Portman Lecture in the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

The Portman Family Endowment

The Portman Entrepreneurial Leadership Fund was established in 2004 by William C. Portman '45 Tu'47, together with Robert J. Portman '78, William C. Portman III Tu'81, and Virginia Portman Amis. The fund is designed to "foster an understanding and appreciation of small business development, entrepreneurial activity and risk-taking, and the role that public policy plays in shaping its course." Income from the fund provides the Director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College with a flexible resource to support the Portman Lectures in the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, and other related initiatives, such as conferences, workshops, or internships for undergraduates.

The Portman Lectures in the Spirit of Entrepreneurship bring to campus cutting-edge policy thinkers and practitioners in the areas of small business development and entrepreneurship. These may include small business persons and entrepreneurs; high ranking government officials; leaders of prominent business organizations; researchers from leading universities, think tanks and foundations concentrating on issues of small business development; and state directors of economic development. Portman events are not held every year. Distinguished guests may spend one or more days on campus or be invited for multiyear visitorships, give a public lectures, participate in classes, and meet informally with students to discuss related issues and career possibilities.

Past Portman Lecturers

February 16, 2021

"Women, Entrepreneurship, and Atlanta in the New South"

Monica Delores Hooks '92, Executive Director Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative

Moderator: Daniella Reichstetter T'07, Executive Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.

April 9, 2019

"A Fireside Chat with Steve Glickman, Moderated by Dean Slaughter"

Steve Glickman, Founder & CEO, Develop LLC; Co-Founder and Former CEO, Economic Innovation Group; Former Senior Economic Advisor, National Security and National Economic Councils, Obama Administration

Moderator: Matthew Slaughter, Paul Danos Dean, Earl C. Daum 1924 Professor of International Business, Tuck School of Business

May 23, 2018

Student Debate with The Economist

Theme: Open Future, Open Technology

Topic: Tech giants should be more heavily regulated

Student Debaters: Connie Lee '18, Olivia Hunter '19, Albert Chen '20, and Zachary Johnson '20

Co-sponsored with The Economist

October 4, 2016

"Entrepreneurship and Our Growth Challenge"

Glenn Hubbard, Dean, Columbia Business School

October 16, 2015

"Strategies for State Economic Prosperity – Small Business Entrepreneurship & Job Creation"

Mike Kennealy '90, Assistant Secretary for Business Growth for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development

April 14, 2015

"Are CEOs Overpaid?"

Lucian Bebchuk, William J. Friedman and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor of Law, Economics, and Finance; Director of the Program on Corporate Governance; Harvard Law School

Steven N. Kaplan, Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Moderator: Douglas Irwin, John Sloan Dickey Third Century Professor in the Social Sciences, Department of Economics, Dartmouth College

May 14, 2014

"Financial Inclusion & Women Empowerment"

Chetna Sinha, Founder & Chairperson, Mann Deshi Mahila Bank and the Mann Deshi Foundation, Ashoka Fellow

April 12, 2013

"What Is Online Learning?"

Chip Paucek, CEO and Co-founder, 2U, Inc.

April 19, 2012

"Entrepreneurship and the Future of the Global Economy"

Carl J. Schramm, President, Schramm & Company; Bush Fellow, George W. Bush Institute; Visiting Scientist, MIT

November 10, 2010

"Shooting an Elephant' - or Why Be Leadership Literate?"

Barbara Kellerman, James McGregor Burns Lecturer in Leadership, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

October 28, 2009

"Leadership Lessons Learned on the Firing Line."

Anne Mulcahy, Chairman, Xerox Corporation

April 15, 2009

"Flickr, Social Computing, and the New Humanities"

Stewart Butterfield, Co-founder, flickr

May 7, 2008

"Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age"

Richard Parsons, Chairman of the Board and former CEO, Time Warner

May 10, 2007

"People-Centric Cultures Pay Big Dividends: Lessons from Great Companies"

Anne Rhoades, Founding Executive Vice President of People, JetBlue Airways; President, People Ink

April 28, 2006 (Inaugural)

"The Bernie Marcus Story: Visionary, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist"

Bernie Marcus, Co-founder and former CEO, The Home Depot