Reed Hastings, Netflix Founder/CEO, to Keynote LAPCS Conference in November

** UPDATE: LAPCS has released tickets for the luncheon keynote to the public. Interested techies, entrepreneurs, and community members are encouraged to attend. The event is Friday, November 11, 2011 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Individual plates are $45 per person and a table of 8 is $250. RSVP here or call (504) 274-3666. Seating is limited so get your tickets today!** 

Reed Hastings founded Netflix as a DVD-by-mail service in 1997

The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools has announced that Reed Hastings, Netflix Founder/CEO, will be the keynote speaker at the 4th Annual LAPCS Conference, to be held in Baton Rouge on Friday, November 11.

Mr. Hastings’ role as one of the country’s foremost business innovators, as well as a national leader in the education reform movement will provide conference attendees with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about the conference theme of Choice + Innovation = Success.

Reed Hastings co-founded Netflix as a movies-by-mail company in 1997, turning the traditional notion of a brick-and-mortar video store on its head with a more convenient, innovative approach. His vision changed the way people thought about film, and in 2002, Netflix went public. Netflix began streaming content over the Internet in 2007, and today has over 20.01 million subscribers, most of whom use Netflix streaming more than the DVD subscription service. His commitment to continuous growth, development and forward-thinking strategy has made him one of the foremost business leaders in the United States today.

In 2005, Time magazine added Reed to its “Time 100” list of the 100 most influential global citizens. In 2007, Reed was appointed to Microsoft’s board of directors. In 2010, Barron’s added Reed to its 30 most respected CEOs list, and in a Fortune magazine cover story he was named “Business Person of the Year.”

Reed is an active educational philanthropist and board member of many non-profits, including the KIPP National Board of Directors. In addition, he was President of the California State Board of Education from 2000 to 2004. He has led successful statewide campaigns for more charter schools and continues to serve as a leading voice for the charter school movement nationwide.

A little over a week ago, Mr. Hastings posted on the Netflix blog in response to customer outrage about increased prices and announced a shocking change in the company’s structure. The DVD-by-mail service is to be split off into a second company, Qwikster, while Netflix maintains only web-streaming services. The announcement resulted in even louder criticism from every corner of the blogosphere and general public, with only a small population of people applauding the decision.

** Update: Since this article was originally published, Netflix has reversed their decision to diverge into two separate companies. Plans for Qwikster have been squashed, but subscribers are still paying for both streaming and DVDs by mail. 

Tickets to Mr. Hasting’s lunch-time address is included for  registered conference attendees. A special opportunity to purchase a ticket solely for the lunch program will be made available soon for those from outside the education community who wish to hear Mr. Hastings speak. LAPCS will provide more information on this opportunity in the coming days.