Bridging the Gender Gap

Joanne Lipman is former Chief Content Officer of Gannett and Editor-in-Chief of USA Today, author of That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together. Ms. Lipman discussed the current state of the gender gap in today’s workplaces. She said that traditional corporate “diversity training” has actually made the problem worse—in part because it makes men feel demonized. She believes that the solution to workplace inequality and sexual harassment lies in reaching across the gender divide so that men become allies, rather than adversaries.

Understanding the IT Factor

Derek Thompson is author of Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction. Mr. Thompson said nothing simply “goes viral.” He explained the little-known factors that cause that a popular movie, song, or app to come out of nowhere to become a word-of-mouth success in today’s crowded media environment. He outlined possible ways these trends may affect consumers’ decision making in the future.

Horticulture Programs

Paul Redman, Executive Director of Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, one of the leading public gardens in the country, co-chair of the Seed Your Future initiative, which promotes horticulture as a career path for young people Mr. Redman is concerned about the increasing shortage of professional horticulturalists and horticulture programs at universities. He noted that enrollment in horticulture programs has declined dramatically at a time when the need for graduates of these programs is more important than ever. He outlined the wide variety of good jobs available and discussed possible reasons that horticulture is not considered by young adults preparing to enter college or the job market.

Joanne Lipman

Joanne Lipman is author of That\'s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together. A veteran journalist, she most recently was Chief Content Officer of Gannett, and Editor in Chief USA TODAY and the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprising the flagship title and 109 other news organizations including the Detroit Free Press, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Arizona Republic. Ms. Lipman began her career as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, ultimately rising to Deputy Managing Editor, creating Weekend Journal and Personal Journal, and supervising coverage that earned three Pulitzer Prizes. New York Times media columnist David Carr described her as the Journal\'s \"innovator-in-chief.\" She subsequently was founding Editor-in-Chief of Conde Nast Portfolio and Portfolio.com, which won National Magazine and Loeb Awards. She is a frequent television commentator, seen on CNN, NBC, CNBC, and CBS, among others, and her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Time, Newsweek and Harvard Business Review. She is also co-author of the critically acclaimed musical memoir Strings Attached.

Joanne\'s Website

Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine, where he writes about economics and the media. He is a regular contributor to NPR\'s \"Here and Now\" and appears frequently on television, including CBS and MSNBC. He lives in New York City.

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