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Crayola Executive Lecture Series

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College of Business & Management
Current:Crayola Executive Lecture Series

ESU has partnered with Crayola in the development of a Crayola Executive Lecture Series

This lecture series offers students an opportunity to learn more about the career options, business challenges, life experiences and educational opportunities of its guests.

Learn More about the COBM Residential College Watch Past Lectures

Spring 2025 speakers will include:

David Capitano: Higher Education Practice Leader, Baker & Tilly on February 20^th, Beers Lecture Hall, 2:00 p.m.
Andrew Helmer: Vice President Human Resources, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts on February 27^th, Beers Lecture Hall, 2:00 p.m.
Nafis Smith: Principal, Head of Taxable Money Markets, Vanguard on April 3^rd, Beers Lecture Hall, 2:00 p.m.

Learn More about the COBM Residential College Watch Past Lectures

Spring 2025 speakers will include:

David Capitano: Higher Education Practice Leader, Baker & Tilly on February 20^th, Beers Lecture Hall, 2:00 p.m.
Andrew Helmer: Vice President Human Resources, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts on February 27^th, Beers Lecture Hall, 2:00 p.m.
Nafis Smith: Principal, Head of Taxable Money Markets, Vanguard on April 3^rd, Beers Lecture Hall, 2:00 p.m.

The Crayola Executive Lecture Series is free and open to members of the public.

This lecture series is unique in that it will be presented to the students in a community setting, within one of ESU’s residence halls.
The lecture series is part of the Residential College programming we intend to offer to all students, particularly those majoring in fields of business and management, in a more relaxed and social setting instead of happening in a classroom or lecture structure. It affords our students the opportunity to interact with the guest lecturers on a more personal level and, we hope, will encourage them to ask questions, be curious and inspired by the stories of these regional business and industry leaders.

Dr. Sylvester Williams, dean of ESU's College of Business and Management

David Capitano is the Higher Education Practice Leader, Baker & Tilly based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

David Capitano

As the firm’s higher education practice leader, Dave Capitano provides oversight to more than 200 team members serving over 400 colleges, universities, research institutions and higher education systems across the United States.

Dave has more than 30 years of experience working with college and university leadership and boards in a variety of strategic advisory and accounting areas. He specializes in working with organizations through mergers, consolidations and strategic partnerships. Dave is a proactive, driven, results-oriented professional with a passion for amplifying talent and collaborating alongside educators and leaders. He takes a hands-on approach working closely with institutional leadership to provide guidance to be sustainable and resilient.

Experience

Co-leads Baker Tilly’s collegiate athletics and esports practice, working with athletic directors, coaches and student athletes to help them succeed on and off the field
Serves as overall engagement principal for a large state system, a role that required coordinating more than 7,000 staffing hours to deliver the consolidated financial statements for 14-plus universities
Acts as partner-in-charge or relationship partner of more than 20 private and community colleges and universities
Provides accounting and audit expertise to national and local media outlets and publications, including USA Today, AICPA Insights, Compliance Week, Central Penn Business Journal, Pennsylvania CPA Journal and Reading Eagle

Crayola LLC, based in Easton, Pa. and a business of Hallmark Cards, Inc., is the worldwide leader in children’s creative expression products. Known for the iconic Crayola Crayon first introduced in 1903, the Crayola brand has grown into a portfolio of art tools, crafting activities and creativity toys that offer children innovative ways to use color to create everything imaginable. Consumers can find the wide array of Crayola products in the “Crayola Aisle” at all major retailers.

College of Business and Management Residential College

The Crayola Executive Lecture Series is a program of the ESU's College of Business and Management residential college. Through the residential college, students become an integral member of their community through their interactions with their peers, taking courses together, studying in groups, working in teams, and bridging the classroom experience by taking the learning to conversations over dinner with faculty and attending presentations by guest speakers, participating in community service, engaging in professional development workshops, and utilizing campus resources that are made available to their Residential College.

For more information about the COBM residential college, contact Dr. Sylvester Williams, dean of the College of Business and Management.

For assistance or special accommodations, please contact swilliams@esu.edu or (570) 422-3589. Accommodations may include, but are not limited to, services for physical, cognitive, visual or auditory assistance.

For more information about the Residential College Executive Lecture Series, please contact Dr. Sylvester Williams, Dean at (570) 422-3589.

Contact Information

Campus Address: Rosenkrans Hall East 123A
Phone:: (570) 422-3589
Fax:: (570) 422-2704 (Fax)

Title of Department Leader: Dean, College of Business and Management
Name: Sylvester E. Williams, IV, JD, MBA, CCLE
E:: swilliams@esu.edu