Eccles Business Buzz

While waiting for the newest season launching this fall, we have something special planned for your listening enjoyment. Get ready to revisit some of your favorite Eccles Business Buzz episodes with our timeless reruns. In this episode from season 2, we have the honor of chatting with Gail Miller, President and Immediate Past Chair of the Larry H. Miller Company. Gail also oversees the Larry H.Mil...

While waiting for the newest season launching this fall, we have something special planned for your listening enjoyment. Get ready to revisit some of your favorite Eccles Business Buzz episodes with our timeless reruns. In this episode from season 1, we hear from Greg Kennedy who graduated from the Eccles School in 1987 and is one of our most dedicated Eccles advisory board members. Greg recently...

Despite the rise in scrutiny of bachelor’s degrees, research shows that having access to college is a key indicator of future economic and financial success as well as physical and emotional well-being.  Studies show that people with bachelor's degrees have 57% more job opportunities than people with high school diplomas, and 60% of workers with bachelor’s degrees reported being highly satisfi...

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, small businesses employ nearly half of the American workforce and represent 43.5% of the country's GDP. However, not everyone in the American economy has the same access to the tools and resources needed to launch and sustain a new business successfully.  The Master of Business Creation (MBC) program at the David Eccles School of Business is working t...

In today's episode, we're focusing on the role of higher education in creating lifelong economic opportunities. Research shows that the average college graduate is 24% more likely to be employed than their peers who have only completed a high school degree.  At the same time, college is not accessible to everyone. According to the National Center for Education statistics, over 85% of colle...

As we continue exploring the topic of economic equality and the different factors that influence a fair and equitable economic experience, today we are tackling the topic of student loan debt.  Americans owe $1.77 trillion in federal and private student loan debt as of the second quarter of 2023, and questions about whether and how borrowers should be required to repay that debt have become part o...

When it comes to creating more equitable access to economic opportunities, like buying a house or getting a loan to start a small business, financial technology innovations are moving the needle faster than almost anything else.  Joining us today to talk about FinTech and the role it plays in economic equality are Ryan Christiansen and Steve Smith. Ryan Christiansen is the Executive Director of th...

We are exploring economic inclusion this season, and today we are diving into the history of banking and financial structures in the United States and how they have often excluded minority groups. Ashley Bell is the co-founder and general counsel of the National Black Bank Foundation, which provides nonprofit expert legal, regulatory, and operational support to Black-owned banks. And Sui Ling Pano...

We are exploring economic inclusion this season, and today we are focusing on the intersections of gender inequality and finances.  Here to talk a little bit more about this is Jacki Zehner. Jacki refers to herself as an enthusiastic and dedicated financial feminist. In 1996, she became the youngest woman and first female trader to be made partner of Goldman Sachs.  Today, she works to provide wom...

Welcome to Season Six of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast. We are so glad to have you back as we kick off another series of great conversations with our Eccles Community. This season, we are continuing our discussion of equity, diversity, inclusion, and empathy by focusing on economic inclusion.  A key part of building an economically inclusive experience for ourselves and others is understanding...

The countdown is on to season six of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast. In this new season, we are focused on economic and financial inclusion and how economic and financial empowerment contribute to opportunity in our personal, professional, and academic lives. I'm your host, Frances Johnson. Join me to get an Economy 101 crash course and learn what all those terms you hear on the news really...

We’ve been talking this season about the challenges women face in the workplace, especially here in Utah. But today, we are going to pivot to talk about some solutions , and how the Eccles School is working to prepare women – and all students – for a more successful and equitable workplace experience. With us today is Katie Abby, Special Advisor to the President of the University of Utah and Assis...

This season, we are focused on the experience of women in the workplace, and, as we’ve heard, women are facing a lot of challenges when it comes to professional opportunities, balancing family and work obligations, advancing to executive leadership, and more.  But we’ve also heard some great advice and some solutions for the unique challenges women face in the workplace, and that is what we are go...

This season, we are exploring the experience of women in the workplace, especially here in Utah. In a recent study published by Wallet Hub, Utah ranked as the worst state for women’s equality. The study put Utah last for women in education and health and 49th in both political empowerment and workplace environment for women. The study also found that the income gap between men and women was worse...

This season, we are focusing on the experience of women in the workplace – especially here in Utah. And today, we are exploring the experience of women in leadership positions in particular. Why is this so important? According to a recent study published by Wallet Hub, Utah ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to women’s representation in executive leadership positions.  Here to talk about her e...

As we continue our season focusing on women in the workplace, today we want to examine some of the cultural and policy frameworks at play that put Utah so far down the national rankings when it comes to women’s equality and workplace experience. In a recent study published by Wallet Hub, Utah ranked as the worst state for women’s equality and was ranked 49th in workplace environment for women. So,...

This season, we are focusing on the experience of women in the workplace – particularly here in Utah. A recent study published by Wallet Hub ranked Utah last in the nation when it comes to income equality for women, 48th in women’s representation in executive leadership positions, and among the lowest when it comes to women’s educational attainment.  Female entrepreneurs face additional challenges...

This season, we are focusing on the experience of women in the workplace – particularly here in Utah. A recent study published by Wallet Hub ranked Utah last in the nation when it comes to income equality for women, 48th in women’s representation in executive leadership positions, and among the lowest when it comes to women’s educational attainment.  For example, women hold less than a third of te...

This season, we are exploring the experience of women in the workplace. We are going to hear from a lot of powerhouse women in a lot of different industries, sharing their own challenges and their tips and advice for overcoming the roadblocks women often face in the workplace.  But today, we are going to zoom out a bit and talk about the workplace more generally. Joining Host Frances Johnson today...

Season 5 of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast is just around the corner. This season, we are exploring the experiences of women in the workplace and how empathy is a key ingredient for creating companies and communities that are welcoming and inclusive to everyone. I'm your host, Frances Johnson. Join me to hear from women in the Eccles community about the challenges they have faced in their ca...

Welcome back to our final episode of Season Four!  Today we are wrapping up our discussion of impact, and looking ahead to the relationship between our confidence to make a positive impact and our ability to create safe, inclusive spaces and experiences for the people around us.   Here to talk about impact and inclusion is Simone Lawrence, manager of the IMPACT program at the David Eccles School o...

This season we are talking all about impact – the people and experiences that have impacted us, the ways we are impacting others, and what we can all do to build confidence in our ability to make a difference.  Our guest today is Eccles alum Brian Pham, who is here to talk about his experience at the Goff Strategic Leadership Center and how his time as a Goff Scholar prepared him to be an impactfu...

This season we are talking all about impact – the people and experiences that have impacted us, the ways we are impacting others, and what we can all do to build confidence in our ability to make a difference.  In this episode, we are joined by Yasmin Khan, a graduate of the Master of Business Creation program at the David Eccles School of Business, and founder and CEO of Khalm Skincare. Yasmin al...

This season we are talking all about impact – the people and experiences that have impacted us, the ways we are impacting others, and what we can all do to build confidence in our ability to make a difference.  Today we are exploring some new and exciting opportunities student athletes, in particular, have to make a positive impact for themselves and for others in their communities.  Here with us...

This season we are talking all about impact – the people and experiences that have impacted us, the ways we are impacting others, and what we can all do to build confidence in our ability to make a difference.  We are so grateful to be joined by mother/daughter duo Brenda and Morgan Williams. Brenda and Morgan established the Cameron Russell Williams Legacy Scholarship at the Eccles School, in hon...