University Calendar

NPR’s Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio will lead us in this engaging look at the rise of the do-it-yourself economy, and what forces are shaping it.

The DIY economy ranges from the highly skilled contract worker who wants to maintain a life of flexibility while pulling in a paycheck to the Uber drivers and Airbnb hosts who want to make some extra bucks while sharing their cars and homes. As more people eschew the corporate world and create their own jobs, what are the opportunities offered by a DIY economy? How can you get a piece of it? Brancaccio will set the scene during a short keynote address, and then moderate a panel comprised of experts representing different aspects of the DIY economy.

Panel includes (speaker bios below):
Jules Pieri, co-founder and CEO, The Grommet
Jeff Wald, co-founder and COO, Work Market
Marc de Vinck, professor Practice in Creativity, Lehigh University

Event is free, but pre-registration is required.

Event is supported by Citrin Cooperman, DaVinciTek, Genova Burns Giantomasi Webster, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Agenda:
6:00-6:45 p.m. Networking with hor d’oeuvres
6:45-7:00 p.m. Welcome and 1-minute pitches from the audience
7:00-8:30 p.m. Brancaccio keynote address, and panel discussion with audience Q&A

Join the conversation on Twitter: #MSUmeetup

Speaker bios

David Brancaccio is the host of American Public Media’s Marketplace Morning Report. Marketplace is the most popular business program in the United States. His reporting has focused on the future of the economy, financial and labor markets, technology, the environment and social enterprises. In the early 1990s, Brancaccio was Marketplace's European correspondent based in London. He then hosted Marketplace’s evening program from 1993 to 2003. David co-anchored the PBS television news program NOW with journalist Bill Moyers from 2003 to 2005, before taking over as the program's solo anchor in 2005. His feature-length documentary film, Fixing the Future, appeared in theaters nationwide in 2012. Among his awards for broadcast journalism are the Peabody, the DuPont-Columbia, the Cronkite, and the Emmy. Brancaccio has a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and a master's degree in journalism from Stanford University. He has appeared on CNN, CBS, CNBC, MSNBC, the BBC World Service and BBC World Television. David is author of the book “Squandering Aimlessly,” an exploration of how Americans apply their personal values to their money. @DavidBrancaccio

Jules Pieri is co-founder and CEO of the product launch platform The Grommet. The company’s Citizen Commerce™ movement is reshaping how consumer products get discovered, shared and bought. Pieri started her career as an industrial designer for technology companies and was subsequently a senior executive for large brands, such as Keds, Stride Rite and Playskool. The Grommet is her third startup, following roles as VP at Design Continuum and president of Ziggs.com. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and people tell her she is the first designer to graduate from Harvard Business School, where she is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence. Pieri was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013. In June 2014, Pieri was invited to the White House Maker Faire to launch The Grommet Wholesale Platform, connecting Makers with Main Street Retailers. She writes a personal blog at jules.thegrommet.com, and the “CEO Unplugged" column on Inc.com. She posts as @julespieri on Twitter and Instagram.

Jeff Wald is the co-founder and COO of Work Market, the world's largest professional transaction network. Work Market's allows companies of all sizes to manage an on-demand labor force, and the SaaS solution provides the ability to find, verify, engage, manage, pay and rate service resources. Previously, Wald was a managing director at Barrington Capital Group, a founder at Spinback, VP at The GlenRock Group, and worked in M&A at JP Morgan. Wald also was an auxiliary police officer in Manhattan for the New York City Police Department for nine years. Wald has an MBA from Harvard, plus a bachelor’s in Economics and a master’s in public policy from Cornell. @JeffreyWald

Marc de Vinck is the Baker Professor of Practice in the master’s of Engineering in Technical Entrepreneurship program at Lehigh University. The university has many 3-D printers on campus, available for students and faculty to use. Before coming to Lehigh, de Vinck was director of product development at MAKE magazine and a member of the MAKE Technical Advisory board. He has written numerous posts on do-it-yourself science and technology on makezine.com, as well as articles and featured builds in the print version of MAKE. De Vinck previously worked in fields as diverse as traditional metal smith, illustrator, and 3D model maker. He thrives on the process of making and educating, with one of his greatest career accomplishments the implementation of Maker Faire's Learn to Solder program, which taught more than 10,000 people a lifelong skill and hopefully inspired many to realize they are makers. De Vinck’s interests include micro-controllers, open source hardware, interactive art, and anything that uses technology in a unique way. He also enjoys great design, regardless of the medium. When he’s not developing a new product in his studio – a rare occurrence – he’s skiing, playing ice hockey, or out sailing with his family. @devinck