{"id":14461,"date":"2023-12-01T00:30:52","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T08:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/?p=14461"},"modified":"2026-02-18T10:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T18:11:41","slug":"event-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/2023\/12\/01\/event-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"Carson College Annual Events Offer Industry Insights to Business Students and Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Professor Robert Crossler (left) moderated the 2023 Business Technology Symposium with guest speakers Andrew Pirie, Jasmyn Bearly, and Jason Mayer.
Photo by WSU Photo Services.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Business Technology Symposium Examines Role of Information Systems in Business Communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The success of any business often depends on how well it manages information systems to improve productivity and make informed decisions, according to Robert Crossler<\/a>, chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship in the Carson College. Using this premise, Crossler developed the executive panel for the 2023 Business Technology Symposium, \u201cThe Backbone of Business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three top executives from leading enterprises shared perspectives on how trends in information systems\u2014tools organizations use to collect, manage, and analyze data\u2014are changing within business communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to an audience of about 200, panelist Jasmyn Bearly<\/a> (\u201917 Mgmt. Info. Sys.), a product security engineer at Boeing, said a key challenge is that experts are retiring from businesses and leaving a huge knowledge gap. This is compounded by remote work and flexible scheduling employees now expect since the pandemic. She said the combination of an aging population and loss of human interaction that accompanies remote work, as well as advances in automation that will remove repetitive work, will disrupt business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panelists agreed that artificial intelligence (AI) will be THE major player in the future of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs technology advances, it will affect the speed at which business is conducted\u2014customers want results more quickly,\u201d said Andrew Pirie<\/a> (\u201913 Intl. Busi., \u201915 MBA), a principal in intelligent automation at Slalom, a business consulting and services firm in Seattle. \u201cAutomation and generative AI are a good fit for a virtual workforce, but the lack of human interaction makes it harder to create culture. Businesses using these tools will expect more from their employees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChatGPT won\u2019t replace people, and it\u2019s up to you to figure out how you\u2019ll use it at work,\u201d said Jason Mayer<\/a>, an engineering manager at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. \u201cBusinesses that don\u2019t embrace it are probably in the biggest danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Business Technology Symposium<\/a> is hosted by the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship and sponsored by Mike (\u201985, \u201986) and Amy Dreyer (\u201986) and Steven (\u201976, \u201984) and Cyndie Tarr.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\tWatch the Business Technology Symposium video to learn more\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Theresa Craw Delivers 31st Annual Walton Lecture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though the Carson College of Business\u2019s 2023 Walton Lecture focused on risk management in a retail business, keynote speaker Theresa Craw<\/a> shared advice that could benefit students from any major: \u201cDon\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t know your career path at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craw has nearly a decade of risk management experience at Nordstrom Inc. Her advice reflected her own journey to becoming the director of insurance and finance-risk management at Nordstrom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She studied several subjects while attending Seattle University before settling on an undergraduate degree in finance. Internships in financial planning and analysis led her to Boeing, where she eventually worked in procurement. Bored with her role, she took an educational leave of absence and pursued an MBA. During this time, Nordstrom offered her an analyst position with its risk management team that led to several roles within the company\u2019s risk management unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craw\u2019s current position managing risks associated with Nordstrom\u2019s 340 properties, 60,000 employees, 200 restaurants and e-bars, and more than $15 billion in annual revenues is never dull. She\u2019s handled property-damaging fires and hurricanes, credit card theft, cybersecurity breaches, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI look at our risk portfolio as a continuous cycle,\u201d Craw said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of strategy involved with risk exposures from marine cargo and vendor contracts to property insurance, crime, general liability insurance, and workers\u2019 compensation over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She advised students to explore each of their career interests and seek out internships and mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are many career paths and opportunities\u2014from claims, to accounting, to legal departments,\u201d Craw said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walton Lecture<\/a> is made possible through an endowment from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Washington to honor Max Walton, their past president.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\tWatch the 2023 Walton Lecture video to learn more\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living Hosts \u201cTechnology for the Business of Aging\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hearing \u201cYou\u2019ll change the world if you work in senior living\u201d from a panel of senior living technology experts may have hospitality students rethinking their career options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduates who have strong business and technical skills and a working knowledge of human psychology will be in high demand in the senior living industry, according to the panelists, who were hosted by the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living during the Carson College\u2019s annual Hospitality Week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panelists spoke about the rewards of their jobs and the abundance of career opportunities in the senior living realm as the number of people over 55 will eventually exceed those under 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest opportunities in tech are found in the residential engagement space,\u201d said Kyle Rand<\/a>, cofounder and CEO of Rendever, a virtual reality platform designed to help seniors combat social isolation. \u201cPeople are looking for a lifestyle, and there\u2019s a big disbelief that tech and seniors don\u2019t mix. In a study with the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, we found virtual reality experiences significantly decrease depression and significantly increase social mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erin Hayes<\/a>, chief revenue officer for Enquire, a marketing automation platform and contact center for senior living and health care organizations, said the sales space is a great career entry point in senior living. She said data analytics and problem solving are among the top skills senior living employers will seek when hiring future employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever your specialty, there\u2019s a niche for it in senior living,\u201d said Matt Reiners<\/a>, cofounder and vice president of Eversound, a tech company that provides interactive programs and wireless group listening systems for seniors. He told a story about a couple in which the husband had dementia and had been moved to a care facility. During a visit, the couple each put on an Eversound headset and listened to their wedding song. Soon they were swaying to the music and singing to each other. The wife said it was the first time in years she felt like a wife instead of a caregiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese moments of positive connection, engagement, and love\u2014that\u2019s what gets me going,\u201d Reiners said. \u201cIf you are looking to do some good in the world and make a career out of it, senior living is a great opportunity to explore any aspect of the business side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living<\/a> hosts several events during the Carson College\u2019s annual Hospitality Week. \u201cTechnology for the Business of Aging\u201d was moderated by Steve Moran<\/a>, founder of Senior Living Foresight, a senior living media company.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\tWatch the \u201cTechnology for the Business of Aging" video to learn more\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The success of any business often depends on how well it manages information systems to improve productivity and make informed decisions, according to Robert Crossler, chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship in the Carson College. Using this premise, Crossler developed the executive panel for the 2023 Business Technology Symposium, \u201cThe Backbone of Business.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[628],"featured_media":18217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wsuwp_accessibility_report":null},"categories":[617,425],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/628"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14461"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18558,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14461\/revisions\/18558"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14461"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author?post=14461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}