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The Ethics Hot Seat Speaker Series is dedicated to bringing outstanding speakers to campus to engage our students, faculty, alumni and the business community in thought-provoking dialogue about ethical issues.

2024 Ethics Speaker Series

Human Trafficking 

Featuring Dotti Groover-Skipper
Founder of HeartDance Foundation

Since graduating from the University of South Florida, Dotti Groover- Skipper has facilitated expert programming to impact positive policy change in substance abuse, addiction and sex trade and has helped develop numerous sustainable community coalitions. She is the founder of HeartDance Foundation, which is dedicated to helping those recovering from the sex trade industry, labor exploitation, addiction, incarceration, and other traumatic life experiences. Groover-Skipper is an ordained elder and missionary who has operated at the national level to mobilize and faith communities to engage in issues of addiction, human rights and justice.

Groover-Skipper was initially appointed by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to the legislatively formed Florida Statewide Council on Human Trafficking and served from 2014-2018, then was reappointed and served from 2018-2020. She serves on various local boards and is the immediate past chair of the SAFE Tampa Bay. In 2022, Groover-Skipper was selected as a “Woman Of Impact” and “100 Women To Know In America” by the National KNOW WOMEN organization. In March 2023 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and In February 2024, Groover-Skipper was honored to present a TEDx Talk focused on human trafficking.

Please join Dotti Groover-Skipper and the Center for Ethics for an insightful discussion about the ongoing issue of human trafficking. Refreshments are provided.

Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Location: Vaughn Center, Reeves Theatre

2023: "A Successful Restaurant Owner Speaks on the Importance of Ethics"
Travis Kaiser, Owner and Operator, Santoro's Pizzeria

2023: "The Ethics of International Transfer Pricing"
J. Christian Plesner Rossing, Ph.D., The University of Tampa

2022: "A Criminal Attorney Speaks on His Legal and Ethical Trials"
Anthony B. Rickman, Esq., President and Attorney, The Rickman Law Firm

2022: "From Equality to Equity, From Inclusions to Belonging"
Thomas Witherspoon, Ed.D., Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, The University of Tampa

2021: "Ethics and the Hospitality Industry"
Michael Hurwitz, Restaurateur and franchiser, Pizzeria Uno Chicago Grill

2021: "Understanding Generational Attitudes"
Craig Trapani, Francesca Rusca, Jessie Tobin and Maya Smith

2019: "Student Panel Discussion: Navigating the Ethical Grey Area"
Jasmine Rodriguez, Christopher Toma, Cambria Barkett and Micah Summers

2019: "Who Broke Feminism? The Delegation of Privilege"
Emma Rees, Ph.D., Professor of Literature and Gender Studies, The University of Chester

2018: "Stereotypes, College Majors and Moral Disengagement"
Suzanne Cory, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting, Greehey School of Business, St. Mary’s University

2018: "He Fought Halliburton and Won"
Anthony Menendez, Litigation Consultant, Financial Fraud Examiner, LLC

2017: "Ethics from the Outside In and Inside Out"
Earnie Broughton, Senior Advisor, Ethics and Compliance Initiative

2017: "Rules versus Principles"
Andrew Fastow, former Chief Financial Officer, Enron Corp.

2017: "An Evening with the Infiltrator"
Robert Mazur, Author of The Infiltrator

2016: "Is it cool to be a narcissist?"
W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, University of Georgia

2016: "Free Speech on Campus"
Catherine Sevcenko, Chief Litigator, FIRE

2015: "Whistleblowing"
Panelists: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

2014: "Inequality in light of Picketty’s,  Capitalism in the 21st Century"
Dan Verreault, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The University of Tampa

2014: "Skepticism and Climate Change"
Dan Verreault, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The University of Tampa

2013: "Global Food Supplies and Urban Farming"
Panelists: George Irwin, Founder, Green Living Technologies, LLC
David Smiles, Founder and President, Uriah’s Urban Farms

2013: "Ethics of Private Equity"
Panelists: V. Michael Eitler III(3), Managing Partner, Group 125
Penny Larson, Founder, Links Financial, LLC