Leading national voice on business ethics to launch Dean Institute Dec. 11

Janel Shoun | 12/05/2008

In the midst of the current economic crisis, the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity at the Lipscomb University College of Business will feature Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., author of the acclaimed 2008 book High Performance With High Integrity, at its December 11 launch event for corporate executives, board members and community leaders.

Heineman has received international acclaim for his focus on building cultures of integrity in business, which will be a key focus of the Dean Institute. As a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, he builds on his experience as a long time GE senior executive and general counsel to provide leaders with the tools to instill and reward integrity throughout their organizations.

Following his keynote at the noon event in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena, Heineman will be joined by a panel of corporate executives and board members who will vet questions from the audience of civic and business leaders on issues of corporate governance and integrity in the workplace.

To register for the Dean Institute launch luncheon with Ben Heineman Jr. click here. 

“This is an extremely difficult time in American history when people across the country are questioning the very nature of our corporate institutions and wondering where we go from here,” said Turney Stevens, Dean of The College of Business at Lipscomb University. “Our nation needs an honest conversation around the issues of corporate governance and integrity, and the Dean Institute is proud to take part in that dialogue. Our goal is not to lay blame for today’s problems, but to seek out best practices that will help corporations move forward. We are honored to launch our Institute with Ben Heineman, who has emerged as the leading scholar on corporate integrity for our generation.”

The mission of the Dean Institute is to address the core issues at play in corporate decision making, and to provide a forum for corporate executives and board members to examine solutions and best governance practices. Co-founded in October by the Lipscomb University College of Business and Nashville law firm Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, the Dean Institute is partially funded by an endowment from Hilton and Sallie Dean. Hilton Dean is a retired vice chairman of Ernst & Young, LLP, New York, and is currently chairman of the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees. 

“The Dean Institute is an example of Lipscomb’s commitment to engage the community and stimulate meaningful dialogue on the most relevant issues for our time,” said Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry. “At the Dean Institute, we are creating a forum where corporate executives and board members can come together to address this challenging moment in our nation when corporations need to reflect appropriate governance and strong ethical values. This is an important day for Lipscomb University as we seek to offer guidance and counsel so that those who direct and manage their organizations can do so in a way that is beneficial for their corporation and our society. This day is made all the more meaningful by the presence of the country’s most heralded voice on corporate integrity – Ben Heineman.”

About Ben Heineman

Retired global Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the General Electric Company, Heineman is acclaimed in corporate America as the leading scholar on how corporations can marry high performance and high integrity. While at GE, he led a worldwide effort by the company to make business unit leaders accountable for both profits and integrity, chronicling those experiences in his seminal 2005 article in the Harvard Business Review, “Avoiding Integrity Land Mines.”

Following his retirement from GE, Heineman became a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, a Distinguished Fellow at the Program on the Legal Profession at the Harvard Law School, and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is a founder of Transparency International, a worldwide organization that fights corruption in both business and government in nations around the globe.

About the Panelists

	Charles W. Bone Chairman, Bone McAllester Norton PLLC Bone is the founder and chairman of Bone McAllester Norton PLLC. He has served as a member of the boards of directors of both public and private companies and financial institutions and is a frequent advisor to boards and committees on corporate governance He has written articles for legal publications and lectured at numerous educational seminars on legal ethics, business law, and financial institution topics.
	WILLIAM F. CARPENTER III President, Chief Executive Officer, LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. William F. Carpenter III has served at LifePoint Hospitals as CEO, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Corporate Governance Officer since May 11, 1999. Prior to that, Carpenter served as general counsel of the America Group of HCA. He has been a member of the law firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, and is a of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., a behavioral health services company and is chair of its corporate governance committee.
	Sheena Lee Lipscomb University, Class of 2009 Sheena Lee is a senior corporate management major at Lipscomb University. Lee, from Longview, Texas, has been a member of the Lipscomb University Multicultural Association, a Lipscomb social club, and an active volunteer in the community, including  working with students to conduct an awareness forum on homelessness. Currently Lee is planning to earn her MBA from Lipscomb in corporate governance and hopes to someday become a corporate general counsel or corporate secretary.
	Robert E. McNeilly, III Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, SunTrust Bank, Nashville Rob McNeilly has previously served as executive vice president and commercial banking line business manager for SunTrust in Nashville, and chairman, president and CEO of SunTrust in Alabama. As chairman, president and CEO of SunTrust Bank, Nashville, McNeilly is responsible for SunTrust's retail, commercial, and wealth and investment management business in the Nashville area, including the company's 60 retail and specialized branches in the city and surrounding counties.
	JOYCE ESPY SEARCY President and Chief Executive Officer, Bethlehem Centers of Nashville Through her many endeavors as president and CEO of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville (BCN), Joyce Espy Searcy has mentored many women who have gone on to become CEO’s and development officers for other organizations. At BCN, Joyce has built a strong board, management, and volunteer team. Over her 20-year leadership at BCN, Searcy has helped redefine not-for-profit management.

About the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity

The Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity at Lipscomb University’s College of Business is an innovative program that examines the role of integrity in corporate decision making and encourages the best possible governance practices for both boards and management. Its programs offer an academic forum and executive education for public and private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and higher education students seeking a role in making the future better. The Dean Institute was founded through a generous gift previously established by Hilton and Sallie Dean. Mr. Dean is a retired vice chairman of Ernst & Young, LLP, New York, and is currently chairman of the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees. The Institute was co-founded by Lipscomb University’s College of Business and the Nashville law firm Bone McAllester Norton PLLC.