WKU News
Baird Vice Chair Brings Message of Trust and Stewardship to WKU's Gordon Ford College of Business
- Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Western Kentucky University's Gordon Ford College of Business welcomed John Taft, Vice Chair of Baird and a member of the firm's Executive Committee, as the featured speaker for the Experiencing Business Speaker Series. Taft was interviewed in a question-and-answer format by Shawn Perry, Financial Advisor and Branch Manager of the Baird Perry Group in Bowling Green, KY.
During the Q&A, Taft stressed the value of building genuine relationships, not just connections made through social media. His core message centered on making the world a better place and living by a firm set of principles.
Taft traced that conviction back to his family, noting that his father's side is the Taft political family, where public service was expected. "Your feet have to be planted squarely on solid ground, the ground of core principles, principles you believe in to the very center of your being," he said.
He cautioned that the path forward is rarely clear or straightforward, in a career or in personal life. The key question, he said, is whether you can be an authentic and effective leader in turbulent and confusing times.
Taft also spoke about the concept of stewardship, the theme of his first book. "The way I define stewardship is managing responsibility, managing what others have entrusted to your care," he said. "To me, that is the core and foundational principle of finance."
Additionally, during his visit, Taft met with finance students, toured Chandler Hall, and spoke with finance faculty and the college's leadership team. Thank you to Mr. Taft and Baird for supporting the speaker series.
Taft has more than 40 years of experience in the financial industry. He spent more than a decade as CEO of RBC Wealth Management and is a past chairman of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), where he championed the importance of earning and keeping clients' trust. He is the author of Stewardship: Lessons Learned from the Lost Culture of Wall Street and A Force for Good: How Enlightened Finance Can Restore Faith in Capitalism, and he writes the Baird blog "Finance for the Greater Good," which explores where finance and society align.
About the Experiencing Business Speaker Series
The Experiencing Business Speaker Series, formerly the Hays Watkins Visiting CEO Lecture Series, is an endowment at Western Kentucky University (WKU) named for Hays Watkins, an alumnus of WKU's predecessor institution and former chairman and CEO of CSX Corporation. The gift from Watkins, established in 1999, funds the bringing of prominent CEOs to WKU's Gordon Ford College of Business to share their business leadership insights and experiences with students.
About the Gordon Ford College of Business
The Gordon Ford College of Business (GFCB) at Western Kentucky University offers AACSB-accredited undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting, business data analytics, economics, finance, management, and marketing. With a strong emphasis on experiential learning and industry engagement, GFCB equips students with practical skills and a solid ethical foundation to succeed in today’s business world. Learn more at https://www.wku.edu/business/.
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