The Robert L. Milligan Leaders in Business Lecture Series

The “Leaders in Business” Lecture Series was created in 1992 through a generous endowment established by Robert L. “Bill” Milligan ’22 and his wife Mary. Bill Milligan was a long time OWU Trustee and had a distinguished career in the Pure Oil Company where he became President in 1954 and Chairman from 1965 until his retirement in 1971.

The Milligan Lecture Series has brought the following distinguished leaders in business and academia to campus:

Upcoming Lecture

Dawn Dickson, Founder & CEO of PopCom

Topic: Entrepreneurship: Are YOU built to scale?

Dawn Dickson is a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology, marketing, and business development. In this keynote, Dawn discusses her 20+ year journey as an entrepreneur and how to leverage your unique skill sets to design the life and business you have always desired. Topics include being self-aware in business, how to take a business from idea to product market fit, 'You’re a CEO, now what?', designing the life and business you desire, and finding your “Why".

October 4, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Hamilton-Williams Campus Center - 40 Rowland Avenue, Delaware, OH 43015

Benes Rooms 

Free Event - No RSVP Required


Past Lectures

3/24/2022 Pete Watson, Executive Chairman, Board of Directors Greif, Inc. "Creating a Culture of Servant Leadership"
10/1/2019 Dave Kaufman '81, CEO of Encova Insurance, "Integrated Leadership"
10/4/2018 Shadman Zafar '94, Head of Digital, Citi, "The Rules of Engagement - How to Succeed in Corporate America"  
10/19/2017 Daymond John, Founder and CEO of FUBU, Branding Expert and Investor on ABC's hit show, Shark Tank, "5 Shark Points"
 11/3/2016 Jim Dicke II, honorary degree, Chairman & CEO of Crown Equipment Corporation, "Leadership in Business and in the Wider World"
 10/23/2014 Tracie Winbigler ’87, Chief Operations Officer for the National Geographic Society, “The Media Industry and the Digital Transition.”
10/3/2013   Louis A. Simpson ’58, Chairman of SQ Advisors, LLC, "Corporate America - to rent of to  own?"
 09/28/2012 Clark Winter ’73,  Founder of Clark Winter Enterprises, a global Investment research and strategy firm. “The Global Economy Going Forward: Making Sense of Apparent Nonsense”
 09/22/2011 Andres Duarte ’62,  Managing Director of Duarte Vivas y Asociados, C.A.  “Survival Management in a Distorted Economy: the Venezuelan Model”
 11/17/2009 John F. Milligan ’83,  President & CEO of Gilead Sciences, Inc.  “The Story of Gilead Sciences – Building a Business that Transformed a Disease” 
 10/23/2008 George S. Carpenter ’78, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.  “Changing the Marketing Game”
 10/25/2007 David M. Cromwell ’66, Retired President & CEO JPMorgan Capital Corporation and Adjunct Professor at the Yale School of Management.  “Are You an Entrepreneur?”
 10/03/2006 Toshi Amino, Retired Executive Vice President, Honda of America Manufacturing.  “China’s Automobile Industry”
 09/29/2005 Louis A. Simpson ’58, President and Chief Executive Officer, Capital Operations GEICO Corporation.  “Creating Shareholder Value”
 10/13/2004 Dragan Filipovic, Senior Principal Scientist, Kraft Foods and Global Research Technology Strategy.  “Creativity & Productivity in a Manufacturing Environment”
 11/06/2003 Frederick A. Manske, Jr. ’61, Retired CEO from Purolator Courier and formerly Senior Vice President, Federal Express.  “The Leadership Challenge – Opportunity Knocks – Are You Ready?”
 09/12/2002 Charles M. Berger, Woltemade Center Executive-In-Residence, Chairman and Retired CEO, Scotts Company, Marysville, Ohio.  “Making Good Companies Great”
 04/04/2000 Al Bataglia ’64,  Nationally Recognized Expert in Supply Chain Management.  “The Missing Link – Bringing Supply Chain Management to the Forefront of Business”
 09/29/1999 David Wetherell, President and CEO, CMGI, Inc. (Sagan National Colloquium Address).  “The Internet in a Global Society”
 10/08/1998 James Becher ’61, President and CEO, The Geneva Group.  “Investment Strategies for the 21st Century: The Private Equity Fund”
 04/20/1995 Donald Jacobs, Dean, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.  “Management Education for the 21st Century” 
 10/21/1994 Thomas G. Murdough, Jr., President of the STEP 2 Corporation, Streetsboro, Ohio.  “Ethics and Entrepreneurship” 
04/20/1994 Thomas M. Hout, Vice President, Boston Consulting.  “Do We Have Anything to Learn from the Japanese?”
  11/04/1993 Elmer W. Johnson, Partner of the Kirkland & Ellis Law firm, Chicago, and former Executive Vice President of General Motors.  “The Large Corporation: An Endangered Species?”
 03/24/1993  Louis A. Simpson ’58, Vice Chairman, GEICO Corporation.  “Investing in a Global Market”