Kelley School Dean, Alumni to Run in Olympic Torch Relay

Kesner is also the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management at the Kelley School. (photo courtesy Indiana University)

The lead up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea will have an Indiana connection. The dean of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Bloomington and two alumni will take part in the traditional torch relay ahead of the event.

Idalene “Idie” Kesner will carry the torch through the Yeongdeungpo District of Seoul between 11:30 a.m. and noon on January 13, according to the university. Kesner calls participating in the relay an honor.

"There are various ways that cultures connect and people connect. It may be through sports, such as through the Olympics, but it also happens through business and education," said Kesner. "In some ways, we’re connecting those last two pieces. My involvement in the torch relay is evidence of the strong connections that IU and the Kelley School have fostered worldwide, including with a top Korean university. Our collaboration has helped our school establish its reputation as one that can work across cultures and countries."

Curtis Ferguson, a 1980 graduate of the Kelley School and president of Greater China and Korea for The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), will precede Kesner in the relay. Kesner says her opportunity to participate in the relay is due to the Kelley School’s relationship with The Coca-Cola Co., which is a sponsor of the Olympics.

Kesner will be followed in the relay by Young-Jin Kim, a 1984 MBA graduate and chief executive officer of Hadok Inc. in South Korea. 

The trio are among thousands of participants in the relay, which stretches 1,253 miles through South Korea. The Winter Olympics will begin on February 9 in PyeongChang, South Korea.