The College’s David Orser Executive Speakers Forum is named for David B. Orser, a 1966 MSU graduate who started funding the program in 1988 in order to inspire MSU business students to pursue careers as innovative, responsible, and ethical business leaders.

These events are FREE and open to the public!

Recent Orser Executive Speakers Forum:

Leonardo Marra

Leonardo Marra

SPRING 2026

Tuesday, April 7

Public Presentation: 5:00 pm
Location: SUB Procrastinator Theater

MSU Calendar: https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/57091 

 

About the Speaker:

Leonardo Marra's passion for events was developed during his ten-year tenure at the Vatican, where he was part of a specialized team responsible for organizing the Conclave for the election of Pope Benedict XVI and hundreds of events presided over by the Supreme Pontiff. In parallel, he served as the Treasury Curator for the Papal Sacristy and the Sistine Chapel, conducting research on historic liturgical artifacts. His tenure at the Vatican was documented in a prominent publication edited in the UK and translated into multiple languages.

Subsequently, Leonardo joined the Sovereign Order of Malta, a centuries-old worldwide institution entertaining bilateral diplomatic relations with over a hundred countries and a seat at the United Nations. The mission of this sovereign institution is to help those in need across the globe. As Chief of Diplomatic Protocol and Director of International Events, he oversaw high-level official events for the Government of said institution, whose leader holds the rank of Head of State. During his more than ten-year tenure, he designed and executed major diplomatic ceremonies, including the election and enthronization of the Prince and Grand Master- an event covered by international media for the first time in over 900 years of the Sovereign Order of Malta’s history. Leonardo also served as primary liaison to the Diplomatic Corps and conducted official missions in 25 countries, executing a myriad of events and functions.

Leonardo carries the title of Knight Officer of the Italian Republic and has received multiple international awards from Heads of State in recognition of his efforts in promoting international cooperation through Diplomatic Protocol and Event Management.

 

Past Speakers (listed chronologically, newest to oldest):

Bill Hilf, Board Chair of both the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) and American Prairie
Mitch Thompson, Co-Founder & CFO of Iron Oil
Heidi Browning, Chief Marketing Officer of the NHL
Karen Rose, Managing Director of Commercial Leasing for One World Trade Center
Ray Sedey, Chairman & CEO of McCarthy Holdings, Inc.
Dave Stephenson, CFO and head of Employee Experience at Airbnb
Ben Deuling, owner of SporeAttic and Zariah Tolman, founder & executive director of Positivity Outward
Behrooz Abdi, a technology entrepreneur and investor
Vu Le, a writer, speaker, blogger and executive director of Rainier Valley Corps
David B. Orser, a former president of Occidental International Oil and the founder of this event series
Rich Barton, former Microsoft executive and a founder of the online companies Expedia, Zillow, and Glassdoor
Nicole Jones, senior law enforcement and security counsel at Google
Lachlan Perks, past chief operating officer of Eclipse, Inc.
Tim Solso, General Motors' board director and past chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc.
Gerald Grinstein, strategic director of Madrona Venture Group and past CEO of Delta Air Lines
Marty McVey, president of McVey & Associates, LLC
Kristy Young, digital product management executive and managing partner for blaZe interactive, LLC
Ashley Jablow, challenge and client lead for OpenIDEO
M.H. Elovitz, director of the Centre for Strategic Geopolitics
Richard "Bob" Chickering, serial entrepreneur and business executive
Richard Broome, former member of the White House crisis management team
Stu Bohart, President of Liquid Markets at Fortress Investment Group
Jeff Sundheim, account director at Google
Ian B. Davidson, chairman of Davidson Companies and Davidson & Co.
Alan Rypinski, serial entrepreneur and the founder of ArmorAll
Andrew Field, founder and president of PrintingForLess.com
Investment Panel (4 speakers)
Lyle Knight, president and CEO of First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.
Delmar Jones, president of Cindel Group, Inc. and owner of Jonesy's Classic Cleaners
Mary Perry, president of the promotion agency division of Ryan Partnership
Jonathan Howlett, worldwide director of advertising for BBC Global Channels
Dana Lasher, owner of Get Ready Girls, Inc.
Christopher Disher, vice president for Booz Allen Hamilton
Paul A. Stewart, manager of global business development for a division of Eli Lilly
Martin White
James Alderson
Sam McDonald
J. Luther King
John Goodrich
Gerald Searfoss
Joseph T. Wells, chairman and founder of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
David Oreck, chairman of Oreck Corporation
Arthur Peterson