Award-winning TEDx speaker and Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz will speak at the University of Lynchburg at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, in Hall Campus Center’s Memorial Ballroom. Shultz’s talk, “Fraud is not a Trade Secret,” is part of the annual Gifford Lecture sponsored by the College of Business. The event is free and open to the public.
Shultz, a former Theranos employee, is known for being the first to expose the company’s fraudulent practices. His choice to serve as a confidential source for the Wall Street Journal’s 2015 exposé and to register complaints with public health agencies triggered a significant shift in public and regulatory scrutiny of the blood testing company, which dissolved in 2018.
Recently, Shultz has moved his focus to building a device similar to a breathalyzer for detecting THC levels in saliva to help improve law enforcement’s capacity to recognize marijuana impairment.
In his lectures, he takes audiences through his time as a Theranos employee, detailing everything from his friendship with CEO Elizabeth Holmes to the company’s flawed blood testing technology to his efforts to disclose the truth about Theranos.
Shultz discusses the importance of corporate governance, modern business ethics, Silicon Valley culture, and the lessons the corporate world may take from Theranos’ historic scam.
He has told his story to audiences at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Santa Clara University, and more.
“Tyler is young and he’s a reminder that ethical decision-making happens at any stage of your career,” said Dr. Nancy Hubbard, dean of the College of Business.
“We’re sure that attendees will draw inspiration from Tyler’s amazing story and the personal courage he exemplified during his time at Theranos.”
For more information, contact Cathy Phillips, senior administrative assistant in the College of Business, at phillips_cm@lynchburg.edu.
About the Gifford Lecture Series
The late Richard P. Gifford was a vice president for General Electric and a leader in the business, civic, educational, and religious life of the Lynchburg community. After his death, friends, and business colleagues established in his honor and memory an endowment that brings to the University of Lynchburg and the local community a series of outstanding and nationally recognized executives and scholars in business, leadership, and economics.
