Leadership in the Business World
Leadership in the Business World (LBW) is an intensive summer program for a select group of rising seniors who want an introduction to a top-notch undergraduate business education and the opportunity to hone their leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. Since 1999, LBW has brought students from six continents and nearly every state to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Instructional Team
Program Leader: Flavio Serapiao
Flavio Serapiao is a post-doctoral fellow and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) working with Prof. Mike Nakkula at the Penn GSE Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development (PMHOD). He has masters’ and a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Organizational Learning & Leadership and he is now specializing in Mental Health and Counseling (LPC). Flavio is currently co-teaching EDUC 617 - Counseling for School to Career Transitions, and has been serving as a Lecturer at the Penn CLO Doctoral Program for the Business Block.
He coordinates the Penn GSE Global Possibility Network, a global network to enhance youth development using Possibility Development Counselling. He also serves as a Liaison and Research associate at the Penn GSE Consortium for Mental health and Optimal Development.
Previous to joining Penn GSE, Flavio served as the Chief Human Resources officer at Lojas Americanas/B2W, the largest multichannel retail group in Latin America, which is controlled by 3G capital’s partners. With more than 25 years of executive experience, including the C-suite, he worked in several different areas such as: Management for Result & Leadership, Human Resources, Supply Chain & Operations, Sales & Marketing, Strategy & Planning, M&A integration and Innovation & Technology.
Co-program Leader: Keith Ellison
Keith D. Ellison teaches management communication at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His corporate background includes positions at IBM, Proctor & Gamble and Manor Care, Inc.
He currently runs the Ellison Group, Inc., a leadership development and management consulting firm, with an emphasis on improving managerial and communication skills and cycle times of operational processes. He has worked with such clients as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lockheed Martin, Novo Nordisk and CIGNA.
Ellison also facilitates a six-month leadership development course for the Martin Luther King Development Institute. He also serves as the program director for the Urban League of Philadelphia Entrepreneurship Center, which leads a team of consultants in providing business advisory services and training to entrepreneurs in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Ellison earned an MBA from the Wharton School and a B.S. in electrical engineering and mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Instructor: TBA
Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants consist of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania. TAs facilitate small-group discussions, lead small-group lab work, ensure student understanding, assist with final project development, and hold office hours to answer student questions.
“During LBW, I was immersed in Wharton’s rigorous and collaborative academic culture. Through lectures and guest speakers, I was exposed to the distinct facets of the business world and discovered my interest in the intersection between business and psychology." - Maddie B., New York, USA