New York Times Bestselling Author and Thought Leadership Expert to Speak at Ninth Annual SWVA Economic Forum; Cardinal News Executive Editor to Provide Closing Remarks
Dan Schawbel, NYT bestselling thought leadership and career author is a featured speaker for the Ninth Annual Economic Forum hosted by the University of Virginia’s College at Wise in May.
“A Region on the Move” is the 2024 theme for the conference, which will be a hybrid event that participants can attend online or in person. The event is on Thursday, May 23, at the College’s David J. Prior Convocation Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Retaining talent and developing the next generation of leaders is an economic development priority for Southwest Virginia. We are thrilled to have a nationally-recognized workplace researcher and expert. To have someone of Dan’s caliber presenting at the Forum is going to be phenomenal,” said UVA Wise Associate Vice Chancellor for Community & Economic Development Randy Rose.
Schawbel will share his expertise during the forum’s afternoon keynote session.
He is the managing partner of Workplace Intelligence, an award-winning thought leadership and research agency focused on the world of work, and the bestselling author of three career books: “Back to Human,” “Promote Yourself,” and “Me 2.0.”
Through his company, Schawbel has led over 70 research studies with major brands including Amazon, Oracle, Deloitte, American Express and WeWork. As one of LinkedIn’s “Top Voices,” Dan’s Workplace Intelligence Weekly LinkedIn newsletter is one of the most read in his industry with nearly 400,000 subscribers and over 220,000 students who have taken his LinkedIn Learning courses on leadership, management and hybrid working.
Another esteemed speaker, Dwayne Yancey, will make the closing remarks for the conference.
“The regional pride that has been demonstrated and widely shared in response to Dwayne’s recent Cardinal News opinion piece, ‘”Whatever the hell is west of Roanoke.” Them’s fighting words!’ exemplifies the passion and love for Southwest Virginia region by so many. The excitement around the article has already made Dwayne’s participation in the upcoming Forum a highly anticipated part of what is an overall great day of panelists and speakers,” said Rose.
Yancey is the executive editor of Cardinal News, an independent, non-profit, non-partisan news site that serves Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Yancey has more than four decades of experience in Virginia journalism, including 39 years with “The Roanoke Times” as a reporter, editor and, for seven years, editorial page editor. During that time, he twice won the Virginia Press Association’s D. Latham Mims Award for Editorial Leadership and was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. He is the author of “When Hell Froze Over,” a book about Virginia politics, as well as an internationally produced playwright.
The forum’s morning panel will focus on overcoming barriers to Southwest Virginia’s challenges. The discussion will feature successful initiatives and explore opportunities and intersections across childcare, housing, recovery and talent attraction and retention.
The afternoon panel will focus on community-based funding solutions and highlight impactful regional projects and their sponsors.
Registration for the Forum is required. In-person tickets are $45, and virtual tickets are $25. Registration is open now through May 21; walk-ins welcome. Please visit the Southwest Virginia Economic Forum website for registration, program updates and sponsor information.