Vision for a Sustainable Decade: 18th Annual Net Impact Conference Heads to Michigan

Going from the spate of recent [Fenton Group's #CSRDebate] and upcoming events [Communicating Sustainability 2010 tomorrow; ICCR's Enough is Enough: Reimagining Global Prosperity next month] either featuring Professor Karnani or planned around the many offshoots of his argument, it doesn’t look like this frenzy is going to die down any time soon. One forum that connects future business leaders with current leaders every year without fail for discussions on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and the green economy is the annual Net Impact conference.

Net Impact, an international nonprofit, that aims to "inspire, educate, and equip individuals to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world," ironically heads to Professor Karnani's home base, University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, this year. [Read: Key highlights from last year's conference]

And for the first time this year as well, Vault will be at the conference to bring you live coverage on all three days, not only In Good Company, but also on Twitter @VaultCSR. There are, of course, many more reasons why this year's Net Impact conference, titled Vision for a Sustainable Decade, must be on your calendar. With 120 panels, over 2,500 conference attendees and 180 chapters present, the conference promises a wide diversity of opinion, perspectives and knowledge, besides the many opportunities for networking. Here's a quick look at some of the scheduled panels and keynotes.

Noteworthy keynotes this year:

• Verizon Communications' SVP for Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility Kathryn Brown
• Group VP for Sustainability Environment & Safety Engineering with Ford Motor Company Susan Cishcke
• Business for Social Responsibility President & CEO Aron Cramer
• Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender
• Executive Director for Aspen Institute's Business & Society Program Judith Samuelson.

While Day 1 of the three-day conference will feature a full day career expo—registered companies include Merck, Walt Disney, Herman Miller, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, Accenture, Target, SC Johnson, and Deloitte—350 speakers promise a wide palate of choices for Day 2 and 3.

Some of these include:

• The Intersection of Employee Engagement and Sustainability
• Bridging the Generation Gap: CSR Programs that Engage and Educate Youth
• Transparency 2.0: Impact of Social Media on CSR
• CSR Careers: Charting Your Own Course
• Working for Good: Making an Impact With Any Job Title
• Corporate Careers That Make a Difference

Also on offer will be individual career coaching sessions as well as several forums for open networking with recruiters as well as academia and career services officers. All in all, one packed weekend with a sheer breadth of keynotes, panels, and workshops that means you'll find something that calls to you, no matter what your interests.

A final note: Pre-registration and the accompanying discount ends this Friday so if you'd like to take the advantage of this unique event to connect with recruiters, industry leaders as well as nonprofit icons and entrepreneurs, head over to Net Impact now!

And if you are attending, don’t forget to reach out to me via email or Twitter and let's connect!