Mark Albion, social entrepreneur and author, will keynote 2010 Indiana University Entrepreneurial Connection program

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Mark Albion, serial social entrepreneur, noted author and co-founder of Net Impact, will visit Indiana University's Kelley School of Business on Friday (April 16) as a distinguished entrepreneur of its Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Author of the New York Times bestseller Making a Life, Making a Living and True to Yourself: Leading a Values-Based Business, Dr. Albion will be the keynote speaker for the Johnson Center's third annual IU Entrepreneurial Connection program.

Albion, who has spent much of his life trying to balance personal development with career goals, will share his thoughts in his keynote titled "More Than Money: Creating a Career that Reflects Your Values." A panel discussion focusing on the role of businesses and social entrepreneurship will immediately follow his speech.

Registration is open to IU alumni, faculty, staff and students and is a part of the cross-campus initiative of the Johnson Center to introduce and support entrepreneurial and innovative thinking throughout the university community. To register go to: www.kelley.iu.edu/jcei. The program will begin at 1 p.m. in the forum of the Godfrey Graduate and Executive Education Center, 1275 E. 10th St.

Albion is the author of seven books, including his most recent More Than Money: Questions Every MBA Needs to Answer. In the fall of 2008, the book was distributed electronically to up to 55,000 MBA students at 75 business schools. A three-minute animated movie, "The Good Life Parable: An MBA Meets a Fisherman," from the book was an official short-film selection of the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival and received other honors. It can be seen on YouTube.

A student and professor at Harvard for 20 years, Albion went on to co-found seven organizations, including the global student leadership network, Net Impact. He has made more than 600 visits to business schools on five continents to discuss purposeful careers, for which Business Week called him "the savior of business school souls."

Joining Albion on the panel discussion following the keynote will be Susan Maupin, Kelley MBA'96, director of marketing, Stonyfield Farm, the third-largest yogurt brand and largest organic yogurt brand in the U.S.; Jeffery S. McMullen, Kelley assistant professor of entrepreneurship, specializing in entrepreneurial decision making and social entrepreneurship; and Siri A. Terjesen, Kelley assistant professor of strategic management and international entrepreneurship, who also conducts research in social entrepreneurship.

"Social entrepreneurship has become a huge force across the globe and we are proud to be hosting one of the world's thought leaders on the subject," said Donald F. Kuratko, the Jack M. Gill Chair of Entrepreneurship and executive director of the Johnson Center.

An entrepreneurial networking program will follow the panel discussion. Kelley School alumni and students with entrepreneurial experience have been invited to participate by giving "elevator" pitches about their companies, their services, hiring or internship opportunities and mentoring interests.

"This networking venue was created so our students and alumni would have the opportunity to interact," Kuratko added. "The Kelley School of Business alumni are an important conduit for the future successes of our entrepreneurship program."

The Johnson Center hosts the Distinguished Entrepreneur Program and the IU Entrepreneurial Connection Day to inspire students as they pursue their careers. The Distinguished Entrepreneur Program is supported by the Dye Speaker Series and the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. For more information, call 812-855-4248 or visit www.kelley.iu.edu/jcei.