Speaker Schedule

Winter 2025 Semester Schedule :

(All sessions take place at 1pm; In-person sessions take place in Askwith Auditorium in Lorch Hall.)

  • Friday, January 31, 2025
  • Friday, February 7, 2025
    • Megan Hammond (She/Her), and Sooji Ha Won (She/Her); Hammond: BA (Dartmouth), MES/MBA (Yale); Won: BA 2013 (UM), MBA 2021 (UM); Senior Managing Director (Hammond), and Senior Investment Associate (Won), University of Michigan Investment Office.
  • Friday, February 14, 2025
    • Ashley Mo (She/Her); BA Economics and Psychology 2013; Director of Growth Marketing, Cresset.
  • Friday, February 21, 2025
    • Monica Hanson (She/Her); BA Economics and Political Science 1993 ; Managing Director, Head of Insurance and Official Institutions Coverage Americas, BNP Paribas.
  • Friday, March 14, 2025
    • “An Introduction to The University Career Center” – Chelsea Moore, Assistant Director for Career Education and Campus Partnerships
  • Friday, March 21, 2025
  • Friday, March 28, 2025
    • Gwendolyn Hatten Butler (She/Her); Honors Convocation LSA 1974; BA 1977; Managing Partner, Hatten Albert Strategic Advisors LLC; Independent Board Director, Former C-Suite Executive.
  • Friday, April 4, 2025
    • Greg Nicholson (He/Him); BS Economics and Mathematics 2010; Senior Manager, Deloitte & Touche LLP.
  • Friday, April 11, 2025
    • Annie Britton (She/Her); Dual Degree: BA Econ (LSA) and BA Music (SMTD) 2005; MHSA 2007; Healthcare Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
  • Friday, April 18, 2025
    • Ben Scieszka (He/Him); BA Economics and International Studies 2014; Global Head – Strategic Services, WorkBoard.

*Zoom calls for in-person sessions will not allow for interaction with the speaker. Please consider attending in-person when feasible.
NOTE: Students enrolled in Econ 208 may only attend 1 in-person session virtually during the semester (this does not include sessions scheduled as online). Please see our Canvas site for more details.

Recent Speakers from Past Semesters:

  • Nida Kia (She/Her); BA 2005; Vice President Consumer Pricing and Profitability, AT&T.
  • Elizabeth F. Mooney, CFA, CPA (She/Her); BA 1991; Accounting Analyst, Capital Group Companies.
  • Barbara Walkowski (She/Her); BA 1990 (JD 1992); Board Member, Investor, Advisor.
  • Seth Koch (He/Him); BA 2014; Director, Strategy, CarMax.
  • Swapnil Patel (He/Him); BA 2002; Managing Director, McKinney.
  • Christopher T. Cramer (He/Him); BA 1993; CEO (Interim), CFO and COO, Claires.
  • Cynthia Lo Bessette (She/Her); BA 1991 (Honors East Asian Studies and Econ); Head of Digital Asset Management, Fidelity Investments.
  • Ilana Ash (She/Her); BA 1992; Managing Director CIO Team, BNY Mellon.
  • Joshua Friedman, CFA (He/Him); BA 2011; Vice President, Private Debt Product Strategy – US Direct Lending, BlackRock.
  • Kreg Keesee (He/Him); BA 1987, MBA 1992; Chief Operating Officer, Cold Jet LLC; Chair, Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority.
  • Austen Hufford (He/Him); BA 2015; National Economics Reporter, The Wall Street Journal.
  • Chris Sonderby (He/Him); BA 1990; VP & Deputy General Counsel, Meta.
  • Eva A. Temkin (She/Her); BA 1996; Partner, Paul Hastings LLP.
  • April Bridgeman (She/Her); BA (Economics and German) 1992, MAE 1994, MHSA 1994; Senior Vice President, BCD Travel.
  • Joe Holberg (He/Him); BS 2010; Managing Director, Financial Wellness, Mariner Wealth Advisors; Author of “Rogue Finances” and “A Brief Discourse on the Definition and Tenets of Financial Justice”.
  • Robert Patton (he/him), BA (Economics and History) 1994, Managing Director and Partner, NERA Economic Consulting