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Sylvan T. Warrington Visiting Lectureship in Ethics and Leadership

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The annual Sylvan T. Warrington Visiting Lectureship in Ethics and Leadership, established by Edward and Jeannine James to honor Jeannine’s father Sylvan Warrington, invites c-suite leaders to campus to speak about ethics-related issues and topics for which they feel most passionate.

Sylvan Warrington was the first in his family to attend college and earned both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. After graduation he built the first frozen food locker for his parents’ use and then became a pioneer in the frozen food locker industry. During World War II, at the request of the secretary of agriculture, he spearheaded the development of a technique for preserving meat and other foods for use by the military and went on to develop the first commercial frozen food lockers. During his career with the Department of Agriculture, he played a key role in the transformation of the livestock industry. From 1948 to 1951, he served as secretary of the National Food Locker Association.

An old portrait of Sylvan T. Warrington

Broad Welcomes the 2026 Warrington Executive Speaker Sherron Watkins

The Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership is thrilled to bring Sherron Watkins to campus on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

About the Speaker

Sherron Watkins speaking at a podium

Sherron Watkins was a Vice President at Enron from 1993-2001 during the rise and implosion of organization. The Enron scandal, which came to light in late 2001, involved one of the largest corporate accounting frauds in U.S. history. Enron, an energy trading and utility company, used complex and misleading accounting practices, such as “mark-to-market” accounting and the use of “special purpose entities” (SPEs), to hide billions of dollars in debt and inflate its revenues. Sherron was a key whistleblower in uncovering this scandal. Join us to learn from her about ethics, courage, and leadership!

This event is open to the full MSU community. Register to join us on Wednesday, October 22nd from 5-6pm today!


Register

Past Speakers

  • October 6, 2022 – Todd Penegor (B.A. Accounting ’87; MBA Finance ’89)
    President, CEO & Director, Wendy’s, Dublin, OH
  • November 11, 2021 – Deirdre O’Brien (B.A. Supply Chain Management ’88)
    Senior Vice President, Retail + People, Apple
  • November 5, 2020 – RAY SCOTT (EMBA ’02)
    President & CEO, Lear Corporation
  • October 3, 2019 – Jay Farner (B.A. Finance ’95)
    Chief Executive Officer, Quicken Loans, Detroit, MI
  • November 8, 2018 – Cathy Engelbert
    CEO, Deloitte, New York, NY
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