Nearly 300 students from across the country gathered online for Virtual Enterprises’ inaugural Remote Leadership Conference, an inspiring day designed to foster networking, learning, and growth with insights from industry leaders and VE alumni.
The conference kicked off with a powerful keynote from Dion Dawson, founder and Chief Dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream, a nonprofit dedicated to combating food insecurity in Chicago through “nutritional philanthropy.” Dion captivated students with his story, sharing how he transformed his experiences growing up on Chicago’s South Side into a mission-driven career in social entrepreneurship. His journey illustrated the power of resilience, focus, and maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset.
Following the keynote, students transitioned to breakout sessions tailored to their VE roles, including Sales, Legal, Operations, Marketing, IT, Management, and Finance/Accounting. Each session was led by professionals who brought real-world expertise, fielding questions, sharing practical advice, and discussing both the challenges and rewards of leadership. These interactive sessions gave students unique access to professionals from diverse fields, creating a valuable opportunity to connect classroom learning with industry insights.
The event closed with two alumni speakers, Elijah McPhetridge, Senior Global Pricing Analyst of Visa and Etsio Flores, EZ Financial Services, who recounted how their experiences in VE shaped their career paths. They reflected on the critical skills they developed in the VE classroom and shared practical tips for building a strong team and succeeding in competitions like the Business Plan Competition. The Q&A session saw active engagement from students, who were eager to learn about everything from competition strategies to collaboration techniques.
A special thank you to all those who volunteered their time to make this event possible and helped inspire the next generation of leaders:
- Edwin Anglero, HSBC
- Nina Aversano, University of Mount Saint Vincent
- Patrice Bearden, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General
- Howard Brathwaite, Logitech
- Yadiel Corporan, BSE Global
- Anthony DeBellis, Mastercard
- Yuvaraj Dhir, i80 Group
- Etsio Flores, EZ Financial Services
- Elijah McPhetridge, Visa
- Vivian Olodun, Flourish Media
- Lydia Ophaug, formerly with Centene
- Carino Pologruto, MarketsmithÂ
- Jack Powers, International Informatics Institute
- Angelo Scialfa, Fox Run Group
- Sofia Tropaitis, EY
- Arlene Weiss, Pharmtox
