About this Event

Building a life of character and commitment requires active deliberation regarding our personal purpose and what it means to pursue it at different stages of life. In the words of Parker J. Palmer, “Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.” The question is, how can we find our calling and develop ourselves as those who lead with purpose?

The aim of this event is to learn about ways to pursue your calling and integrate purpose in your work. In discussion with four senior leaders and five Oxford alumni, we will explore the practices of leadership that have sustained them in their careers, and consider how to cultivate these practices in our own lives. The event is open to current Oxford students and alumni. You are welcome to join as many or as few sessions as you like, please use the Eventbrite link to register.

Track 1: Technology (11:00am – 12:30pm)

Turning a calling into a career in tech

Rosa Akbari, Formerly Senior Advisor – Technology for Development, Mercy Corps

Yin Yin Lü, Product Marketing Manager, Salary Finance

Jamie Collier, Cyber Threat Intelligence Consultant at FireEye Mandiant

Zoom link: zoom.us/j/91944807361?pwd=SkNhS3VHZkJkMzJzb09LUlptcnYvZz09 (Meeting ID: 919 4480 7361, Passcode: 536466)

Track 2: Business (1:30pm – 3:00pm)

Integrating purpose and character: Leadership lessons from business

Emmajane Varley, Communications Director, Forward Institute

Lauren Xie, Co-founder and Executive Director, Lively Worlds

Vuyane Mhlomi, Co-founder and CEO, Quro Medical (To be confirmed)

Zoom link: zoom.us/j/96681109435?pwd=YzVqdmRXZHNDOW5aUHBoTWQ4bTNiQT09 (Meeting ID: 966 8110 9435, Passcode: 319911)

Track 3: Law (4:30pm – 6:00pm)

What does responsible leadership look like in Law and Public Life?

Janice Baker, Associate Dean and Director of the Konduros Leadership Development Program, University of South Carolina School of Law

Kenneth Townsend, Director of Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools, Wake Forest University

Diana Dajer, Director, Instituto de Estudios del Ministerio Público, Colombia (To be confirmed)

Zoom link: zoom.us/j/92401786461?pwd=V1JRcHRXdHJ4WVRHT0ZmQ1hJU2Iydz09 (Meeting ID: 924 0178 6461, Passcode: 522881)

The conversations will draw on the speakers’ extensive experience in a wide range of institutional and vocational fields. In the face of the relentless uncertainty of current times, these discussions will be an opportunity for you to pause, reflect, and seek answers to some of the most important yet often overlooked questions related to building meaningful professional and personal lives.