The Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics and the Military in Business Association (MiBA) proudly formed an affiliation which seeks to increase programming and services for the veteran population of Columbia Business School, while also aiming to help bridge the military-civilian divide in the greater Columbia community.

The affiliation between the Bernstein Center and MiBA allowed both organizations to engage in knowledge-sharing and helped launch the inaugural Leadership and Ethics: Military in Business Speaker Series and the 3rd Annual CBS-West Point Leadership and Ethics Exchange.  

The Leadership and Ethics: Military in Business Speaker Series seeks to highlight the intersection of military service and business by hosting distinguished business leaders, who are current or veteran members of the armed forces, to reflect on how their service has impacted their leadership style, the organizations they serve, and society at large.

For the inaugural speaker, Columbia Business School was honored to host Alex Gorsky, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Johnson & Johnson. Gorsky is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. and finished his military career with the rank of Captain.  

In conversation with Bernstein Faculty Leader, Professor Todd Jick, the two spoke to a multitude of issues including technology and innovation, human capital, diversity and inclusion, ethical leadership at work, and much more.  

The standing-room-only student audience walked away with a greater appreciation for the role of service, and its direct impact on Gorksy’s style of values-based leadership in business.  

Additionally, a group of 50 students, faculty, and staff participated in the 3rd Annual CBS-West Point Leadership and Ethics Exchange which was hosted on the hollow grounds of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.  

The exchange was started in 2015 by a CBS student who was a member of the Student Leadership and Ethics Board as well as a West Point Graduate. He recognized the value in bringing two preeminent institutions together to discuss leadership and ethics in a theoretical and practical setting, as seen from the vantage points of the military and business.  

This year’s full-day program consisted of lectures on the West Point Leader Development System as well as the army's diversity and inclusion initiatives, a personalized tour of campus, lunch in the mess hall with the cadets, and a session on the MBA experience from the active duty and veteran experience as presented by CBS students.  

The exchange has developed into a hallmark calendar event for both CBS students and West Point Cadets alike who enjoy engaging in conversations about effective and ethical decision-making in all aspects of life.  

The Bernstein Center and MiBA would like to thank Mr. Robert S. Dow'74 and Mrs. Christina S. Dow for their generous sponsorship of this affiliation and associated programming.  

Photos from both events can been viewed on our website.