Editor’s note: This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled for fall.
When the nation’s top 2019 recruit Kayvon Thibodeaux picked the Ducks, it was about more than football.
He was looking ahead to life beyond football and drawn to the people who make up the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications. Specifically Deb Morrison, the Carolyn Silva Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising.
The professor and student will take the stage together at the next Wings event on April 15 in Portland to discuss the creative process and brand development, especially as it relates to a likely future NFL player.
The speaker series, presented by UO President Michael H. Schill, is an intimate evening of curated talks, a reception with appetizers and drinks, and music by the UO Graduate String Ensemble.
Another speaker, Atika Khurana, will explore her research into teen behavior and how taking risks, making mistakes and resisting authority is part of the transition into adulthood. She is an associate professor in the UO’s Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Sevices in the College of Education and is leading a new prevention sciences master’s program at UO Portland this fall.
UO graduate Scott Hamlin, co-founder and CEO of Looptworks, will speak about turning waste into want. With the mantra “use only what aready exists,” Looptworks makes clothing, bags and accessories using recycled excess materials. Hamlin uses his industry experience from Adidas AG, Jockey International and Royal Robbins and rethinks the process of creating products with zero waste.
As program director of advertising at the UO’s School of Journalism and Communication, Morrison teaches conceptual and strategic thinking, creativity and content, portfolio classes and Oregon’s creative strategist course. She has published several books, including “The Creative Process Illustrated: How Advertising’s Big Ideas are Born” with Glenn Griffin and developed the Epoch Project, meant to bring professionals together to solve problems related to climate change.
In 2019, football defensive end Thibodeaux was the 23rd-highest ranked prospect in U.S. history and was named the Coaches Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, among other honors. He’s studying to become a broadcast journalist.
This year’s Wings event is set for 5:30 to 8 p.m. April 15 at The Redd East, 831 SE Salmon St., Portland. Tickets are $25 and include appetizers, drinks and dessert.
Speaker videos videos from previous Wings events are available online.