About the Event
An ethics forum for Arkansas’ Business Leaders coordinated by the Joe T Ford Chair at UA Little Rock in collaboration with the CFA Society of Arkansas and the UA Little Rock School of Business. The event focuses on business ethics in accounting and finance professions. This year’s forum will include presentations from two experts discussing the ethical implications of legislative decision making and global business operations, featuring insights from Congressman French Hill and Mr. Scott Ford, CEO of Westrock Coffee Company.
Event date: April 18, 2024
Introducing the Speakers
Congressman French Hill, a ninth-generation Arkansan, has represented Arkansas’s Second Congressional District since January 2015. He serves as Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and chairs the subcommittee overseeing digital assets and financial technology. Additionally, he’s a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Before his congressional tenure, he founded Delta Trust & Banking Corporation and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Corporate Finance. He led U.S. technical assistance to eastern and central Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall and served as Executive Secretary to the President’s Economic Policy Council under President Bush.
Throughout his career, he’s been active in civic affairs, serving as president of the Rotary Club of Little Rock and chairman of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. Congressman Hill graduated magna cum laude in Economics from Vanderbilt University. He and his wife, Martha, reside in Little Rock with their daughter and son
Scott Ford, Co-founder of Westrock Coffee Company, serves as Chief Executive Officer. When Scott started Westrock Coffee, the mission was to give back in a way that led to economic change in the lives of the people of Rwanda.
Evidence almost fifteen years later is a vertically integrated coffee, tea and extracts company that creates and delivers beverage solutions while making social and economic advancements in the industry. Prior to co-founding Westrock, Scott served as President and CEO of Alltel Corporation.
Scott began his professional career as an investment banker and subsequently served as the Assistant to the Chairman at Stephens Group where his work involved traditional investment banking services, equity portfolio management, venture capital investing, and acquisitions in the media industry. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of AT&T Inc.
Schedule
- 9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: Event Day Check-in
- 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Welcome and Introduction – Dr. Ashvin Vibhakar, Joe T Ford Professor of Finance
- 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Ethical Norms in Legislative Decision Making – Congressman French Hill
- 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Ethical Leadership in Global Business – Mr. Scott Ford
- 12:15 p.m.: Lunch – A light lunch will be provided next door in the Reynolds School of Business. Please make a stop before you depart!
Event Registration
- Registration for this event has closed
NOTE: Attendance for this year’s Ethics Forum will be in-person only.
Ethics hours qualifications
The two hours of CPE qualify as general ethics hours. They do not fulfill the one hour of CPE on Arkansas’ specific laws and rules required by the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy.
Location
Event Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Event Location: EIT Building Auditorium
EIT Building University of Arkansas-Little Rock
2801 South University Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72204-1099
Parking and Campus Map
Free parking is located in Lot 13 in front of the Jack Stephens Center (first parking lot at the corner of S. University Avenue and 28th Street). The EIT Building is a short walk from Lot 13; signs will be posted to guide guests toward the building.
For a parking and campus map with the path from Lot 13 to the EIT Building highlighted, please click here.
