Johnson & Strachan Distinguished Speaker Series

A diverse group of corporate leaders and government officials discuss the strategic and operational issues critical to the nation’s ability to sustain and enhance its competitive edge in a global economy. This community-based academic initiative will enrich the educational experience of the School of Management's students, faculty, and alumni while building and strengthening relationships with the region’s business community.

May 4, 2012 | Mason Inn | 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Steve Case

Co-Founder and Former CEO, AOL

Steve Case co-founded America Online (AOL) in 1985, when the Internet was in its infancy. Under his leadership as Chairman and CEO, AOL became the world's largest and most valuable Internet company. AOL helped drive the worldwide adoption of a medium that has transformed business and society. AOL's early focus on ease of use and social media set the stage for its rapid growth, and at its peak, nearly half of Internet users in the United States used AOL. In 1992, AOL became the first Internet company to go public and was the best performing stock of the 1990s, with a 11,616% return. At the peak of the Internet boom, Case negotiated what remains the largest merger in business history, bringing together AOL and Time Warner in a transaction that gave AOL shareholders a majority stake in the combined company. To facilitate the merger, Case agreed to step down as CEO when the merger closed in 2001. He served as Chairman of the Board of the combined company (then known as AOL Time Warner) until 2003.

Case then went back to his entrepreneurial roots, and in recent years has partnered with more than a dozen entrepreneurs as an investor and mentor. Case created Revolution in 2005 to oversee his rapidly expanding investments. Revolution now has four divisions: Revolution Growth, which invests in high-growth consumer companies; Revolution Ventures, which backs early-stage technology companies; Revolution Health, which invests in health and wellness businesses; and Revolution Places, which develops real estate and hospitality businesses. The success of AOL, coupled with Case's post-AOL track record building businesses through Revolution, led CNBC to call Case "one of the nation's greatest entrepreneurs."

Join us at this free event for a networking reception and dynamic presentation.