Silk Speaker Series at the University of San Francisco Welcomes Charles R. Schwab on October 29

SAN FRANCISCO (October 21, 2019) - The University of San Francisco (USF) will host a conversation with Charles R. Schwab, founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation, as part of the university’s Silk Speaker Series on Tuesday, October 29 from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. at the McLaren Conference Center on the USF campus. The event is open to the public and will be moderated by Professor Kimberly Rae Connor, ethics instructor in the USF School of Management. Victoria Sanchez De Alba, USF alumna, Emmy award-winning journalist and founder of the public relations firm De Alba Communications, will serve as emcee for the event.

Since founding the San Francisco-based Charles Schwab Corporation in the early 1970s as a traditional brokerage company and becoming in 1974 a pioneer in the discount brokerage business,

Schwab has driven countless innovations in the investment services industry designed to help individuals make the most of saving and investing. The Charles Schwab Corporation today provides a full-service investing and banking experience to clients domestically and abroad, serving approximately 12 million accounts. The author of several bestselling investment books, Schwab’s newly released book, Invested, is a personal memoir of building the company that bears his name and will be available for purchase at the event.

“Charles Schwab has brought ethics, personalized customer service and financial literacy to an industry that had been opaque to many,” stated USF President Fr. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. “His voice of reason on investments and promotion of the common good make him a leader whose wisdom is welcome here at USF.”

Mr. Schwab has been chairman of The Charles Schwab Corporation since its inception and served as chief executive officer for most of its history until October 2008. Along with his wife, Helen, he is the co-founder and chairman of The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, a private foundation that supports entrepreneurial organizations working in education, poverty prevention, human services, and health. Mr. Schwab also served for 10 years as chairman of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Now in its third year, the Silk Speaker Series at USF has featured speakers including Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, tennis legend and equality champion Billie Jean King, 66th Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Former Chair of the Federal Reserve Dr. Janet L. Yellen, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, Inc., among others.

About Moderator Kimberly Rae Connor

Kimberly Rae Connor holds a PhD in religion and literature from the University of Virginia. She is author of Conversions and Visions in the Writings of African American Women (Tennessee, 1994) and Imagining Grace: Liberating Theologies in the Slave Narrative Tradition (Illinois, 2000). She is secretary of the Board of the American Academy of Religion. She teaches ethics in the School of Management at the University of San Francisco where she also directs the Management Exercises, a co-curricular program for MBA students based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.

About the Silk Speaker Series at the University of San Francisco

Funded by a transformational gift to the University of San Francisco by investment expert Jeffery Silk ’87 and his wife Naomi, the USF Silk Speaker Series brings international thought leaders in business, finance and global issues to USF’s campus. The series is designed to provide learning opportunities and discussions for USF’s students, alumni, faculty and friends of the university.

About the University of San Francisco

The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cities and is home to a vibrant academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, personalized learning, and outstanding opportunities to lead and succeed in the city itself. USF is San Francisco’s first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student’s passion for social justice and a desire to “Change the World From Here.” The Campaign for the University of San Francisco is raising $300 million through 2022 to support student scholarships and financial aid, the creation of bold and innovative programs, and the renovation of current facilities and construction of new space, all part of expanding the university’s global influence. For more information about the campaign, visit /campaign.