Keynote Speaker - The Future of Ethical Citizenship

Our civic organizations, nonprofits and institutions of higher education cannot, in good conscience, merely be occasional volunteer providers for the poor. Often best situated to offer vision, credibility and direction, our civic, business and education leaders must participate in helping Americans increase the realm of duties we define as moral responsibilities. Especially those leaders with extensive social capital and advanced degrees must realize that with the privilege of being well educated comes an obligation - an obligation to understand that every individual\u27s life has dignity and worth, and everyone\u27s health, education and potential to succeed is worth fighting for. --------- Stephen Black, grandson of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black, grew up in New Mexico after most of his family left the state of Alabama in the 1950’s and 60’s following his grandfather’s role in controversial Civil Rights decisions, including Brown v. Board of Education. Despite growing up over 1,000 miles away, from a very young age, he was fascinated by Alabama and the legacy of his family’s commitment to public service in their home state. Mr. Black received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated magna cum laude and his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School in 1997. Following his graduation from law school, he returned to Alabama to join the Birmingham law firm, Maynard, Cooper & Gale, PC. After three years with the firm, he was called to public service — serving for a brief time as an assistant to the Governor focusing on policy and economic development projects. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of thousands of students he encountered when speaking across the state, he turned his focus to founding and leading the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility at The University of Alabama, where he has served as Director since 2005. In 2004, Mr. Black founded Impact Alabama: A Student Service Initiative and currently serves as its President and Chairman of the Board. Housed at the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility, Impact Alabama is the state’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and implementing substantive service-learning projects in coordination with colleges and universities throughout Alabama. In October 2014, Impact Alabama became Impact America, which currently operates in Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida. In 2008, Black received the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leaders Award for his work with FocusFirst. This national award is given annually to individuals who demonstrate creativity and commitment in addressing society’s most pressing health issues. Ten recipients were chosen from over 800 nominations. In 2013, Black was asked by Chancellor Robert E. Witt to serve as Special Advisor to The University of Alabama Chancellor for Outreach and Community Engagement