This September, the Annual NDDCEL Fall Forum convened thirty executives and scholars for two days of dialogue on ethical business leadership. Representing roles across industries, business professionals shared best practices for effective values-based leadership, and top scholars shared highlights from innovative research on topics such as trust and managing ethical "blind spots" at work.
Jessica McManus Warnell, NDDCEL Rex and Alice A. Martin Faculty Director, describes the Forum as a “hallmark event, reflecting the Center's mission to bridge academic scholarship and business in practice.”
This year, the Fall Forum was themed “Tender, Strong, and True Leadership,” as the attendees discussed being a corporate leader amid profound ethical complexity and global change.
“Once again, the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership curated an engaging and thought provoking convening. The event brings together a generous and insightful group of corporate practitioners and scholars to share the current state of corporate ethics and compliance as well as emerging cross-disciplinary research around values-driven leadership best practices.”
Mary Gentile, Creator and Director of Giving Voice to Values and NDDCEL Advisory Board Member
Dr. Gentile’s continuous involvement with the Center serves as a testament to the professionals’ desire to strengthen the role of ethics in business and help their companies become better corporate citizens.
Expert Insights
Highlights from innovative research by expert scholars inspired those in the field to integrate key findings into their leadership practices. Ann Tenbrunsel and Jason Colquitt examined trust at work, and ethical blind spots.
The weekend featured keynote speakers from academia and industry. Christopher Adkins, Academic Director of Leadership Development at the Mendoza College of Business, gave a remarkable speech on what it means to be a “Tender, Strong, and True” leader and why he thinks those three adjectives are crucial to an ethical business. He described the connection to key indicators of success and impact - “People, Performance, and Purpose”. 
Professor Adkins' research and teaching led him to develop the Tender, Strong, and True approach to professional development and Forum guests learned how this guidance can help leaders - and their organizations - flourish.
The second keynote speaker, Christina Glorioso (BBA'95, MBA'99), is the Senior Vice President of Sales Effectiveness and Head of the Center of Excellence at NBCUniversal Global Advertising & Partnerships. She was an excellent representation of the year’s theme.
Christina is “a beacon of energy and passion for work that matters, and is a model of leadership with integrity,” said McManus Warnell. She adds, “Christina's comments on gratitude, grit and authenticity were complemented by insights from Chris Adkins' scholarship and teaching - both set the stage for an impactful event.”
Glorioso shared vulnerable, impactful stories about how ethics and gratitude have played a role in her career and life. She challenged the Forum’s participants to reflect on which part of the theme resonates the most with them and led a discussion on how each part of “Tender, Strong, and True” is visible in a business and in its employees.
The Next Generation
NDDCEL-affiliated students were also given the opportunity to share their perspectives. A panel of three undergraduate research assistants, Maria Bueno, Allison Narmi, and Maria Emilia Quiroga, spoke to guests about one thing they wanted business leaders to know abou tthe ethical issues that were most important to the next generation of professionals. In addition, two NDDCEL Doctoral Scholars, Marialena Bevilacqua and Jefferson McClain, presented highlights from their current research innovations on trust at work and analytics and ethics.
The Ethical Advantage
This forum inspired participants to engage in meaningful discussions and share their commitment to better business. Governance and compliance expert Teri Quimby, reflected on the weekend and noted, “Good governance and compliance aren’t achieved by adding more policies, but by living original values and making them visible in everyday actions.” She added, “When leaders put people, performance, and purpose at the center, ethical culture becomes a true strategic advantage.” This reflection encapsulates the Center’s mission to foster impact and action where ethics are at the forefront of business strategy and leadership.
Interested in insights for your own leadership? Check out selected resources from 2025 Forum speakers:
Professor Ann Tenbrunsel shares "Turning a Spotlight on Behavioral Blind Spots" (Mendoza Magazine)
Professor Jason Colquitt and ND Deloitte Doctoral Scholar Jefferson McClain's work finds that "Workplace Mistreatment May Affect Observers as Strongly as Victims" (Fast Company)
Ethics and compliance expert Ellen Hunt shares insights from a lifetime of service to the field
Professor Christopher Adkins on "Getting Ethics Training Right for Leaders and Employees" (Wall Street Journal)
ND Deloitte Doctoral Scholar Marialena Bevilacqua's research on ROI in AI offers a holistic framework (Montreal AI Ethics Institute)
The Giving Voice to Values approach to leadership development offers practical strategies for managing ethical challenges
Forum Keynote Speaker Christina Glorioso (SVP, NBC Universal) discusses her leadership approach in her path from a water runner at NBC Sports to her role as a senior leader directing strategy and managing thousands of people in a Mendoza Magazine feature