Clark Atlanta University’s School of Business to Host the Inaugural “Failure: The Road to Success Conference” with Alumna Pinky Cole

Courtesy of Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University announced the first “Failure: The Road to Success Conference” sponsored by the School of Business. The conference is on March 1, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Thomas W. Cole, Jr. Science & Research Center’s Aldridge Auditorium.  

“Failure doesn’t mean you’ll never have success,” said Pam Richardson-Greenfield, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Marketing-School of Business. “Experiencing failure is a part of everyone’s life. The sooner students realize and understand that they will encounter failure, the quicker they can adjust and apply the lessons learned (from their failure).  This conference aims to educate our students that no one is exempt from failure, that failure should be embraced as a valuable, learning experience, and the importance of sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly when chasing goals and dreams, as it can serve as motivation for others.   

The conference will feature three panelists: Simona Rabsatt Butler, Senior Director, Global Sourcing at VISA; alumnus Shannon Gordon, Human Capital Consultant Thought Leader at Deloitte; and alumnus Janis Middleton, EVP, Chief Inclusion Officer at Guided by Good. Alumna Pinky Cole, Founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan, will serve as the guest moderator.  

Cole, a 2009 graduate of Clark Atlanta University, recently released a book directly related to the topic of failure.  “If you had all the resources in the world, how would you make your dream happen?” asks Cole in I Hope You Fail: Ten Hater Statements Holding You Back from Getting Everything You Want (Harper Collins). “You may not get there tomorrow, but keep focused on that plan you drew out and have patience with yourself,” she states.