Making Meaningful Connections post-COVID

As seniors prepare to graduate in just a few weeks and undergraduates seek summer opportunities to enhance future employment, this year's Annual Scharf Lecture takes a practical look at what it takes to succeed in a post-COVID economy. Three years of pandemic, racial tensions, financial uncertainty and incivility has shifted the landscape for workers and employers. What can students expect, and how can they prepare to turn their passions into meaningful work that matters? Renowned corporate executive Sally Susman explains how authentic communication can help you break through the noise and connect with people to create real change. Drawing on lessons from her new book "Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World," Susman enlightens with warmth and humanity, explaining how intentions, courage and humor can turn what was once considered a soft skill into a hard competency that paves the way to professional success.

About the Speaker:
Sally Susman is Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. She is vice chair of the Pfizer Foundation and co-chair of Pfizer's Political Action Committee. Sally leads engagement with all of Pfizer's external stakeholders overseeing communications, corporate responsibility, global policy, government relations, investor relations and patient advocacy. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, Sally held several senior communications and government relations roles at Estée Lauder Companies and the American Express Company. Earlier in her career, she spent eight years in government service focused on international trade issues. In 2022, Forbes named Susman one of the World's Most Influential CMOs for Pfizer's efforts to combat vaccine misinformation. Sally serves on the board of UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science, and as co-chair of the board of The International Rescue Committee. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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