Join the Napa Institute and The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America for the 2020 Principled Entrepreneurship™ Conference as we explore the topic of Ethical Management and Faith in an Era of Woke Capitalism. Keynotes include Paul Singer, Dr. James Otteson, Dr. Andrew Abela, Stephen Auth, Msgr. Martin Schlag, J.D., S.T.D, Bill Mumma, Dr. Vincent Phillip Muñoz and more!
Conference Details
The problem: for decades, scholars, Church leaders, and others have been asking businesses to be more ethical. Suddenly – almost overnight, it seems – companies are keen to show their consciences, and concerns about Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues. How should Catholic business leaders navigate this complex situation?
This conference will give the latest insights from the perspective of the Catholic faith, addressing questions such as:
• What is Woke capitalism, and what does it have to do with ethical management? Is it sincere, or just posturing?
• How should controversial issues (such as life and gender issues) be addressed?
• What role can faith play in management?
Introduction to the 2020 Principled Entrepreneurship Conference
Dr. Andrew Abela, Dean of the The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America
Opening Remarks: Day 1
David Bahnsen | Founder/Managing Partner, Bahnsen Group Tim Busch | CEO, Pacific Hospitality Group John Meyer | Executive Director, Napa Institute Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. | President, Magis Center
Managing in the Light of Faith
Steve Green, President, Hobby Lobby
In this presentation, Steve Green discusses Hobby Lobby’s approach to integrating faith and business, without compromise.
Session 1: No Excuses: The Social Utility of Free Markets as Observed by a Wall Street Strategist
Jason DeSena Trennert, Founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Investment Strategist, Strategas Securities, LLC
During his presentation, Jason DeSena Trennert addresses Freedom vs. Security and how greater economic equality does not, in fact, equal more wealth. He then explains how long-term business success requires character and being a person for others.
Session 2: Is Capitalism Moral?
Dr. James Otteson, Professor of Business Ethics Marketing, Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame
The last 200 years has seen an unprecedented increase in prosperity. Dr. Otteson discusses the reason for this and shows how “honorable business” answers the call to create genuine value through cooperation, thereby respecting human dignity.
Session 3: Colleague or Commissar, How Diversity Officers (Mis)Align Corporate Culture
Dr. Catherine Pakaluk, Director of Social Research and Assistant Professor, The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America
Dr. Catherine Pakaluk discusses how and why forced diversity within a business and its hierarchy affects the corporate culture from the top down.
Session 4: What is Wokeness and Where did it Come From?
Dr. Elizabeth Corey, Honors Program Director, Baylor University
Dr. Elizabeth Corey discusses the origins of “wokeness” and how microaggressions, unconscious bias, and cultural humility contribute to the “woke” vision.
Session 5: What is Woke Capitalism and Why Should I Care?
Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion & Public Life, University of Notre Dame
In this presentation, Phil Muñoz discusses the ideology that animates Woke Capitalism and why it is problematic for a free society.
Session 6: The Cultural Contradictions of the Woke Capitalism Bargain
Ross Douthat, Op-Ed Columnist, Podcast Host and Author, The New York Times
Ross Douthat discusses three key contradictions of Woke Capitalism – Wokeness as the cynical cost of doing business, Woke Capitalism as a sincere replacement for the Protestant work ethic, and Woke Capitalism as a temporary values-driven solution to the problem identified by Daniel Bell.
Session 7: How Woke Capitalism Corrupts Business
Dr. Samuel Gregg, Research Director, Acton Institute
The phenomenon of woke capitalism reflects deep confusion about the purpose of business and how commerce serves the common good. The alternative to woke capitalism is not amoral utilitarianism but business that acts morally.
Panel Discussion on the First Day’s Sessions
Dr. Andrew Abela | Dean, The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America Tim Busch | CEO, Pacific Hospitality Group Fr. Roger Landry | Attaché, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations John Meyer | Executive Director, Napa Institute
Faith and the Economy
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), interviewed by Dr. Andrew Abela, Dean of The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America
Opening Remarks: Day 2
Session 8: A Missionary on Wall Street
Stephen Auth, CFA , Chief Investment Officer Equities, Federated Hermes
Why Christian Business Leaders Need to Engage, Not Run From, Woke Capitalism
In today’s highly charged political environment, business leaders often find themselves avoiding the topic of Woke Capitalism, or alternatively, offering banal support which often lacks specificity or substance. Though perhaps “safe” in the short term, Stephen Auth proposes a different, longer term solution: engagement
Session 9: The Christian Anthropology of St. John Paul II
Msgr. Martin Schlag, Alan W. Moss Endowed Chair for Catholic Social Thought, University of St. Thomas
Wokeness is the contemporary version of the Western betrayal of its Christian culture that we have seen in play since 1968. Msgr. Martin Schlag presents lessons we can learn from St. John Paul II for addressing Woke Capitalism.
Session 10: Three Kings & Two Children
William P. Mumma, CEO & Board Chairman, The Becket Fund
In this presentation, Bill Mumma discusses how social coercion warps the truth, and the role of business in this falsification regime. He closes with thoughts on what Christians can do in response.
Session 11: What are the Legal Implications of Gender and Life Issues for Business?
John Bursch, Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy, Alliance Defending Freedom
“SOGI” (sexual-orientation/gender-identity) laws and contraceptive mandates are increasingly being enacted to attack religiously-motivated businesses. John Bursch looks at what freedoms such businesses still have to live their faith in the public square.
Session 12: Dialoguing with Integrity in a Time of Division
Roger Severino, Director, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Roger Severino draws from his professional experience to provide principles for dialoguing with integrity.
Session 13: Religious Liberty in Corporate America
Brian J. Grim, President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation
There is a new trend happening in America’s most successful corporations: they are becoming more faith friendly. Brian Grim discusses why promoting religious diversity in the workplace can now be seen as just good business.
Session 14: The Displacement of “Good Work” for “Bad Woke”
Dr. Michael J. Naughton, Director of the Center for Catholic Studies, University of St. Thomas
The Woke Corporation is one more example in American history of disordering and misallocating the good that business does. What is needed to respond to this distorted view of business? A clarification of the goods of the modern corporation, i.e. “good work”, “good goods”, and “good wealth”. This talk will principally speak about “good work” and why the Woke corporation is eroding its possibility.
Session 15: Woke Capitalism and the “Sale of Indulgences”
Andreas Widmer, Director of the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America
Andreas Widmer argues that we need to move away from the idea that business is amoral, or even immoral, and has to be expiated through woke activism, and back to the idea that business is inherently good when it serves society by creating employment and goods that serve the common good.
Session 16: “Three Things Remain…” – The Spiritual Battle for What Really Matters
Fr. Philip Bochanski, Priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Executive Director of Courage International
In this presentation, Fr. Bochanski explores ways to grow in faith, hope, and charity.
The Catholic Antidote to Woke Capitalism
Sohrab Ahmari, Author/Op-ed Editor, The New York Post
Sohrab Ahmari looks at the problem of woke capitalism and what the Catholic response is.
How to Live as Missionary Disciples in Your Own Circumstances
Most Rev. Thomas Daly is the Bishop of Spokane
In this presentation, Bishop Thomas Daly expounds upon what it means to be a missionary disciple, the challenges that a missionary disciple may face, and the importance of humility, gratitude, and intercessory prayer in living out this discipleship.
Believe in People: Bottom Up Solutions for a Top Down World
Brian Hooks, Chairman & CEO, Stand Together; President, Charles Koch Foundation & Charles Koch Institute
Join Stand Together CEO, Brian Hooks, and Napa Institute founder Tim Busch for an interview on Brian’s forthcoming book Believe in People: Bottom Up Solutions for a Top Down World. Written with Charles Koch, Believe in People shows how Americans from all walks of life can tackle our country’s biggest problems and create a society where all people can thrive. Written for the millions of “social entrepreneurs” who want to make a bigger difference, the book provides a guide for anyone who wants to help end the injustices that surround us and transform society by empowering people from the bottom-up.
Interview with His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell
His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello interviewed by Monica Doumit, Public Affairs & Engagement for the Archdiocese of Sydney and a columnist with The Catholic Weekly
A Conversation with Jimmy Lai
Jimmy Lai, British Hong Kong Entrepreneur and Pro-democracy Advocate
Exclusive conversation with Jimmy Lai led by Francis X. Maier in which they discuss Jimmy’s recent arrest and why he continues to stay in Hong Kong, risking his comfort and freedom.
Paul Singer interviewed by Robert P. George
Paul Singer, Founder, Elliott Management
Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University
Closing Remarks for the 2020 Principled Entrepreneurship Conference
Dr. Andrew Abela | Dean, The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America
Tim Busch | CEO, Pacific Hospitality Group
Fr. Roger Landry | Attaché, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations
John Meyer | Executive Director, Napa Institute
A Remarkable Relic of the Resurrection
Fr. Robert Spitzer, S. J., President, Magis Center
Inspired by the Museum of the Bible’s fascinating, innovative, and interactive exhibit, “The Shroud of Turin: Mystery and Faith” opening February 19, 2021, we recall Fr. Spitzer’s keynote address from the 2017 Napa Institute Conference.
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The Napa Institute Summer Conference brings together some of the world’s most prominent Catholic and Christian thinkers each year to engage, encourage, and inspire the over 700 participants who gather from every corner of the country and around the world. This conference provides unique opportunities to build community, share ideas, and grow in friendship with some of the most effective Catholics leaders in the country.