This year’s IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) Annual Student Leadership Conference (SLC) will provide attendees with a “Gateway to Success.” The conference will be held on November 1-3 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark; registration is now open at www.imaslc.org.

The conference promises three days of networking, learning, and fun. Keynote sessions will include:

  • Leadership Building Blocks: What Kind of Leader Are You? – In sharing both her successes and failures (including living in a canoe for two weeks to study situational leadership), motivational speaker Shannon McKain will explain how the “Four Pillars of Leadership” can make or break any organization.
  • Advice from the C-Suite: Lessons on Leadership, Learning, and Life – A panel of distinguished Fortune 500 C-suite leaders will answer questions such as: How is technology altering the daily roles of the accounting and finance staff? How do I maintain work/life balance? How do I keep current with professional issues?
  • Why Do Ordinary People Commit Extraordinary Financial Crimes? – No matter where you are in your career journey, you must face ethical dilemmas in life and at work. Award-winning filmmaker, educator, and ethics expert Kelly Richmond Pope will share true accounts of white-collar offenders who “crossed the line” and committed financial crimes.
In addition to the keynotes, concurrent sessions will offer insights that can help students land their first professional positions, including interviewing techniques and advice on how to prepare for the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) exam. Other sessions will cover “hot topics” such as data analytics and blockchain.

“We’ve assembled an outstanding slate of speakers for this year’s conference, as well as many opportunities for students to make contacts that can help them in their careers,” said Jodi Ryan, CAE, IMA director of student engagement. “Numerous companies will be collecting résumés to fill internship and entry-level positions, so students are encouraged to bring along copies.”

Cummins Inc. and General Mills will be conducting interviews on-site at the conference. Please visit the IMA website to see a full list of sponsors and exhibitors.

Several fun and educational networking events are also planned, including the crowd-favorite t-shirt design contest and three optional industry tours. To see highlights from last year’s SLC in Houston, watch this YouTube video.

For complete details, including registration information, please visit www.imaslc.org. To keep up with the latest news, follow us and join the conversation at #IMASLC18 on IMA's Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages.