The Austin College Business Administration and Economics Department will host Joe W. “Chip” Pitts III as the Morris Entrepreneur-in-Residence, presenting a lecture and luncheon open to all students and faculty Wednesday, October 19, from Noon to 1 p.m. in Wright Campus Center’s Johnson Gallery. Those interested in attending should make a reservation by emailing Wanda Hardy. The discussion will focus on “Pro-Social Business Purpose: A Global Entrepreneur’s Perspective.”
Pitts is a business and norm entrepreneur, investor, advocate, and academic who teaches law and business at leading universities in the West and Asia and advises the UN as well as leading businesses around the world.
Longtime lecturer at Stanford and Oxford Universities, he is a co-inventor under U.S. and foreign patents, was founding general counsel of Tellme Networks (sold to Microsoft) and CEO of the e-commerce subsidiary of Pavillion Technologies (sold to Rockwell Automation). Formerly a partner of the global firm Baker & McKenzie, and chief legal officer of Nokia, Inc., he has served as officer/director and board leader of various for-profit and non-profit entities, including Amnesty International USA, and Fairtrade International (Bonn). He is chair of EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center), advisor to the UN Global Compact and leader since inception of its Good Practice Project, and serves on advisory boards, including Imagine Africa (Senegal), the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (London), and the OICD – Organization for Identity & Cultural Development (Malta).
Pitts has testified before the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, foreign parliaments, and various UN bodies. A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a founding member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, his publications include numerous scholarly articles, commentaries in national and international media, and the leading textbook Corporate Social Responsibility: A Legal Analysis.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.