Expert seminars on Money & Career offered during Alumni Weekend at Stevens Institute of Technology

HOBOKEN, N.J. — As jobs and the economy grab constant headlines – and occupy most everyone’s thoughts – three experts will try to make sense of things during a brand new Alumni Weekend seminar series at Stevens Institute of Technology, Saturday, May 30, on the university’s Hoboken campus.

Gerry Crispin ’69, an international human resources consultant; Jim Walsh ’69, a managing director and chief operating officer for marketing with Prisma Capital Partners LP; and his wife, Mary Anne Walsh, managing principal of the executive coaching practice and cross-cultural consultancy of Walsh Advisors, LLC, will present free seminars on Saturday, May 30, during Alumni Weekend 2009.

Crispin’s and Mary Anne Walsh’s talk is titled “Mobile, Engaged and Transparent: Managing Your Career in a Net-Working World,” and Jim Walsh will chair a panel on “The New Realities of a De-Leveraged World.” The seminars will be held in Room 122 of the Babbio Center, with Crispin’s and Mrs. Walsh’s talk beginning at 10 a.m. and Jim Walsh’s at 11 a.m.

Crispin and Mrs. Walsh plan to discuss managing your career in uncertain economic times and anticipating the many upcoming changes in the work place, including the use of new technology.

“The next decade will see as many changes in how we think about work as the last three,” Crispin says. “Emerging technology tools are redefining our communication capabilities to such an extent that the notion of disruptive innovation may soon be up close and personal. As the definition of ‘friend’ and our notion of ‘privacy’ and ‘transparency’ are all undergoing a transformation, this session will be an open dialogue about how to explore what comes next.”

Crispin has worked for more than 30 years in the human resources field and has an international consulting practice that has seen him present his views on new staffing models in China, Russia, Canada and Australia and to more than a dozen U.S. conferences each year. Crispin also regularly volunteers his time for Stevens’ alumni, holding monthly meetings with the Stevens Alumni Association’s Stevens Career Network (SCNet) to assist those who are in career transition.

Mary Anne Walsh, Ed. D., co-founded Walsh Advisors, LLC – an advisory firm marketing alternative investment solutions to international institutions – with her husband in 2002. She develops global talent by providing services for corporations and individuals on executive coaching, career management and cross-cultural organizational issues. A frequent speaker at international conferences and educational seminars, she has more than 20 years of experience in coaching global leaders in a variety of industries.

Meanwhile, Jim Walsh and his panel will discuss finance and investment issues.

“The New Realities of a De-leveraged World,” he says, will focus on these timely topics: How did we get here (and where is “here?”); Tilting at Windmills versus the real compensation problem; A futile quest for relevance: sources and accuracy of business news; Wall Street is Main Street; Main Street is Wall Street; and What this means for companies, you and Stevens.

“The hope for this panel is to shed a little light on the recession and the somewhat convoluted economics and market mechanisms that spawned it,” Jim Walsh says.

“While there are many reasons and contributing factors to this situation, most people – particularly those with financial woes – want to know who they can blame for the current state of affairs,” he says. “Unfortunately, things are never quite that simple, and I am reminded of the comment from Pogo that ‘we have met the enemy and he is us.’”

Jim Walsh is a member of the Stevens Board of Trustees. He works with Prisma Capital Partners LP, a $4 billion alternative investment manager primarily focused on providing multi-manager hedge fund solutions to institutions worldwide. He is co-founder of Walsh Advisors, LLC, and was co-head of the European Banking Business Development Center at Zurich Financial Services, among other executive positions.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

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