Olafson Ethics Symposium

Leading with values, learning with purpose.

The Nistler College strongly focuses on teaching ethics because it believes ethical learning is important for developing responsible and principled leaders. Through the Olafson Ethics Symposium, students examine real-world ethical challenges and learn how to make decisions with honesty, integrity, and accountability.

The symposium brings together students and members of the business community for meaningful conversations about ethics in both personal and professional settings. Participants discuss real situations, share different viewpoints, and strengthen their understanding of how to make good ethical decisions in today’s complex business world.

This annual event is supported by UND alumnus Bob Olafson, who is committed to promoting ethical business practices and supporting the University of North Dakota. Additional funding has also been generously provided by SEI Investments Company.

2026 Olafson Ethics Symposium

2026 Keynote Presentation

Cynthia Cooper, Bestselling Author and International Speaker on Ethics, Leadership, Courage and Human Flourishing 

Leading with Courage: Building Trust and Shaping Our Future

About Cynthia Cooper

Cynthia Cooper is an internationally recognized ethics speaker, consultant, and best-selling author of“Extraordinary Circumstances”. TIMEMagazine named Cynthia one of its 2002 Persons of the Year for her role in unraveling the WorldCom fraud. At the time, the WorldCom fraud was the largest accounting fraud in corporate history, and the company later filed the largest bankruptcy case to that point. Cynthia continued to serve as Chief Audit Executive for over two years, helping the company move forward and successfully emerge from bankruptcy.

Cynthia co-authored the 2023 Organizational Culture and Ethics Report and a 2025 New York Times guest essay. A Certified Fraud Examiner, she formerly chaired the ACFE Board of Regents and served on the PCAOB Standing Advisory Group and NASBA Center for the Public Trust board. She was the first woman inducted into the AICPA Business and Industry Hall of Fame, an inaugural inductee into the IIA Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners, and the first woman to receive the American Accounting Association’s Accounting Exemplar Award. She also received the Maria and Sidney E. Rolfe Award for public education about economics, business, and finance.

In 2020, Time included Cynthia among its 100 Women of the Year, recognizing the most influential women in the past century. Working Mother named her one of its 25 Most Influential Working Mothers.

Cynthia donated all profits from Extraordinary Circumstances to support ethics education for high school and university students.

Topics and Past Speaker