Innovation and Talent Expert from UPS, David Lee, to Deliver Keynote Address at CenterState CEO Annual Meeting, April 19

SYRACUSE, NY – CenterState CEO announces that David Lee, vice president of innovation and the Strategic Enterprise Fund at UPS will deliver the keynote address at its 2018 Annual Meeting, at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College, in Syracuse on April 19 at noon. The luncheon is the region’s largest annual gathering of business and community leaders.

In his role at UPS, Lee works to accelerate and enable innovation across the company's global network of services and operations by connecting bright people with interesting problems. Lee’s talk at the TED@UPS, titled, “Why the Jobs of the Future Won’t Feel Like Work” was curated as one of the most popular TED Talks of 2017. In this presentation, Lee speaks about the need to rethink how we approach work and the importance of designing jobs to unlock our hidden talents and passions and keep us relevant in the age of robotics.

“My core professional belief is that people are capable of doing amazing things, but that more organizations need to create channels for people to demonstrate their full set of abilities,” said Lee. “Now, more than ever, we need working environments that people love – where they are able to bring every ounce of creativity, brilliance and oddness to work. Human beings can be amazing on weekends. We as leaders need to make it easier for people to bring their Saturday-self to work and create great products, tools and experiences for our customers and our co-workers. The future depends on it.”

Lee leads UPS’ innovation programs exploring problems and designing solutions. Prior to UPS, he helped build a number of teams and capabilities inside other large companies including, SunTrust Bank, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Before that, he was a member of Bank of America’s emerging technology lab and venture capital group. While there, he worked on exploring and enabling some of the best innovations in personal finance during the last 20 years. He helped launch services like check image capturing, modern ATMs and enhancements to online brokerage services.

“Lee’s perspective is timely and relevant given what our members have shared about finding and cultivating talent,” said Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO. “In addition to his perspective on talent, Lee’s message also resonates as we seek to address the region’s economic challenges with economic solutions. Driving economic growth and shared opportunity requires the intentional and interconnected design of programs, policies and systems. At the same time, communities and businesses must remain strategic and agile to changing circumstances, unexpected challenges and competition. They must be willing to shift their approaches as social, demographic and economic forces change around them.”

Lee earned his MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Virginia. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his partner, Jennifer, and their two young boys.

CenterState CEO’s Annual Meeting will also unveil the 2018 Business of the Year awards.

Tickets to CenterState CEO’s Annual Meeting can be purchased at www.centerstateceo.com/AnnualMeeting, or by contacting Lisa Metot at 315-470-1870 or lmetot@centerstateceo.com. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., program begins promptly at 12 p.m.

Presenting Sponsors of the 2018 CenterState CEO Annual Meeting are CPS Recruitment, Inc. and Nascentia Health. Corporate Sponsors are Crouse Health; C&S Companies; INFICON; OBG; SRC; Stickley, Audi & Co.; TCGPlayer; and Wegmans. Media Sponsors are News Radio 570 WSYR Now on 106.9 FM; Business Journal News Network; Advanced Media New York; and Visual Technologies.

About CenterState CEO

CenterState CEO is an independent and forward thinking economic development strategist, business leadership organization and chamber of commerce; dedicated to the success of its members and the prosperity of the region. We serve as an advocate and resource for smart business, catalyze and facilitate regional growth, and promote community prosperity through results-driven partnerships, planning and problem-solving. www.centerstateceo.com

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