Manor College Hosts First Blue Jays Speak Keystone Leadership Series

The first event featured Chandler Hoopes, the CEO of Commonwealth Capital.

From left, Chandler Hoopes, Dr. Timothy Yancy and Charles Martin, Co-Founder and CEO of the Coalition.

Manor College kicked off its Blue Jays Speak Keystone Leadership Series on Wednesday, November 19.

The series, developed by the Manor College Business Program in partnership with the Open Discourse Coalition, helps Manor College students connect, explore, engage and learn about the world of business.

The Open Discourse Coalition is a nonprofit founded in 2020 to promote civil discourse and help students and faculty express and hear a diverse set of opinions and ideas in a respectful setting. The group has provided funding and support for activities at other institutions such as University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University and Susquehanna University.

“I’ve been thinking about starting something like this since I started at Manor,” Dr. Timothy Yancy, Chair of Business programs at Manor College, said. “Talking to students, they have a lot of questions about what to do with their career and, while I can explain it to them, it would be insightful to hear from others in the business setting and in a leadership role.”

Chandler Hoopes, the CEO of Commonwealth Capital, was the inaugural speaker for the event. As CEO, Hoopes runs the day-to-day operations of the company and is an integral part of credit decisions and oversees origination, closing and serving all transactions.

“I particularly liked Chandler for the role in this series because I knew of several students who were interested in entrepreneurship,” Yancy said. “He did a great job of gearing his responses to their questions.”

Hoopes revolved his remarks around practical advice for students, including encouraging them to take risks, seize opportunities and get uncomfortable in order to sustain growth. He added that they should find opportunities that help you stand out from the crowd and be responsive to phone calls and emails.

Manny Roach, a junior Sports Management major at Manor College, asked Hoopes the best way to stay uncomfortable, especially as you become used to new challenges.

“Keep upping the ante,” Hoopes responded. “Keep saying yes to opportunities. Sometimes, that might not work out, but sometimes it might, so say yes anyway.”

Hoopes added about the importance of being comfortable with being offended and having uncomfortable conversations.

“What makes this world a better place is open discourse,” Hoopes said. “We’re not having enough uncomfortable conversations. I want my children to grow up in a better place and open discourse is a good place to start.”