Grinnell’s new presidential event series features conversations with alumni industry experts
November 20, 2024 — Grinnell is planning events in nine cities from December through March where alumni, parents, and friends can meet with College leaders while learning from alumni professionals from their city.
During last year’s Common Good events, alumni typically asked President Anne F. Harris questions. This time the tables are turning, so to speak. Harris or a faculty member will be asking a local, distinguished alum questions to spark conversation about the alum’s life, profession, and Grinnell journey.
“The In Conversation series will allow us to continue reinforcing community among local Grinnellians though the program will shift,” says Nino Parker ’07, director of affinity and regional programs. “This year, we are hoping to offer attendees a more intimate and unfiltered glimpse of what members of our community think about important issues and their place in the world.”
Michael Billups ’07, left, Anne F. Harris, Kathy Andersen ’13, and Michael Miller ’86 have a conversation at an event in Omaha last month.
Alumni, parents, and friends of the College are invited to these events, which will take place in eight U.S. cities along with an event in London on Jan. 18 that will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grinnell-in-London program. Besides the main program on stage, there will be receptions at each event where guests can reconnect with each other and talk with College leaders.
“President Harris is truly excited to learn more about the pathways our alums have taken, their ties to Grinnell, and how the College continues to shine through its increasingly diverse community,” Parker says.
Heidi Eggert ’95
The new format will begin in Portland on Dec. 7 with a conversation between Harris and Heidi Eggert ’95 about how women are redefining leadership for the future.
Eggert has worked in several roles at Nike over the last 13 years. She began as the director of global sales ecommerce. After her original two-year project with the company, she was offered various positions within Nike that she enjoyed and found challenging. In 2017, she took over as senior director, innovation evangelist in the technology innovation office. Her newest role is head of artificial intelligence, strategy, and operations.
A political science major at Grinnell, Eggert serves on the Grinnell-in-Portland regional committee. She has previously been a class agent, admission representative, and externship host.
The next day, Dec. 8, Peter-Michael Osera, an associate professor of computer science and chair of the Computer Science Department, will hold a conversation with Ali Akgün ’93, in Seattle. The topic will be how academia and industry are shaping the future of computer science.
By having faculty members involved in the In Conversations Tour, it will blend the academic and industry perspectives of a topic, Parker says. Osera studies the problems at the intersection of programming languages and systems, human-computing interaction, and computer science education.
Akgün, a computer science major at Grinnell, is part of Microsoft’s AI leadership team, serving as corporate vice president for mobile experiences and platforms. He has been with Microsoft since 2006 originally working on one of the first software-as-a-service solutions for Microsoft’s communications. He went on to be one of a handful of people that started Microsoft Surface, which became Microsoft Devices.
Associate Professor Peter-Michael Osera, left, will hold a conversation with Ali Akgün ’93 in Seattle, while Trustee Matthew Welch ’96, right, discusses ethical leadership with President Harris in San Francisco.
On Dec. 10 in San Francisco, Harris will engage in conversation with Trustee Matthew Welch ’96 about the role of liberal arts in shaping ethical leadership of the future.
Welch has a long history of leading and growing mission-driven enterprises. He is chief operating officer at BSR, a business network and consultancy that helps companies integrate sustainability into their value creation for the benefit of the firm and society. Before that, he held COO and senior operating roles at a mix of nonprofit and for-profit organizations in education and health care.
Welch graduated from Grinnell with honors for majors in Spanish and theatre. He served on the Grinnell College Alumni Council from 2007 to 2013 and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2013 where he is currently serving as vice chair.
In addition to London, spring semester events will include events in Des Moines, Houston, Dallas, New York City, and Philadelphia.
Robin Kopelman ’95, left, Harris, and Koffi Amegble ’23 share a laugh during the Common Good tour stop in Iowa City last March.
“We know that Grinnellians literally arrive from all over, and similarly they land in a variety of places,” Parker says. “Traveling to them helps us reach a wider and more diverse set of alumni. These events have strengthened alumni’s connections to the College and been important in terms of networking and community building.”
Parker thinks this new approach will showcase a local success story and inspire recent graduates and parents to possibilities.
“These events will help tell our alumni stories of impact and help illustrate the ways Grinnellians are producing incredible outcomes for their local, national, and global communities,” he says.
—by Jeremy Shapiro