Weekly liberal arts series highlights alumni

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Disney, RedBox, Nielsen, C-Span and Delta Faucet are some of the companies represented by alumni in the Purdue's College of Liberal Arts weekly series.

The fall class and speaker series is part of the GS 300, LA (Liberal Arts) Influentials course that is offered to liberal arts students and taught by Irwin Weiser, Justin S. Morrill Dean of Liberal Arts. The class meets from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. on Fridays in Beering Hall, Room 2290. The Oct. 3 talk with Brian Lamb will be in Lawson Building, Room 1142. The lectures are free and open to the public as seating allows.

The dates and alumni speakers are:

* Sept. 5. Panel discussion with the college's Emerging Voice Award winners.

• Heather Fosburgh, program manager for Global Health Leadership Institute at Yale University, who earned a bachelor's degree in communication in 1995.
• Ting Gootee, chief investment officer for Elevate Ventures, who earned a master's degree in American Studies in 2003.
• Scott Keller, chief counsel for the Office of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who earned a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy in 2002.

More information available online.

* Sept. 12. Marjorie Randolph, retired senior vice president of human resources at Disney, who earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1966. More information available online

* Sept. 19. Mark Achler, former senior vice president of Redbox, who earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1980. More information available online

* Sept. 26. Karen Siciliano, president of Siciliano Landscaping Co., who earned a bachelor's degree in communication in 1983. More information available online.

* Oct. 3. Brian Lamb, executive chairman of C-Span, who earned a bachelor's degree in speech in 1963, and received an honorary doctorate from liberal arts in 1986. More information available online. This talk will be held in Lawson Building, Room 1142.

* Oct. 10. Panel discussion with members of the College of Liberal Arts Deans' Advisory Council. More information available online.

* Oct. 17. Amanda Lopez, president of Transform Consulting Group, who earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2001. More information available online.

* Oct. 24. Leah Kegler, director of Government Affairs at Edwards Lifesciences, who earned a bachelor's degrees in communication and political science in 2000. More information available online.

* Oct. 31. Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, senior vice president of U.S. Strategic Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement at Nielsen, who earned a bachelor's degree in communication in 1984. More information available online.

* Nov. 7. Penelope Farthing, senior adviser at Bose Public Affairs Group, who earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1967. More information available online.

* Nov. 14. Kevin Speer, CEO of Hendricks Regional Health, who earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1986. More information available online.

* Nov. 21. Judd Lord, director of Industrial Design at Delta Faucet Co., who earned a master's degree in industrial design. More information available online.

* Dec. 5. Lalita Amos, president Total Team Solutions, who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1985. More information available online. 

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Sources: Chris Sharp, director of alumni relations and special events, 765-494-7884, ctsharp@purdue.edu

Irwin Weiser, Justin S. Morrill Dean of Liberal Arts, 765-494-3661, iweiser@purdue.edu 

Related website:

Emerging Voice Awards news release