In the wake of questions about ethical behavior on Wall Street, Duke University held its regularly scheduled Leadership and Ethics Conference.

According to Duke, the conference brings together executives to talk about ethics in the business worlds, and strong ethical leadership in business and government. Graduates, students, and members of the business community are taking part in the event, for a fee.

"It goes without saying that with the backsplash of the financial crisis, that that is something people are thinking about, and it's reflected in the questions that they are asking," said organizer San Yin Siang.

Siang says the timing of the conference has lead to timely conversations.

"I think there is more of an emphasis on character. People are seeing that leadership is more than just effectiveness... effectiveness and success isn't just measured by numbers, but they're also measured by the values that drive an organization," she said.

Sim Sitkin is a professor at Duke's School of Business. He also helped organize the conference.

"Our participants are coming here with a wide variety of concerns. The financial crisis is only one of them," he said.

"They're running businesses, they're running nonprofit organizations, so the financial crisis hits all of them, and it is a concern as part of running their business more generally," Sitkin added.

Panelists included Martin E. Dempsey, Gen, an acting commander with the US Army, and Michael Hurley, a site manager of the World Trade Center. Hurley participated in a panel called "Leading through Crisis."

Ryan Allis is the CEO and a co-founder of a local company called iContact. He spoke about leadership among different gender and ages.

He said the crisis on Wall Street has an effect on most businesspeople.

"Now more than ever, we need to develop the next generation of leaders, and I think that's what they've come to Duke to do," he said.

"Some of this was driven by questionable behavior, and I think, my hope is the security and exchange commission, and the relevant authorities will get to the bottom of that," Allis added.

Co-panelist Janet Hill agreed.

"I think leadership is more than, let me see, a corner office, a parking spot, a title on the door," said Hill, who is a board member for Sprint/Nextel, and Wendy's International, Inc.

"It's very serious responsibilities to lead other people, to motivate, inspire, and teach them," she added.

The conference lasts until Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning, organizers say they will have a panel discussion, which will specifically address the crisis on Wall Street.