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:
| 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 |
| 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” |