The BEC Director
Michael DeWilde is the Business Ethics Center Director and an Associate Professor of Philosophy. He teaches the MBA Business Ethics courses, Theories of Human Nature, Eastern Philosophy, and the Working Classics seminar, which received the 2002 national award for “Excellence in Philosophy Programs” from the American Philosophical Association. He is the recipient of a major grant from the Kellogg Foundation, and winner of a 2007 Pew “Teaching Excellence” award. His latest article is "Art, Aristotle, and Ambiguity: Notes from an Accidental Consultant." He has been a featured speaker at Northwestern University's Brady Center for Ethics and Civic Life, at universities in India and France, and in 2011 he was invited to give a talk on new developments in moral psychology and ethics at the AACSB Sustainability Conference in Charlotte, NC. He has a chapter on the importance of introspection for developing leaders in the book Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship and the Common Good, published by Pelgrave Press.
He was a Research Affiliate professor with the ESC Rennes School of Business in Rennes, France, and for many years he has consulted with West Michigan businesses as an executive coach. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Inc. Magazine, among other places. In 2006 he helped establish the Annual Barry Castro Business Ethics Lecture at Grand Valley. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Grand Valley State University.
CURRENT PROJECTS INCLUDE:
With Fred Keller, CEO of Cascade Engineering: "Determining Needs in Sustainable Capitalism." Conference paper to be delivered at the Sustainable Leadership Conference in Nice, France June 2013
“Why Be Good?” A Talk to Grand Rapids Goodwill Industries March 26th, 2013
With Abigail DeHart (student) "MOOCs and the Humanities” Essay exploring the effectiveness of online courses in delivering the Humanities to marginalized populations. Summer 2013.
"Philosophy Imprisoned" Contracted to write chapter on Community Working Classics program (communityworkingclassics.org) for forthcoming book. Summer 2013
Ethics and the End of Life. On-going regional project with the Making Choices Michigan Initiative. Research collaboration with the aim of advancing Advanced Care Planning in the west Michigan region.
Development of a *new* MBA Ethics course, to be offered Fall 2013:
MORAL PSYCHOLOGY FOR MANAGERS
Managers neglect the study of human nature at their peril. To be a manager is to be challenged by behaviors that can range from the hyper-rational to the bafflingly irrational; from the clearly immoral to the ambiguously amoral to the exceedingly self-righteous; from the exuberantly engaged to the frustratingly nonchalant. Managers tasked with “getting things done” often find themselves wondering why those “things” don’t get done, get done poorly, or get done, finally by the manager. The human psyche has fascinated and challenged philosophers, poets, psychologists and scientists for millennia, but it is only in our time that the tools have been developed that allow us something like a truly scientific approach to the brain, to the mind and to human psychology. In this *new* 1.5 credit course we’ll look at some of the recent research on human behavior and its possible applicability for people in business.
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Roberta (Robbi) Osipoff is the Special Projects Assistant for the Seidman College of Business and assistant to the Business Ethics Center and Student Professional Development Program. Additionally, she is an advisor to the Seidman Student Leadership Development Program (SLED). Robbi earned degrees from Aquinas College and from GVSU. She joined GVSU in 2000 and has served as the executive assistant to the Vice President for University Development, project coordinator for Grand Valley’s 50th Anniversary Celebration and was a member of the Administrative/Professional Outstanding Team Project Award for 2011.
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2011-2012 BEC Fellow - Christina Keller
Christina Keller’s education and work experience have been focused on sustainable business issues throughout the world.
Currently, Christina is leading the Triple Quest Business Unit at Cascade Engineering, a joint project between CE and the Windquest group. This sustainable business is focused on providing high quality products to the base majority in developing countries, the first product being the HydrAid® BioSand Water Filter which provides safe drinking water for people in remote areas of developing countries. The group recently signed a letter of intent with the Honduran Government to do 40,000 filters over the next 5 years and has also done projects with USAID, Rotary International and the US Navy. She has responsibility for the entire business unit.
Christina earned her undergraduate degree from Boston College in international development, minor in environmental studies. She also obtained a certificate in international economics from American University. For graduate school, she attended the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University where she studied Sustainable Global Enterprise with Stu Hart, earning her MBA.
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2008-2009 BEC Fellow
Jeffrey Koeze was the 2008-2009 BEC Fellow as well as owner and Managing Director of the Koeze Co., a West Michigan-based fancy foods company that is over 90 years-old. He holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School and was previously on the faculty at the University of North Carolina. He and his company have been featured in many newspapers and magazines, and a profile of Mr. Koeze appeared in the December 2008 issue of Inc. Magazine.
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The Founder
Barry Castro was, until his death in 2005, Professor of Management at Seidman and the founder of the Business Ethics Center. His love of good philosophical conversation and his belief in its power to help people from all walks of life think more clearly and act more resolutely, is the guiding force behind the Center.
Contact Us:
Michael DeWilde
Director
dewildem@gvsu.edu
(616) 331-3612
Robbi Osipoff
Special Projects Assistant
osipoffr@gvsu.edu
(616) 331-3774
