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Edward Jones Dean's Speaker Series

The Edward Jones Dean's Speaker Series at Saint Louis University's Chaifetz School of Business brings together more than 1,200 area business leaders, policymakers, academics and students annually to discuss leading issues facing business in the 21st century.

Fall 2026

7:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 19

Featuring Amy Hopfinger, former chief business and strategy officer for the FIFA World Cup 2026

Join the Edward Jones Dean’s Lecture Series for a conversation with SLU alumna Amy Hopfinger, former chief business and strategy officer for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The first FIFA employee hired in the United States, Hopfinger helped lead an undertaking expected to engage millions of fans in 16 host cities and billions more around the world. Earlier, she spent nearly two decades with U.S. Soccer, ultimately serving as vice president of events. 

Through the lens of dignity-based leadership, Hopfinger will take us behind the scenes of global sport to explore what it means to lead people, navigate complexity, build high-performing teams, and drive change when the world is watching.

About the Speaker

Amy Hopfinger wearing a business suit poses in front of a banner with the logo for the 2026 Fifa World Cup
Amy Hopfinger

Amy Hopfinger has been a critical driver behind some of the world’s biggest and most successful global events, a leader for women in sports, and instrumental in the groundbreaking growth of soccer in the United States over the last two decades.

Hopfinger most recently served as the chief business and strategy officer for FIFA World Cup 2026™, where she led the tournament’s strategy, planning and multiple key cross-organization functions, and was part of the Executive Team charged with delivering the biggest FIFA World Cup™ ever across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

Prior to joining FIFA in 2022, Hopfinger spent over 18 years at the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), most recently as vice president of events and a special advisor to FIFA for the host city bidding process, as well as the special advisor to the United Bid’s winning campaign to secure the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for Canada, Mexico and the U.S.