventures, and Corporate Development at Patagonia
Alex is a Corporate Development & Investment Principal at Patagonia and Tin Shed Ventures. Alex works on Patagonia's investment, innovation, and other strategic initiatives, including Patagonia's used gear business, Worn Wear (wornwear.com) and external projects, such as Regenerative Organic Certification.Tin Shed Ventures invests in responsible startups with innovations that help Patagonia build the best product while causing the least amount of environmental harm. The Tin Shed portfolio includes a wide range of startups, such as Bureo, Tersus Solutions, NuMat Technologies, and Revolution Fibres. Tin Shed Ventures has invested in more than a dozen startups on 3 continents. Prior to Patagonia & Tin Shed Ventures, Alex held various investment roles received degrees from Boston College (BA in Math & Economics) and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College (MBA).

“The Future of Democracy” with Madeleine Albright

Date: Wednesday, February 10
Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will join Dean Matthew Slaughter in conversation about the challenges facing democracies today and the fragility of freedom during these unprecedented times. Reflecting on her own experiences fleeing a communist coup in Czechoslovakia and immigrating to the United States, Secretary Albright will share insights and personal stories from her remarkable life and distinguished career in public service.

Sponsored by the Center for Business, Government and Society and Tuck Alumni Engagement.

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