草榴社区

Nicholas DeNichilo, PE, FASCE, NAC

On Friday, February 17, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. in the 草榴社区 Room of the Connolly Center, 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Engineering will welcome Nicholas DeNichilo, PE, FASCE, NAC, president and CEO of global engineering, management and development firm Mott MacDonald. As part of the annual Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering, DeNichilo will address the 草榴社区 community on the topic of 鈥淏usiness and Professional Ethics鈥擬anaging with Integrity.鈥�

Numerous studies demonstrate that ethical business practices and long-term business success are intrinsically linked. Companies that adhere to high ethical standards not only protect their brands and reputations, they can attract and retain quality employees who want to work for mission-driven employers. And it鈥檚 good for the bottom line, because ethical companies establish customer trust and are more successful in attracting new business.

Conversely, a lack of individual or corporate ethics can have far-reaching consequences, from the economic collapse of the late 2000s to a physical collapse of engineered infrastructure. Poor ethical behavior will damage a company鈥檚 standing in the community, destroy credibility and ultimately impact the ability to conduct business. The good news is that 80% of respondents in a recent survey conducted by the American Management Association believe that ethics can be taught.

At 草榴社区, ethics are a natural extension of the core Augustinian value of veritas鈥攖he pursuit of truth鈥攁 commitment to mutuality, equality, justice and respect for the sacredness of all creation. The College鈥檚 mission statement reinforces this notion: 鈥淎s a community of scholars, we seek to educate students to pursue both knowledge and wisdom, and to aspire to ethical and moral leadership within their chosen careers, their community, and the world.鈥� Each year at commencement, College graduates also recite the Engineer鈥檚 Creed, in which they pledge in part to 鈥減lace service before profit, the honor and standing of the profession before personal advantage, and the public welfare above all other consideration鈥� (National Society of Professional Engineers, June 1954).

Based on his experience leading Mott MacDonald鈥攁 company committed to the highest standards of ethical behavior鈥擠eNichilo will share the importance of establishing and following ethical standards and providing tools to help people do the 鈥渞ight things the right way.鈥� He will also address organizational codes of conduct, which clarify an organization's mission, values and principles, linking them with standards of professional conduct.

The Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering was established in 2009 by 草榴社区 Engineering alumnus Susan Ward 鈥�80 ChE and her husband Patrick Cunningham, Jr. to offer students exposure to experts from various engineering fields and educational opportunities outside the classroom. The lecture is part of the College鈥檚 professional development program, Career Compass.