Serial entrepreneur Mark Pincus and Haas School Professor Laura Tyson, an economic adviser to President Barack Obama, and will headline the All-Alumni Reunion Conference April 24 at the Haas School.
Titled "Managing and Leading in Complex Environments," the conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to all Haas School alumni. It is part of a series of events during MBA Reunion Weekend from April 23 to April 25.
The conference will begin with Dean Rich Lyons discussing the newly unveiled Haas School Strategic Plan. Then Tyson, former dean of the Haas School, will address the subject of "Global Megatrends."
Pincus will close the conference with a keynote speech on "Leadership Lessons from the Soccer Field." Pincus has founded four companies, including SupportSoft and Tribe.net. In 2007, he launched Zynga, a social gaming company boasting games such as Farmville, Mafia Wars, and CaféWorld, which can be found on a wide variety of social networking platforms, most notably Facebook and MySpace.
Three track sessions throughout the day will explore such topics ranging from "Leading Innovation" and "Crafting Work That Truly Fits You: Discovering Your Career Passions" to "Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, Government Policy, and Business Opportunities." Speakers include Haas professors and lecturers Jenny Chatman, PhD 88; Andy Rose; Fred Selinger; Severin Borenstein; Cameron Anderson; Kristiana Raube; Mark Rittenberg; and Zsolt Katona.
The conference will be followed by an all-alumni reception at 6:30, then reunion dinners at the Claremont Resort & Spa for the MBA classes of 2009, 2005, 2000, 1995, 1990, 1985, 1980, 1975, 1970, 1965, and 1960.
Weekend events for MBA alumni begin with a career development workshop on Friday, April 23 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mauri Schwartz, MBA 85, founder of Career Insiders, will present "Build Your Professional Network to Energize Your Career." This interactive workshop will help attendees discover how to create a network that will not only help them find a job and enhance their careers but allow them to build communities that will enrich their lives.
On Thursday and Friday, MBA Alumni Career Services will provide one-on-one career coaching sessions, either face-to-face or by telephone, to alumni who sign up for a session when they register for the reunion.
On Sunday, a family picnic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tilden Park will bring the MBA Reunion weekend to an end with a catered barbecue lunch and activities for the entire family.
In addition to the official activities, many classes are planning special events for their members on Friday evening. More information will be available on the alumni website — haas.berkeley.edu/groups/alumni/reunion — as plans are finalized.