Rotarians to promote ethics

The Rotary Club of Westlake Village will host its 2004 Homer Dickerson Youth Ethics Conference from 7:15 to 11:45 a.m. Tues., March 9 at Calvary Community Church Conference Center, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village.

"Given the slew of notorious business scandals in recent years, at no other time has the promotion of sound ethical practices among our future leaders been more important," said Andy Lupanow, president of the Rotary Club of Westlake Village.

The conference is designed to create heightened awareness of the importance of ethics in both business and daily life for local high school juniors and seniors.

The conference will have selected high school students and a number of local business leaders interacting with each other in both group and individual sessions. The sessions are designed to elicit discussions on leadership qualities and ethical issues in the workplace.

According to event organizers, "The experience of participating in this type of highly interactive setting will help students begin to lay a foundation for, and gain an appreciation of, what it takes to become ‘successful’ in their chosen vocational fields. Solid, practical information will be imparted to both students and local business leaders on the skills needed to become a leader."

In addition, the conference will serve as an introduction to ethical considerations in the business arena, a subject that is becoming a standard requirement in business administration curricula at colleges around the country.

The keynote speaker is Lance Orozco, who has been a broadcast journalist in California for more than 20 years.

The conference is named for Homer Dickerson, who was a member of the Rotary Club of Westlake Village and minister of the United Methodist Church.