Bob Sherman, dean of the School of Business and Technology at The College of St. Scholastica, will speak on corporate responsibility and ethics at noon Wednesday, Feb. 6, in the Chamber Conference Room at the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, 5 West 1st Street, Suite 101.

In his talk, “Milton Friedman Got It Wrong: Creating Businesses That Make Money and Serve Society,” Sherman will discuss corporate social responsibility (CSR) and how business leaders can create effective, sustainable CSR programs, which allow them to realize profits while still serving the needs of society.

He will also share information about the College’s CSR program.

“CSR is not philanthropy,” said Sherman. “It goes beyond merely financing worthy causes. Properly done, it engages employees, customers and suppliers in helping to solve complex health, environment and social issues in partnership with government and nonprofit organizations.”

Tickets for the event are free for members; $25 for nonmembers. Call (218) 722-5501 for reservations. Parking is available in the Technology Village ramp at 10 East 1st Street.

The talk is part of the Chamber’s Professional Development Series sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica. The series provides participants with high-quality training opportunities in the areas of sales, human resources, management and leadership.

Sherman was named Dean of the School of Business and Technology at St. Scholastica in summer 2007. He most recently served as CEO of Character Education Partnership in Washington, DC. Prior to that, he worked in the energy industry for 27 years as legal counsel and later in senior management positions including as CEO and member of the board of directors of a publicly-traded energy company. In 1999 he founded RTS Solutions LLC, an international energy advisory firm based in Minnetonka, MN.

Sherman has extensive international experience, having negotiated energy industry transactions and performed compliance projects in 16 countries.

He has also taught ethics and leadership courses at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, and at universities in Taiwan and Greece.

He has a BA in political science from Southern Methodist University and a Juris Doctorate from The University of Texas School of Law.

His career experience in the international energy industry - in particular witnessing, first-hand, the fallout of Enron’s collapse - leads him to believe strongly in the corporate social responsibility movement.

"The evidence is plain that the world's most intractable social problems - hunger, poverty, global warming, AIDS in the developing world - require a more effective response than governments and aid groups have been able to accomplish," he said. "One of the only forces left with the global scope necessary is business. Businesses have the people, financial resources and management skills to do what governments and humanitarian efforts can't."

To learn more about CSR or St. Scholastica's CSR program, contact Sherman at (218) 723-6112 or at RSherman@css.edu.