Burton Morgan Lecture

GAMBIER, Ohio (January 29, 2007) Jeffrey A. Bell, Class of 1984, corporate vice president of global marketing for Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, will present the next Burton Morgan Lecture on Thursday, February 1, at 11:10 a.m. in Hayes Hall 109. The lecture, titled "Envy, Truth, and the Liberal Arts Education," is free and open to the public.

Bell is responsible for worldwide marketing strategies for the Xbox and Games for Windows businesses. His team focuses on Microsoft Game Studios games, the Xbox and Games for Windows platforms and brands, Xbox Live and global marketing promotions, and customer relationship management.

Bell joined Microsoft in June 2006, bringing a mix of consumer experience and innovation to the interactive entertainment business. Most recently before coming to Microsoft, he was vice president of product strategy for the Chrysler Group at DaimlerChrysler. There, he helped revitalize the Jeep and Chrysler brands and pioneered Chrysler's video game and online marketing strategies.

Bell's aggressive use of games as marketing tools resulted in the creation of more than forty online games with a registered user base of more than three million. His work in games led to Chrysler being named Interactive Marketer of the Year in 2005 by Advertising Age. Bell also received the MediaPost Online All-Star award in 2005 and was recently named one of the 21 Most Intriguing People in Marketing by min magazine.

A double major in Spanish and history, Bell graduated from Kenyon magna cum laude with highest honors in history. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received both the Henry G. Dalton Fellowship and the Spanish Prize during his senior year. Bell earned a master's degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins University in 1988 and an MBA in finance and marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1989.

Bell's activities as a student included the varsity football team, the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, the Collegian, Student Council, and WKCO. He has been active as an alumnus, serving on reunion planning committees and volunteering as a career counselor. He and his wife, Colleen Murphy Bell '85, have three sons.

Bell is the fourth speaker in a new lecture series on entrepreneurship established with a grant from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation of Hudson, Ohio. The series, featuring a number of Kenyon alumni, is designed to stimulate discussion about the connection between a liberal-arts education and entrepreneurship.