The 5Th Annual Changing Color of Leadership Conference and 40Th Anniversary Gala
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The 5th Annual Changing Color of Leadership Conference and 40th Anniversary Gala Honoring the Past. Shaping the Future. December 4, 2008, Hilton Chicago Sponsored by: The work of Chicago United is made possible by the support of our members: Abbott Ernst & Young LLP PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Advocate Health Care Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Primera Engineers, Ltd. Aetna, Inc. Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan, LLP Pugh, Jones, Johnson & Quandt, P.C. Aon Corporation Harris Ralph G. Moore & Associates (RGMA) A. Pomerantz & Co. Hewitt Associates, LLC Rush University Medical Center Ariel Investments Hill, Taylor LLC Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP Azteca Foods, Inc. Hispanic Housing Development Corporation Sara Lee Corporation Bank of America Holland Capital Management SD∙I (System Development. Baxter International Inc. Integration, LLC) The Hollins Group Beaman Incorporated Seaway Bank and Trust Company Jewel-Osco Blue Cross and Blue Shield of ShoreBank Corporation Illinois Johnson, Blumberg & Associates, LLC Sidley Austin LLP Bonaparte Corporation Keene Advisory Group LLC Smith Whiley & Company BP America Inc. Laner Muchin Dombrow Becker Levin & Tominberg Spencer Stuart Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC LifeSource Synch-Solutions Inc. Cardenas Marketing Networks, Inc. Loop Capital Markets, LLC TeamWerks Carrington & Carrington, Ltd. Macy’s Inc. United Airlines The Chicago Community Trust Mayer Brown LLP United Building Maintenance, Inc. Chicago State University McDonald’s Corporation USA LLC The University of Chicago Medical Chicago Symphony Orchestra Center Merrill Lynch Chicago Tribune Company University of Illinois at Chicago Mesirow Financial Chicago Urban League USG Corporation National City Bank Illinois City Colleges of Chicago Washington, Pittman & McKeever, LLC Neal & Leroy, LLC Columbia College Chicago Weber Shandwick WorldWide NJW Companies ComEd, An Exelon Company Wedgeworth Business Northern Trust Communications Crain’s Chicago Business Northwestern Memorial Hospital Winston & Strawn Creative Printing Services Nuveen Investments Endow, Inc. Odell Hicks & Company Environmental Design International, Inc. Prado & Renteria CPAs Prof. Corp. Welcome to the 5th Annual Changing Color of Leadership Conference and 40th Anniversary Gala December 4, 2008 Dear Conference Participants: Welcome to Chicago United’s 40th Anniversary Gala – a ruby anniversary for an organization with a sterling record of achievement. This is an especially joyous occasion for ComEd because we have been a torchbearer of Chicago United’s cause since its inception. It is humbling to acknowledge all that has been accomplished in 40 years to live the dream of inclusion and equality. It is equally inspiring to acknowledge the vigilant call to leadership and responsibility that Chicago United continues to make of each of us. I join you in saluting Ms. Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, as recipient of this year’s National Bridge Award. Ms. Nooyi has been a steadfast steward of promoting the values of diversity and inclusion across PepsiCo. Like Ms. Nooyi, the members of Chicago United recognize that an enterprise-wide commitment to diversity is key to building a corporate reputation because it is the right thing to do for employees, for consumers, for our communities, and for shareholders. ComEd and our 5,600 employees salute Chicago United on 40 years of groundbreaking accomplishments. We also congratulate Chicago United President Gloria Castillo for her leadership. My colleagues and I at ComEd thank everyone affiliated with Chicago United for their role in growing diversity at the executive level. We look forward to advancing the cause that began four decades ago as we continue working side-by-side toward workplaces and communities that allow every one of us to achieve our greatest potential. Sincerely, Frank M. Clark Chairman and CEO – 1 – Presenting Sponsor: Media Sponsor: 40th Anniversary Co-Chairs: Advocate for Change Sponsors: Corporate Citizen for Change Sponsors: Leadership Sponsors: PMS 145U is the actual PMS for Holland W e may need to adjust it to PMS 153 for color outputs ANYTHING FOR THE PRINTER SHOULD BE IN PMS 145U! HOLLAND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT BLUE GREEN C= 100 C= 100 M= 68 PRADO & RENTERIA M= 0 Y= 0 Certified Public Accountants Y= 100 K= 20 K= 48 SCREEN = 15% The official airline of Chicago United – 2 – Acknowledgements Dear Conference Participants, For 40 years Chicago United has maintained the dialogue among multiracial senior leadership driving corporate and minority-owned businesses and civic and non-profit leadership in the common goal of a creating a stronger social and economic climate for all races. During that time, our dedicated members have directly led many of the city’s important initiatives including, but not limited to, collaborating with other civic organiza- tions to create the Regional Transit Authority; creating a special Task Force on Education which provided executive leadership to local schools; helping secure the passage of the Illinois Affordable Housing Act; developing Invest in Chicago, a West Pullman community revitalization effort; measuring and benchmarking racial diversity in Chicago Corporations through the Corporate Diversity Profile; promoting board-ready minority executives in the Business Leaders of Color publications; focusing attention toward multiracial leadership de- velopment at the Annual Changing Color of Leadership Conference; and building a stronger regional economy and minority businesses of scale through Five Forward. It is through fierce constructive conversation and collaboration, steadfast strategies that are the foundation of all our programs and events like today’s Changing Color of Leadership Conference and Bridge Awards ceremonies, that Chicago United fosters inclusion and provides an opportunity for senior executives from all racial and ethnic groups to learn from one another, confront and break down racial barriers and achieve shared objectives. Discussion of accomplishments of the past forty years must include acknowledgement of Barack Obama’s exhilarating victory as momentous and impactful because of the lessons it teaches. It teaches individuals, once again, that persistence, intelligence and an open mind can lead to personal advancement. But the victory also creates a classroom in which corporate leaders should take a seat. Obama and his campaign offer a roadmap for improvements that can, and should, be shaped by diversity and inclusion. His appeal to voters from different ethnicities, generations and geographies was enriched by the diverse campaign team he assembled for their mix of experience and viewpoints. His victory demonstrates that when we bring diverse thinking to the table, we all gain tremendous benefits and a competitive advantage. A conference of this depth of talent and content cannot be developed and delivered without the support of an active membership and many friends. – 4 – Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank Jim Skogsbergh, chairman of the Chicago United Board of Directors, and all its members for their unwavering support. A great deal of respect and gratitude to our partners at ComEd who is a founding member of Chicago United, an inaugural supporter of this conference and today’s presenting sponsor. ComEd has provided extraordinary leadership and serves as an example for some of the best diversity practices in this city. Enormous thanks to all today’s sponsors and especially our 40th Anniversary Co-Chairs for your extraordinary support. Chicago United also appreciates the partnership with ABC7 who has generously run public service promotions and lent the talents of Cheryl Burton and Ravi Baichwal. We also appreciate the advertising support of Crain’s Chicago Business, the Tribune Company, Minority Business News USA and Women’s Business Development Center. We extend a very special thanks to James Skogsbergh and Advocate Health Care for donating a portion of our printed materials and Novak Law Offices for providing the conference briefcases. Finally we thank each and every member of Chicago United for their personal and organizational resources to build the conference and support its mission. David Rudd and the team at The Axis Agency have helped this organization achieve remarkable and invaluable media coverage surrounding the events of this year. Judy Mathews, president of Community Interface, has become the most versatile consultant and strategist imaginable. Finally, the team at Chicago United is without a doubt the hardest working group ever assembled. I can only begin to express my personal appreciation to Sal Bayron, Janice Buford, Teresa Sarna and Ana Souchet. To all who made this conference a success, thank you! Sincerely, Gloria Castillo President Chicago United – 5 – Table of Contents Schedule of Events. .7-9 About Chicago United. .10 Sponsors . 11-93 Speakers. 95-104 Bridge Awards Dinner. 105-107 Partners in the Arts. 108 Bridge Awards Introduction. 109 National Bridge Award Recipient. 110-111 Chicago United James W. Compton Research Competition. 112 – 6 – Schedule of Events 11:00 a.m. Registration 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Diversity Leadership Luncheon International South Welcome: Ravi Baichwal, Weekend Anchor and Reporter, ABC7 News Presenting Sponsor Remarks: Kevin B. Brookins, Vice President Distribution System Operations, ComEd Presenter: Warren Smith, Director, Midwest Human Resources Leader, Ernst & Young LLP; Co-Chair Corporate Diversity Profile Committee Keynote Address: George Herrera, President & CEO, Herrera-Christina Group, Ltd.