DeKALB — NIU’s College of Business is hosting “Wednesday Night Wisdom,” a free online speaker event, on Sept. 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. 

Attendees can expect to hear from those who led the conception of the De La Vega Innovation Lab that opened Aug. 18 in the College of Business. The lab was designed to inspire innovation and build an entrepreneurial mindset by serving as a hub for students, faculty and staff to come together to bring their ideas to life.

The panelists include:

Furkan Gur, an assistant professor of management, who specializes in inter-organizational relationships, geographic clusters and entrepreneurship.

Tim Michaelis, an assistant professor of management, who specializes in resourcefulness and efficiency in entrepreneurial ventures.

Christine Mooney, Barsema social entrepreneurship professor, who specializes in creativity and innovation workshops and business model development workshops.

The moderators include:

Jason Kaye, NIU alumni of marketing and OM&IS, who works as a product security analyst at Abbott and specializes in commercial and sustainability initiatives.

Kerrian Miller, NIU alumni of marketing, nonprofit management, and social entrepreneurship, who works as a marketing operations analyst for Blend, a financial technology startup.

“Connectivity is the core of the college experience, and our Wednesday Night Wisdom series has kept our students, alumni and friends connected to one another and to learning during the last 12 months,” said Amy Buhrow, senior director of Strategy, Student Success and Accreditation in a College of Business news release.

College of Business Dean Balaji Rajagopalan said he’s grateful to alumni for sharing their knowledge on networking and leadership during the pandemic and financial management. 

“Our alumni and faculty members have stepped up to provide a wealth of information and are helping others to stay focused and productive on their business, school assignments, projects and personal lives,” Rajagopalan said in the news release. 

Register for Wednesday Night Wisdom at go.niu.edu/wnw.