Events

James Pethokoukis, a columnist and an economic policy analyst, is the Dewitt Wallace Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he writes and edits the AEIdeas blog and hosts a weekly podcast, “Political Economy with James Pethokoukis.” He is also a columnist for The Week and an official contributor to CNBC.

Mr. Pethokoukis will discuss the forces — from trade to technology, from fiscal policy to monetary policy — that will determine our economic reality for years to come.

Join an insightful conversation with the CEOs from Haworth, Herman Miller and Steelcase about the pre- and post-pandemic workplace and how they are shaping this space through innovative product design.

The workplace has become a highly fluid space largely shaped by innovative furniture design. In this timely panel discussion with CEOs of three global office furniture companies, we will hear where the workplace was headed prior to March 2020 and how it has pivoted in response to the pandemic. They will also discuss what returning to work will look like in the months ahead, and the trends we can expect to shape the longer term.

This powerhouse panel featuring Franco Bianchi, President & CEO, Haworth, Jim Keane, President & CEO, Steelcase, and Andi Owen, President & CEO, Herman Miller – and moderated by Deirdre Jimenez, President & CEO of BIFMA – will also explore the impact of the pandemic on the business and institutional furniture industry here in West Michigan and globally.

Join Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, for a conversation with Tina Freese Decker, President and CEO of Spectrum Health and Chair of The Economic Club of Grand Rapids. Sheryl will speak about the combined impact of the pandemic and the current economic crisis on small business. She will share her thoughts on the role that technology companies, like Facebook, can play in helping small businesses to not only survive, but thrive beyond the crisis. Sheryl will also discuss the unique impact of the pandemic on women in the workplace and what employers can do to respond. The conversation will focus on how building trust and resilience as business leaders can help us emerge stronger than before.

Sheryl Sandberg is chief operating officer at Facebook, overseeing the firm’s business operations. She also serves on Facebook’s board of directors. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank.

Sheryl is the co-author of Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy with Wharton professor and bestselling author Adam Grant. She is also the author of the bestsellers Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and Lean In for Graduates. She is the founder of the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to build a more equal and resilient world through two key initiatives, LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org. Sheryl serves on the boards of Facebook, Women for Women International, ONE, and SurveyMonkey.

Sheryl received a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School. She lives in Menlo Park, California, with her fiancé and their five children.