By Caleb Brown, Assistant News Editor
Oklahoma Baptist University is hosting a business forum for alumni Friday, March 8 and
Monday, April 8.
Nate Geist, Brad Johnson and Doug Ledbetter will be guest-speaking for the March 8 forum, and Peter Wilson will be the sole speaker for April 8th.
Both business forums will be at 10:00 a.m. in the Tulsa Royalties Auditorium in the Bailey Business Center.
“The Business Forums are a common occurrence,” said Dr. Craig Walker, Wheeler Professor of Economics. “They provide a lot of information for business majors. You can find information about them on the University Calendar, the televisions in the Geiger Center, or by reading the Bison.”
The forums are sponsored by the Paul Dickinson College of Business.
“Usually, we hold one in the fall and one in the spring,” said Dr. David Houghton, Dean of the College of Business. “This year will be a little bit different.”
This will be the first time two business forums will be held in the Spring semester, which is a change from the traditional one forum per semester.
Brad Johnson is the CFO at the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma, the company handling OBU’s endowment for scholarships.
Doug Ledbetter received Wichita Business Journal’s 2017 40 Under 40 award for his work at Ernst and Young office in Wichita.
Nate Geist worked as a CPA for Edward Jones for 10+ years.
Peter Wilson has been with PTLA for seven years, in positions from Vice President to Chief Operating Officer.
In that time, he helped double annual transaction volume and led the acquisition of a management company, more than doubling the number of units under PTLA management.
“It’s great to see our alumni come back and contribute,” said Dr. Houghton. “They are taking their time to come in and pour into these students.”
The Business Forums provide a way for business majors to receive extra credit in some of their classes while learning about real world experiences.
The alumni who speak at the event in the past usually boast over 10+ years of experience in their given fields of business.
“Even though they are listening to a formal presentation,” said Dr. Houghton. “There is an opportunity to hang around. I really do think these alumni do care about the connections with students.”
The forums often correspond with what is being taught in some of the business courses that year and are meant to help students learn more about areas they might not have understood in class.
“It’s one thing to hear something from a professor, and another to hear it from an alumnus,” said Dr. Houghton. “It can be both affirming and confirming for a student when they are learning about accounting or learning about marketing to hear it from someone who has gone out and done it.
thebisonnews.com 
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