Chesterton, IN - Nobel Prize winner Dr. Arno Penzias, who helped discover the Big Bang theory, will speak at the 2020 symposium on Friday, May 21st, at Sand Creek Country Club.
The physicist, who shared in the Nobel Prize for Physics, will headline a discussion on the future of workforce for the 21st century. This is the second of a four-part series sponsored by Lake Erie Land Company and WBBM-AM Radio in Cooperation with the Northwest Indiana Forum. Dr. Penzias is vice president and chief scientist at Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies. "Workforce is critical," said LEL Director of Marketing Kevin Warren. " In many ways, it's really a bigger issue that touches on quality of life, commuting patterns and the economic sustainability of the whole region." The morning begins with a continental breakfast and registration at 8:00 leading into the 9:00 keynote address by Dr. Penzias. Following the keynote address, the panel discussion will focus Dr. Penzias' insight on the issues facing the Northwest Indiana and Midwest region. The panelists and moderator's role will be to discuss the essential issues facing long-term workforce development and education in the region. Dr. Penzias is a Nobel Prize winning physicist and author of the book, Harmony: Business, Technology and Life after Paperwork. His speech will focus on the shifts taking place in the workplace through technology, while describing the merging era of "harmony" in the relationship between man and machine, and era that will vastly alter the workforce landscape. A panel discussion, led by WBBM news radio's Steve Grzanich, will feature Linda Wolashansky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kankakee Valley Workforce Development Services and the Workforce Development Council. Linda was appointed by President Bush to serve on the National Job Training Partnership Act Advisory Council as one of four national directors. Also on the panel is Jeff A. Cristee, Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems, Inc. Jeff is Cisco's K-12 director for the state of Indiana. He has worked with over 200 school districts in the state to secure USF funding and has worked to receive 57 district commitments for Cisco Networking Academies. The third panelist is Mark Wyckoff, the vice president of human resources of NiSource. In this capacity, Wyckoff leads workforce training and education for more than 7,500 employees. Lake Erie Land Company is the developer of Sand Creek and Coffee Creek Center. Their efforts toward sustainable community development and environmental initiatives have been recognized in Time Magazine, Crain's Chicago Business and by the Urban Land Institute, the National Association of Home Builders, the Conservation Fund and others. LEL is located in Chesterton, Indiana.