Kawasaki Brings His High-Energy Technology Evangelism to ODU

January 28, 2015

Guy Kawasaki

Tech evangelist, author, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki will visit Old Dominion University on Wednesday, Feb. 18, participating in two events as part of ODU's celebration of its entrepreneurial spirit.

Kawasaki, perhaps best known for his roles as chief evangelist at Apple and as an adviser to the Motorola business unit of Google, will speak to ODU's Economics Club of Hampton Roads over the lunch-hour, and will deliver the President's Lecture in Webb University Center in the evening.

For the President's Lecture, Kawasaki will speak at 6:30 p.m. in the North Café of Webb Center. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged HERE (Event Code: GKL15), or call 757-683-5759.

Kawasaki's evening lecture, "The Art of Enchantment," is co-sponsored by the Old Dominion University President's Lecture Series, the Strome Entrepreneurial Center and ODU's Strome College of Business through its Landmark Executive-in-Residence program.

The speech explains how to influence people's hearts, minds, and actions. Kawasaki's message is that the goal is to bring about voluntary, enduring, and delightful change that enables you to maneuver through difficult decisions, break entrenched habits, and get colleagues to work for long-term, mutually beneficial goals. Topics include how to achieve likability and trustworthiness, how to overcome resistance, how to enchant people who work for you, and how to enchant your boss.

Kawasaki will be available to sign books after the President's Lecture. The ODU Bookstore will feature a selection of his books.

For the Economics Club, Kawasaki will speak at 12:30 p.m. at the Norfolk Sheraton Waterside. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and lunch is served at noon. The event is free for Economics Club members, and $40 for non-members. To register, contact executive director Bruce Rubin at brubin@odu.edu or 757-683-3590, administrative assistant Katrina Davenport at kdavenpo@odu.edu or 683-5138.

For the Economics Club, the title of Kawaski's address is "The Art of Innovation." This speech is designed to inspire people to take chances, innovate, and change the world. Kawasaki lays out the strategic steps to create new products and services by calling upon his experience with Apple as well as his study of dozens of world-class companies.

The chief evangelist of Canva, an online graphic design tool, Kawasaki is an unabashed social media advocate with more than 6.7 million followers on Google+, 1.4 million on Twitter and 270,000 on Facebook. He's also the author of 12 books, including "APE: How to Publish a Book" and "Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions."

In his latest book, "The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users," Kawasaki explains what it takes to create posts that will deliver value to followers, build brands and share an organization's story.

His in-depth knowledge of the high-tech industry combined with his years of management experience enables him to address a wide range of audiences. His particular strength is the ability to quickly understand diverse industries and incorporate his pre-existing knowledge into a highly relevant and customized speech. His speaking audiences have included companies as diverse as Google, Nike, Sprint, Forbes and the Calgary Flames hockey team.

Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from UCLA, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Old Dominion University's decades-long commitment to entrepreneurship was given an incredible boost in 2014 from an $11-million gift from the Strome Family Foundation, led by Mark and Tammy Strome. Mark Strome, a 1978 ODU graduate in civil engineering, is chief investment officer for the Strome Group and Strome Investment Management, L.P., based in Santa Monica, Calif.

The gift has helped with the creation of a multi-disciplinary entrepreneurial ecosystem that stretches campus-wide, encouraging and supporting student entrepreneurs as they create opportunities for themselves and help grow the economy. The centerpiece of ODU's initiative supporting business start-ups is the Strome Entrepreneurial Center, which opened its doors in September, 2014.

ODU's President's Lecture Series serves as a marketplace for ideas, featuring fascinating personalities who share their knowledge, experience, opinions and accomplishments. Presenting discussion of timely topics, the series puts diversity first, offering an international lineup of authors and educators, business innovators and political figures.

Established in 2001, the Landmark Executive-in-Residence program is funded by an endowment from a group of former Landmark Communications executives in honor of the late Frank Batten Sr., former chairman of the executive committee of the Landmark board and the first rector of the ODU Board of Visitors. Its purpose is to enrich students' entrepreneurial spirit, their awareness of the success that can be built through their academic experiences, and their understanding of the importance of leading with integrity.

The Economics Club of Hampton Roads is a community service activity of the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University. The Club hosts monthly luncheons with speakers on a wide array of topics in order to foster a dialog on issues of regional, national, and international importance. Membership is open to the public, new members are welcome.