Registration Deadline for Cannonball Conference Is October 14
The 2026 Cannonball Conference is just around the corner, and keynote speaker Andre Norman is encouraging the SLU community to reserve a spot. The annual staff celebration takes place Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Busch Student Center, Wool Ballroom.
Norman is known as “The Ambassador of Hope.” His journey is one of extraordinary transformation. Growing up in poverty in Boston, MA — raised by a single mother with six children — he faced illiteracy, the pressures of gang life, and ultimately received a 100-year prison sentence as a young man.
While serving time in solitary confinement, Norman experienced a life-changing epiphany. He committed to transforming his life by teaching himself to read and write, studying the law, and pursuing every opportunity for personal growth and finding a sense of belonging.
After serving 14 years, he walked out of prison and never looked back — eventually earning a prestigious Harvard Fellowship and becoming an instructor at the London Business School. He is the author of “Ambassador of Hope: Turning Poverty and Prison into a Purpose-Driven Life,” a powerful testament to resilience, second chances, and the belief that no past defines your future.
The Cannonball Conference for University staff members, is held each year to recognize staff contributions to SLU and receives its name from the battlefield injury suffered by St. Ignatius in 1521.
To help organizers plan accurately for lunch and giveaways, register no later than Wednesday, Oct. 14.