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DENVER – Students and faculty from 11 universities and business leaders converged in Denver, Colorado October 18-19 for the 2018 Daniels Fund Ethics Consortium Summit, hosted by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program, the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Law School. The goal of the Ethics Summit is to promote ethical business conduct in students as they prepare to enter the workforce. The Summit's format consisted of a series of keynote presentations, panels, and small-group discussions where students, business people, and faculty focused on the theme of “Putting Ethics Into Practice”. Participants heard from business leaders and discussed the importance of ethics and practical strategies for reinforcing ethical behavior in business.

182 participants at the event included students and faculty members representing 10 business schools and one law school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming – all members of the Daniels Fund Ethics Consortium. Business leaders from each of the university’s communities also participated, with the goal of extending the Summit’s relevance and value beyond the campus and into the business world. Students, faculty, and business leaders gathered together into small, integrated groups to discuss the issues raised and share their perspectives.

“Our founder, Bill Daniels, believed that his reputation for ethics and integrity was his most valuable business asset,” said Linda Childears, president and CEO of Daniels Fund. “It is important to make sure the next generation of business leaders has a strong ethical foundation.”

The Summit was kicked off Thursday evening with a dinner, emceed by former 9NEWS anchor and business reporter and current President & CEO of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce, Gregg Moss, and a keynote address given by Jake Jabs, President & CEO of American Furniture Warehouse. “Don’t oversell, don’t over promise,” Jabs told the participants. “The key to business success is honesty.”

On Friday, participants heard from Bob Hottman, former CEO of EKS&H, now part of Plante Moran, where he is a Partner. Hottman urged students to remember that their actions and reputations will not only affect themselves, but also those that came before them, and those that will come after. “It takes you years to build your reputation and you can lose it in an instant,” he said.

Leroy Williams, CEO of CyberTekIQ and former Chief Information Officer for Ball Corporation, addressed the Summit and advised participants to seek out organizations with strong ethics. “Those are the organizations you want to be a part of,” said Williams. Erica Salmon Byrne, Executive Vice President of Government & Compliance with Ethisphere, highlighted the importance of ethics and reputation to success in a modern economy where many companies increasingly have significant assets that are intangible. “People want to do business with businesses they trust,” she said.

The program also included two business panels which included Robert Bray, CEO of Bray Real Estate; Wendy Dominguez, President & Co-Founder of Innovest Portfolio Solutions; Jerome Gonzalez, President & CEO of JG Management Systems; Sarah McQuiddy, President of the Greeley Chamber of Commerce; Shawn Mills, President & CEO of Green House Data; and Dale Skivington, former Vice President of Compliance, Risk & Privacy for Dell Technologies.

About Daniels Fund and the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative
The Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Daniels Fund continues the legacy of generosity established by its founder, Bill Daniels, a cable television pioneer known for his compassion for those in need and his unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity.

The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative strives to deliver principle-based ethics education and reinforce the value of ethical business and personal conduct. The Ethics Initiative encompasses four components — the Collegiate Program, the High School Program, the Law Enforcement Program, and the online Case Bank — each with a specific approach and target audience.

The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program was launched in 2010 with a $7.5 million grant and eight participating schools, and was renewed for another five years (2015-2019) with an $11.25 million grant and the addition of three more schools. The Collegiate Program involves 10 business schools and one law school that comprise the Ethics Consortium: Colorado Mesa University, Colorado State University, New Mexico State University, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, University of Colorado Law School, University of Denver, University of New Mexico, University of Northern Colorado, University of Utah, and University of Wyoming. DanielsFund.org to learn more.