His nickname is "Mr. Creativity."
John Kao, the innovation guru who's made a career out of helping leading companies and countries at "getting innovation done," will be a panelist in a UCSC Alumni Association event in April, along with Silicon Valley leader Shellye Archambeau and historian and political pundit Victor Davis Hanson (Cowell '75). New York Times senior editor Katy Roberts (Kresge '74) will moderate.
The panelists will discuss "Innovation and Education in a Global Society" at UCSC's first-ever Intellectual Forum and Alumni Vintners Wine Reception. The event takes place on Saturday, April 26, during campus Reunion Weekend.
Kao has received much media attention for his latest book, Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters and What We Can Do to Get It Back. In it, he calls for a national strategy to regain U.S. preeminence in science and technology. An accomplished jazz musician with three degrees (a bachelor's in philosophy from Yale College; a medical degree in psychiatry from Yale Medical School; and a business degree from Harvard Business School), Kao brings multiple perspectives to the work of his nonprofit firm, Kao and Co., which provides organizations with insight and foresight, opportunity identification, innovation best practices, and more.
Hanson is Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, Fresno, and a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services. A scholar of military history and classical culture, his many honors include a 2007 National Humanities Medal awarded by President Bush, and the 2002 UCSC Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award. Among his books is Who Killed Homer?: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom, which he coauthored with John Heath.
Archambeau, named one of Internet World's Top 25 "Click and Mortar" executives in the nation, is the CEO of MetricStream, a company providing global corporations with governance, risk, compliance, and quality management solutions. Coauthor of the book Marketing That Works: How Entrepreneurial Marketing Can Add Sustainable Value to Any Sized Company, Archambeau is also a member of the board of directors of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives.
Forum moderator Roberts has responsibility for helping the New York Times transition from print to digital media. During her years with the paper, she has held a number of posts, including editor of the Sunday "Week in Review" section, national editor, and, for five years, editor of the op-ed page. In 2001, she won the UCSC Alumni Association's Alumni Achievement Award.
After the discussion, attendees are invited to gather in the outdoor courtyard at the new Humanities building to relax and enjoy alumni vintner wines while discussing issues raised in the forum.
Reunion Weekend's Intellectual Forum and Alumni Vintners Wine Reception will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at UCSC's new Humanities Lecture Hall.
Advance RSVP and tickets for the forum and reception are required by April 18.
Cost: Free for guests attending Reunion Weekend events; RSVP online at the Reunion Weekend web site or call (831) 459-2530.
For guests not attending other Reunion Weekend events, tickets are $7-$9. RSVP online at Santa Cruz Tickets or call (831) 459-2159.
For further information about the event, click here.
