Christopher Wong Michaelson, professor at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business and academic director of the Melrose and The Toro Company Center for Principled Leadership, recently delivered three keynote talks exploring meaningful work, responsible business and professional ethics across business, health care and public relations.
In July, Michaelson traveled to Cameroon to participate in the International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics (ISBEE) World Congress. The 2026 congress centered on “Rethinking Business Ethics from the Global South: Local Insights, Global Impact.”
The conference brought together scholars, business leaders, artists and storytellers from around the world, with particular attention to perspectives that have often been left out of global conversations about business and society. As the newly elected president of ISBEE, Michaelson delivered remarks about the history and future of ISBEE, which will host its next World Congress in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2030.
Following the event, Michaelson and Melrose Center Executive Director Britt Cruz wrote an op-ed for the Pioneer Press exploring how global perspectives can reshape the way businesses approach leadership and responsibility.
Next, Michaelson brought his research to the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Ethics Month event.
His presentation on “Navigating Meaningful Work and Moral Distress in PR” explored what makes professional work meaningful and what happens when personal values are encountered with pressure.
As his presentation was a day before the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Michaelson discussed how the events of that day in 2001 influenced the origins of his research on meaningful work.
Michaelson tailored his talk to the audience of public relations professionals, stimulating a discussion about how to handle moral distress, which occurs when someone knows the right course of action but organizational pressures make it difficult to pursue.
One week later, Michaelson delivered the 19th Annual David A. Rothenberger Lecture at the University of Minnesota. His presentation to the Surgery Department, “Healthcare, Business, and the Virtues and Vices of Work as a Calling,” extended the conversation into health care and business, and was one in a long line of prestigious speakers in the lecture series, ranging from former U.S. Vice President Walter F. Mondale to U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Bill George, former chair and CEO of Medtronic.
The presentations highlighted how conversations around purpose and ethics extend beyond any one industry, shaping how professionals understand their responsibilities, the value of their work and the impact they aspire to make.
