Auriemma to lead UConn conference
STAMFORD — A business conference conceived by the University of Connecticut’s 11-time national championship-winning women’s basketball coach was held in New London County for its first four editions. This year, its “home court” will be in Stamford.
UConn officials announced this week that the 2019 Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference will take place Oct. 2 to Oct. 3, at the Stamford Sheraton hotel and at the Chelsea Piers Connecticut athletic complex, featuring speaking appearances by Auriemma along with executives from the technology, finance, restaurant and nonprofit sectors.
“Our speakers are all exceptionally dynamic, have great stories to share and bring expertise from across a broad spectrum of businesses and industries,” UConn School of Business professor Lucy Gilson, the conference’s academic director, said in a statement.
The conference was held in
2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018 at the Mohegan Sun casino and resort in Uncasville. About 150 attended last year’s gathering, according to UConn officials.
Auriemma is set to speak at a luncheon on Oct. 2 and possibly also at a lunch on Oct. 3.
He came up with the conference because he wanted to respond to the professional needs of managers moving into leadership roles. In his appearance in Stamford, he will discuss his prolific success with the women’s basketball program, which he has led since 1985.
Last season, the Huskies advanced to the Final Four, where it lost narrowly to Notre Dame.
Auriemma’s teams won fourstraight national titles between
2013 and 2016, and a total of seven between 1995 and 2010.
In addition to Auriemma, this year’s conference speakers will include Otis Elevator President and CEO Judy Marks; Travelers Senior Vice President Manon Mannoochahr; Stanley Black & Decker Hand Tools President Lee McChesney; Priceline Chief Marketing Officer Ben Harrell; and Connecticut Girl Scouts CEO Mary Barnaby.
“Our goal is for participants to leave the conference with powerful new ideas for ways to improve their leadership acumen and examples of how to handle a diverse set of situations, important information that they can use immediately,’’ Gilson said. “We also hope they will develop a new professional network of colleagues who they can turn to when facing leadership challenges.’’
Reflecting its fast-growing campus in downtown Stamford, UConn has held a number of business conferences recently in the city, including the IRLConn summit last month.