President Michael Lindsay has begun his second year of an interview series titled, “President Lindsay Live,” with multiple more interviews scheduled for the rest of the fall semester.
The series is focused on successful Christian leaders from a wide variety of fields and backgrounds. The live interviews involve Lindsay asking the participants a range of questions related to their careers, spiritual journeys and general life experiences.
“President Lindsay Live” has already made an appearance at two events this semester. In late September, Jamie Haenggi, the chief operating officer (COO) of ADT Security joined Lindsay in his leadership class to discuss her career and take questions from students who attended. During Homecoming and Family Weekend, Lindsay interviewed the three distinguished alumni award recipients.
The platform also allows students to submit any questions they may have for the interviewees.
There are two upcoming speakers planned for November: Jay Hein and Lydia Gladdis.
Hein, who is speaking on Tuesday, Nov. 11, is the CEO of Sagamore Institute in Indianapolis and was formerly director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush.
Gladdis, who is speaking on Tuesday, Nov. 29, is the chief operations officer at Dayton Christian Schools, a private non-denominational school district located in the Dayton, Ohio area.
Both events will take place in the Ayres Courtroom.
“I have found that ‘President Lindsay Live’ is a great opportunity for Taylor students to get to know extraordinary people of faith who are leading in their chosen vocations,” Lindsay said. “You might just be surprised. It can lead to internship or even job opportunities down the road.”
Next semester will also feature multiple speakers in the series, with one of the main names that Lindsay is excited for being Rob Wallstrom.
Wallstrom is the CEO of Vera Bradley, a luggage and handbag design company that was founded in Fort Wayne. He is expected to come to campus to share in March.
Lindsay says that the feedback from both students who attend the events and the speakers themselves has been positive.
“They have really appreciated the questions that our students pose,” he said. “The conversational format really lends itself to an environment where our guests get a chance to experience the Taylor community in a personal way.”
In addition to Wallstrom, Graduate Assistant to the President Noah Huseman said to anticipate some other large names in the spring semester, including some names that “can’t be shared yet.”
Lindsay started the series last year in the spring and interviewed Bob Wright, the president and CEO of Potbelly Corporation — a Chicago-based sandwich chain that now has locations over the entire country — and Chris Holtmann, the men’s head basketball coach at Ohio State University.
Wright provided career advice to the students who attended the event.
“What I think serves the people that progress their career the most and the fastest are the ones that accept the role that they have and work like crazy to do the very best job that they can,” Wright said. “They find themselves getting tapped on the shoulder because someone saw potential in the delivery and the quality of the work that they did in the role they have today.”
If interested in attending upcoming events, both November speakers will be available to all students in the Ayres Courtroom.
