Jill D. Houghton, Acting Executive Director, US Business Leadership Network (USBLN )

USBLN® Annual Conference Keynote Biographies

The USBLN® would like to thank our esteemed 2011 Keynote Presenters

Jill D. Houghton, Acting Executive Director, US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®)

John D. Kemp, President & CEO, Abilities!

J. Randolph Lewis, Senior Vice President - Distribution, Walgreens

Dr. Mary O'Hara-Devereaux, Founder and CEO, Global Foresight

Deb Russell, Corporate Manager, Walgreens & US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) Board Chair

Stephen J. Szilagyi, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Lowe's Companies, Inc. & US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) Conference Chair

Luke Visconti, CEO, DiversityInc Media LLC

Stephen Wright, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions and Web Enablement, IBM Office of the CIO

Jill Houghton is the Acting Executive Director of the U.S. Business Leadership Network®. The USBLN® is the national disability organization that serves as the collective voice of over 60 Business Leadership Network affiliates across North America, representing over 5,000 businesses. The USBLN® helps build workplaces, marketplaces, and supply chains where people with disabilities are respected for their talents.

Ms. Houghton has over 20 years of diverse leadership experience at the federal, state and local levels to advance the employment and economic self-sufficiency of all people with disabilities. Prior to joining the USBLN®, Jill served as the Executive Director of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel from February 2005 until its legislative sunset in January, 2008. The bi-partisan Panel was comprised of twelve private citizens and was housed independently within the Social Security Administration in Washington D.C. The Panel's charge was to advise the President, Congress and the Commissioner of Social Security on the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program and issues related to work incentives programs, planning and assistance for individuals with disabilities.

Ms. Houghton is a graduate of the University of Kansas and served as an intern for Senator Robert J. Dole in the United States Senate. Ms. Houghton was appointed in 2009 by Governor Charlie Crist to serve a three year term on the Florida’s Commission for Transportation Disadvantaged and also serves on the board for the Broward Center for Independent Living. She resides in South Florida with her husband Andrew and their son.

John D. Kemp, President & CEO, Abilities!

John D. Kemp is widely respected for his many achievements, both in the corporate and non-profit worlds. As a person with personal disability experience who uses four prostheses, John inspires others to achieve the impossible through knowledge, experience, vision, personality, and persistence.

John D. Kemp, 2007 recipient of the New Freedom Initiative award and 2006 recipient of the Henry B. Betts Award (regarded as America's highest honor for disability leadership and service) is widely respected for his many achievements, both in the corporate and non-profit worlds.

Mr. Kemp graduated from Georgetown University in 1971 and from Washburn University School of Law in 1974. Mr. Kemp was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Washburn University School of Law in May, 2003. With more than 45 years of direct experience in the disability movement presently serves as President & CEO of Abilities! Abilities! is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency that is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to be active, independent, and self sufficient participants in our society. Through education, training, research, leadership, and example, Abilities! seeks to provide the highest quality services and to influence national attitudes, policies, and legislation in ways that will lead to the greatest benefits for the people they serve.

Randy Lewis, a father of an adult son with autism, says “my son has taught me to look past the disability and see the person.” His personal and professional experiences led him to develop a Walgreens Distribution Center in Anderson, South Carolina to accommodate employees with disabilities. The Anderson Distribution Center is a model of productivity. While over 40% of its 700 employees have disabilities, the center is 20% more efficient than any other in the Walgreens organization.

The message from Randy Lewis is that including individuals with disabilities in the workforce is not only the right thing to do; it is also good for the bottom line. Randy emphasizes, “We constantly remind people we are not a charity. We are a business. We are very interested in being a success. We want to make this a model...If we can help others do the same thing, we are there for them.”

Dr. Mary O'Hara-Devereaux, Founder and CEO, Global Foresight

Dr. Mary O'Hara-Devereaux, is a highly acclaimed global futurist, bestselling author and noted authority on leadership, strategy and innovation in turbulent uncertain times. Her latest book-Navigating the Badlands-Thriving in the Decade of Radical Transformation provides foresight, insights and strategies for senior executives to “Scan, Scout and Steer” their way successfully through this historic volatile business environment. Known as a steady eyed futurist, Mary’s successful results come from conducting extensive research in over 50 countries on 7 continents including China and translating it into results that impact the bottom line.

Her clients range across many industries and the public/private sector. They include Fortune 100 companies such as Procter & Gamble, Chevron Texaco, China Merchants Bank, Apple Computer, and Intel. Key public sector leaders such as the University of California, U.S. Government, the National Council on Aging, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Society of Association Executives. She is noted for her ability to identify emerging trends and translate them into opportunities for clients.

Clients describe Mary as profound, provocative and pragmatic. She tells the truth about the future and provides hard hitting strategic advice about how to thrive in a future that won’t resemble the past.

Dr. Mary O'Hara-Devereaux • Profound, Provocative, Pragmatic • Best Selling Author • Global Futurist • Reliable Forecaster • Innovation and Strategy Guide • Moves clients from Foresight to Insight to Action

Deb Russell is a Corporate Manager for Walgreen Co. She oversees the company’s commitment to including qualified individuals with disabilities in the workforce of its distribution centers. Ms. Russell advises and monitors these efforts in order to disseminate and share lessons that are learned throughout the Walgreen Company and other companies. Walgreen Company is the nation’s largest drugstore chain and the 3rd largest of food and drug stores. Fortune Magazine ranks Walgreens as the 40th largest company in America and it employs over 230,000 people.

Deb’s background includes working in the field of employment of people with disabilities for more than 15 years.

Stephen J. Szilagyi, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Lowe's Companies, Inc. & US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) Conference Chair

Steve Szilagyi was named senior vice president of distribution in February 2006. He is responsible for the operations of 14 regional distribution centers and 15 flat-bed distribution centers serving all Lowe’s stores. Szilagyi began his career at Lowe’s in 2001 as regional director of distribution and was named vice president of distribution in 2002. He has over 25 years of experience in retail and consumer products distribution. Szilagyi serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization on Disability and earned a bachelor’s degree in materials and logistics management from Michigan State University.

Luke Visconti, CEO, DiversityInc Media LLC

Luke Visconti is the Chief Executive Officer of DiversityInc Media LLC. He directs all editorial and business operations of the publication. DiversityInc.com reaches more than 1 million unique monthly visitors and DiversityInc magazine has an audited circulation of more than 340,000.

Mr. Visconti developed and directs the methodology for The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®. His column, “Ask the White Guy,” is a top draw on DiversityInc.com. He is a frequent senior- level lecturer on the business benefits of diversity to corporations, business groups and nonprofit organizations.

He is a recognized leader in this field and has appeared on FOX, MSNBC, CNBC and NPR. Mr. Visconti is regularly quoted on diversity issues in publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, BusinessWeek, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Visconti and his former business partner founded DiversityInc in 1998.

Prior to entering the publishing industry, he was on active duty as a naval aviator and commissioned officer with the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1990, and in the reserves until 1992.

Mr. Visconti holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Rutgers University.

© 2011 US Business Leadership Network. All rights reserved. Associations  Trustee, Bennett College for Women  Trustee, Rutgers University  Board Member, New Jersey City University Foundation  Board Member, The PhD Project  Member, United States Navy Diversity Senior Advisory Group  Member, United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Executive Panel  Member, Rutgers University, Veterans Services Advisory Council  Member Rutgers, Board of Governors Committee on Alumni & University Relations

Awards  October 2009: “2009 HerMANO Award” from Alma Morales Riojas, President and CEO,  MANA – A National Latina Organization  January 2006: “Bridge Builders Award” from the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the  Wall Street Project conference  May 2006: “Legacy of Leadership” award from Dr. Beverly Tatum, Spelman College  January 2007, Member of the Year, PRIMER  May 2007, named Distinguished Alumnus, Rutgers University

Stephen Wright, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions and Web Enablement, IBM Office of the CIO

Mr. Wright joined IBM in 1981 as a Marketing Representative in the National Accounts Division in Waltham, Massachusetts. He spent five years as the lead account representative to a number of large insurance and financial firms in the Boston area until his assignment as a Large Systems Marketing Specialist in 1986. In 1987, Mr. Wright was promoted to Marketing Manager in Portland, Maine with sales management responsibility for all Maine-based national accounts. He returned to Boston as the Northeast Services Marketing Manager in 1992 until being named Business Unit Executive, Northeast Operations in 1994. Mr. Wright was named Director, Business Transformation in 1996 where he had responsibility for reengineering the Customer Relationship Management processes and sales force automation.

In 1999, he was named Vice President, Global Sales Transformation. In this capacity he had worldwide responsibility for aligning business processes with strategic architecture, end to end solution design, and worldwide deployment of IBM's Client Process Transformation initiative.

As Vice President, Global Enterprise Deployment, he was located in Paris, France from 2000-2003 with responsibility for driving CRM transformation and global resourcing.

Currently, Mr. Wright is Vice President, Enterprise Solutions and Web Enablement leading IBM’s web presence operations and strategy while enabling the globally integrated enterprise with digital shared services.

Mr. Wright earned a BSBA from Babson College and an MBA from Boston University.