Business leaders and academics will discuss corporations’ responses and responsibilities in tackling global dilemmas at a symposium Feb. 19 at the University of Virginia School of Law.

“The Corporate Dilemma: Balancing Social Responsibility and Profitability Across Borders” will begin at noon in Caplin Pavilion.

Keynote speaker Matthew Fass ’93 is president of his family’s seafood company, Maritime Products International, based in Newport News, Virginia. Fass has served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the National Fisheries Institute and is a past industry president of the Virginia Marine Products Board. He has also served for four years on the Homeland Security-appointed Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection. He will speak about how small and midsized corporations are handling issues of corporate responsibility.

The program is co-sponsored by the Virginia Journal of International Law and the John Bassett Moore Society of International Law.

“There is no better time than now to discuss the role that corporations play in the complex and often convoluted intersection of international law and policy,” the sponsors said in a statement. “Today, corporations function as far more than business entities. They often have a global reach, which requires them to delicately balance typical business objectives with large-scale social issues, such as environmental impact, compliance with human rights standards, and cybersecurity.”

All events are open to the public with registration.

Schedule

Tuesday, Feb. 19

Caplin Pavilion

11:30 a.m.

Check-in

Noon

Opening Remarks

• George Geis, William S. Potter Professor of Law, Thomas F. Bergin Teaching Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law

12:15 p.m.

Lunch

12:30-1:45 p.m.

Panel 1 | Protecting Your Data: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Digital Age

• Nuala O’Connor, President and CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology
• Scott Shackelford, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University; Senior Fellow, Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research; Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center on Science and International Affairs
• Andrew Young, Knowledge Director, The GovLab
• Moderator: John Norton Moore, Walter L. Brown Professor of Law, Director of the Center for National Security Law, Director of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia School of Law

1:45 p.m.

Break

2-3:15 p.m.

Panel 2 | The Cutting Edge: Corporate Responses to Climate Change

• Christine Boucher, Managing Director of Global Environment and Sustainability, Delta Airlines
• Evan Harvey, Global Head of Sustainability, NASDAQ
• Ben Jordan, Senior Director of Environmental Policy, Coca-Cola Co.
• Dawn Martin, Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Ceres
• Moderator: Bill Loveless, Director, Columbia Energy Journalism Initiative

3:15 p.m.

Break

3:30-4:45 p.m.

Panel 3 | The Evolution of Human Rights Accountability Mechanisms of Corporations

• Kathleen Hamill, Professor, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; Fellow, Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights
• Jonathan Hamilton, Partner, White & Case
• Kelsey Jost-Creegan, Bertha Justice Fellow, EarthRights International
• Moderator: Pierre-Hugues Verdier, Professor of Law, Director of the Graduate Studies Program, University of Virginia School of Law

4:45 p.m.

Break

5-5:45 p.m.

Keynote Address

Matthew Fass ’93, President, Maritime Products International

6-7 p.m.

Reception