James Nolan earned a J.D., UCLA School of Law and a M.A. in Theology, Washington Theological Union. He is the program coordinator of the Arupe Program in Social Ethics for Business, the program coordinator of the Woodstock Business Conference and a research fellow for the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. He is a former Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Washington Theological Union. Jim practiced law as a trial and appellate attorney representing corporations and individuals in business, commercial, and insurance disputes.
Jim is the author of Doing the Right Thing at Work: A Catholic’s Guide to Faith, Business and Ethics, a book on moral values and business ethics as reflected in the lives and challenges of business and professional leaders who participated in the Woodstock Business Conference monthly conversations.
This topic is very timely in this time of economic uncertainty and highly relevant to our goal of integrating faith, family and work. Jim, a good friend of mine and of Randy’s, delivered a talk on this subject on January 24, 2006, at the Salesian Guild Annual Dinner in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Recent events, scandals, wars, and natural disasters have heightened our desire to grab onto on what really counts, to focus to what is essential, basic in our lives. Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a profound sea change affecting all aspects of life: social, cultural, economic, and political. These changes are being played out all over the world. Prompted by the alienation and uncertainty of our age, people, now more than ever, want to find a reliable moral compass. They want to integrate their whole selves; integrate who they are with what they do. Some are coming to recognize the deep-seated drive within each one of us to use our talents, intelligence, and imagination for the greater good.
