August 16, 2018

October 3-5, 2018 at The Catholic University of America
Conference Unites Academic, Business, Faith Leaders to Seek a Just Society Through Promotion of Human Work

(Washington, D.C.) The Catholic University of America Busch School of Business and the Napa Institute today announced open registration for the 2018 Principled Entrepreneurship Conference: Dignity of Work taking place October 3-5 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The Dignity of Work Conference brings together global business leaders, academics, and theologians to address both the social and theological dimensions of human work with a focus on business ethics and building a just society promoting the flourishing of the human person. Open to students and registrants, the conference seeks to foster dialogue among business, faith and social leaders. 

Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute; Carly Fiorina, political figure and previous CEO of Hewlett Packard; Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby and Chairman of the Board of the Museum of the Bible; Liz Koch, chairman of the Koch Cultural Trust; and George Gilder, co-founder of the Discovery Institute and chairman of Gilder Publishing, LLC are set to headline the event. Session topics include: Dignity of Work, Work and Spirituality, Work and Innovation/Why Machines Won’t Replace Us, Young Entrepreneurs, Work after Google, Work and the Periphery, Work and Family Life, Work and Women, Virtue Based Hiring, and Unemployment and the Erosion of Family Life. 

“As we read the headlines about developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and decentralized technology like blockchain, there is significant concern that the makeup of future markets will include fewer and fewer people, with little-to-no thought given to non-economic consequences, and the impact such changes might have on the  fabric of our social institutions and our self-understanding of the person, his or her purpose and identity,” said Centesimus Annus Della Ratta Family Endowed Professor Max Torres  of The Catholic University of America Busch School of Business. “This conference seeks to convene leaders not only to broach these issues, but also to proclaim that it is persons in their full human dignity that are the proper subject of work, the economy, and society. As Pope St. John Paul II taught, work belongs to the vocation of every person, who expresses and fulfills him- or herself by working. These are the stakes as we progress into the future. . It seeks to instill in our students and future leaders an ethic that will encourage them to innovate while not forgetting the reason for innovation: progress at the service of others that augments both the server and the served.”

“The Catholic University of America has for many years been a melting pot for the religious, political, and business leaders of this country to come together and discuss a future focused on the dignity of the human person,” said Tim Busch, chairman and founder of the Napa Institute. “For nearly a decade, the Napa Institute’s DNA has been to provide a platform for faith, non-profit, and business leaders to develop community, be formed intellectually, and take action. Hosting a conference such as this at The Catholic University of America not just on the dignity of the human person but on the dignity of human work is a natural extension of our mission and a very exciting opportunity for our attendees, the students, and the business community at large.” 

Registration is open to the public with discounts available for those who register before August 31. For more information and to register for the conference please visit: http://napa-institute.org/conference/dignity-of-work/.