Hendrix College will host Bill Imada, the founder, chair, and chief connectivity officer of IW Group and co-founder of the National Millennial Community, on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, at 3 p.m. in Reves Recital Hall, Trieschmann Fine Arts Building. An informal reception and networking opportunity will follow in Trieschmann Gallery. The event is free and open to central Arkansas business leaders and employment recruiters.

Imada will speak on how businesses can engage, motivate, and manage employees who are part of the Millennial generation. He will draw upon his own work with IW Group (which, like Conway-based Acxiom, is an IPG agency) related to advertising, marketing, and communications within the growing multicultural and generational markets. Imada will also share what he has learned through working with the National Millennial Community, a group of next-gen leaders in 41 states and the District of Columbia who engage in civil discourse on critical issues our country faces. In less than three years, the group has met with more than 150 corporate, foundation, governmental, and nonprofit leaders.

Earlier in the day, Imada will deliver the keynote address to the approximately 100 students attending Hendrix College’s Career Term, where he will focus on the challenges and opportunities of being a Millennial in today’s workplace.

“Bill is engaged and engaging, and we’re so happy to have connected with him,” said Sarah Donaghy, coordinator of community partnerships for the College. “As plans came together to have him speak to our students, he was enthusiastic about including a time during his visit when he could share his expertise with community leaders, too.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to introduce my friend Bill Imada to the Hendrix community and our neighbors,” said Hendrix College President Bill Tsutsui. “I’m sure his perspectives on generational and multicultural issues will provide a number of thought-provoking concepts to consider.”

For nearly three decades, Imada has worked with some of the top domestic and global companies, including City of Hope, Coca-Cola, General Motors, HBO, Lexus, McDonald’s, MGM Resorts International, Southern California Edison, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., Walt Disney Imagineering, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walmart Stores, Walt Disney Studios, Wells Fargo, Westfield Malls and many others. His areas of expertise include advertising, branding, multicultural communications, experiential marketing, crisis management, partnership marketing, public relations, and workforce development.

Imada is active in civic and community affairs and serves on more than a dozen boards and advisory councils, including the Advertising Educational Foundation, Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, Center for Asian American Media, Coalition for Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, LAGRANT Foundation, and the PBS Foundation. He was appointed to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under President Barack Obama; he and three other commissioners continue to provide a perspective on Asian-American and Pacific-Islander concerns to federal leaders under the current administration. He also serves on the advisory councils for several universities and colleges, including California State University, Northridge (Los Angeles), University of Florida, University of Southern California, and Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, Conn.).