On Oct. 11, Jake Wood will deliver his speech “Conquering Chaos” as Wilkes University’s Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center.
Wood, a former Marine Corps scout-sniper who completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and a University of Wisconsin football player, continued his success and is an award-winning entrepreneur. He is the founder and executive chairman of Team Rubicon, an international organization that specializes in disaster response by mobilizing veterans who help people prepare, respond and recover from disasters.
“This lecture will show students that entrepreneurial thinking and leadership is a lot like being a soldier,” said Charles Pierce, executive director of the Allan P. Kirby Center. “Challenges will come your way and there will be many obstacles, but one must persevere to be successful, much as Mr. Wood was in the armed forces.
“I think attendees will see what a real leader is in person, rather than reading a book or watching TV. Mr. Wood is very charismatic and humble.”
Wood was initially scheduled to deliver his speech in 2019. However, due to impending weather, the university had to act quickly. After speaking on a military-themed panel during a lunch for local veterans, the Henry Student Center ballroom was turned into a speaking space where Wood delivered his speech in its entirety despite the piling snow and his wife at home who was pregnant at the time.
Wood’s speech likened military operation, recalling on his time on the battlefield and experiences losing friends and fellow soldiers, to being an entrepreneurial leader.
“Everyone in attendance didn’t seem to mind that the snow was piling, school was closing early and no one had their phones out,” said Pierce. “All eyes were glued on Mr. Wood and his slideshow of pictures and quotes. It was a very moving experience.”
His parallels to military operations and entrepreneurial thinking will show attendees the ways in which challenges will come, but to be successful, one must persevere. Pierce highlighted the importance of a real physical example for attendees being more impactful than reading a book or watching TV on the same subjects.
“Every year is always exciting to see what entrepreneur will speak to the university, but I think Jake Wood will be a phenomenal experience, especially coming out of more virtual presentations,” said Lindsey Scorey, communications scholar at The Allan P. Kirby Center.
The event is sponsored by the Kirby Family and Wilkes and is open and free to everyone. For those that are unable to make it, there will be a live stream. Registration is required and is open. Additional information can be found at https://www.wilkes.edu/kirbylecture.
The Allan P. Kirby Center’s main mission is to foster ideas of free enterprise and entrepreneurship, which they accomplish in their day-to-day tasks. However, these annual speakers best showcase what the real world can be like.
“I have attended two of these speeches before and both times I found them to be very inspirational toward continuing in the world of business. I am even more interested because he was a football player just like I am now. It helps me see more of myself in him,” said senior business management major Billy Cosner.
The Allan P. Kirby Center also offers free mentoring to all Wilkes faculty, staff and students daily. They teach business classes and frequently co-sponsor community business events.
“Anyone is invited to follow our social media, stop by the center for a tour or speak with myself, my Associate Executive Director, Gerald Ephault, or any of my 12 plus Kirby Scholars. We also look for ideas so we welcome anyone to speak with us about how we may better serve those around us,” said Pierce.