Bizwomen Mentoring Monday Event

MEET YOUR MENTOR

National Sponsor

Monday, February 25, 20198:00-10:30 AM

National Partners

#mentoringmonday

8:00-8:30AM Networking and continental breakfast8:30-8:40AM Guest welcome and explanation of event

8:40-10:30AM One-on-one mentoring program

Agenda

Local Sponsor

Bizwomen Meet the Mentors

Laurie Barry | Senior Vice President, UBS Laurie Barry’s introduction to the world of finance started young. Her mother was le-gally blind, and Laurie began balancing the family checkbook at just 9 years old. Then at 16, her father developed early onset Alzheimer’s. These hardships can be seen through her commitment to serving her clients today. As a UBS wealth Advisor for the past 20 years, Laurie Barry has developed special relationships with her clients, by connecting with them on a personal level, and providing solutions for any situation. She has been a regular Contributor to WCIU-TV, has been heard on WGN radio, and written for Chicago Woman Magazine. She was also named one of the Chicago Busi-ness Journals Women of influence in 2017 and Working Mothers Magazine 2018 Top Wealth Advisor Moms! She has been a member of the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago (PWCC) since 2000 and further served as the President of the organization. She has volunteered with Between Friends, where she has completed 40 hours of domestic violence training and answer a crisis line for many years. She has contribut-ed time to the Alzheimer’s Association’s walk a thon in Chicago, and sits on the Board of her Local School Council.

Barbara Best | Founding Partner & Principal, Capital Strategies Invest-ment GroupBarbara has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry with the past 22 years focusing on corporate benefit programs. Before Capital Strategies, she spent several years in various management roles at a major financial services firm. Barbara is a regular speaker at industry functions and participates on service provider advisory boards to help those organizations improve their service offerings to plan sponsors and participants. Barbara received her B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Boston College and studied at both the London School of Economics and the Faculte des Lettres in France. She has also received a Business Certificate in Finance from the Professional Program of New York University. Barbara is an Accred-ited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) and has received the PLANSPONSOR Retirement Professional (PRP) designation from the Plan Sponsor Institute.

Carrie Bienkowski | CMO, PeaPodA dynamic, strategic leader with a proven track record of delivering results, Carrie Bienkowski is the Chief Marketing Officer of Peapod.com. Carrie is a seasoned brand strategist with deep expertise in e-commerce, user experience, performance market-ing, data management and retail. Prior to joining Peapod Bienkowski served as the Head of Buyer Experience eBay Fashion in Europe, overseeing site experience and growth for a core business with $2 billion in annual trading volume. Earlier in her ca-reer, Bienkowski spent nearly a decade at Procter & Gamble, including stints in North America and Switzerland. Later, at C&E Advisory in London, Bienkowski counseled a number of FTSE 100 companies in sustainability strategies. Bienkowski received her degree in finance and business economics from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to her role at Peapod, she also serves as an outside Executive Director on the Board at ConforMIS, a Boston-based medical device company traded on NASDAQ. Originally from Northern California, she now resides in Chicago with her husband, three daughters and two of the world’s laziest cats.

Becky Carroll | President & CEO, C-Strategies LLCBecky Carroll is the president and CEO of C-Strategies LLC, a strategic communica-tions and public affairs firm that serves corporate, advocacy, and non-profit client. She served as a top adviser to public-sector executives at both Chicago’s City Hall and the Illinois Office of the Governor, while also holding top positions on local, state, and national political campaigns, including National Director of Women for Obama on the 2008 Obama for President Campaign. She has served on multiple boards that pro-mote leadership roles for women in politics and women’s health, family, and work-place issues, including NARAL Pro-Choice America, MedGlobal and Chicago Woman Magazine. She was once recognized by the Chicago Sun-Times as one of Chicago’s 30 Under 30 and was recently named a Chicago Business Journal 2018 Woman of Influ-ence. Carroll co-founded the social media campaign #StandWithAleppo which has gained international recognition and heightened awareness of the crisis in Syria. She holds a BA in Communications and Political Science from Loyola University Chicago.

Laurie Barry, Table 1Senior Vice President, UBS

Barbara Best, Table 2Founding Partner & Principal, Capital

Strategies Investment GroupCarrie Bienkowski, Table 3

CMO, PeaPodBecky Carroll, Table 4

President & CEO C-Strategies LLC Michelle Damico, Table 5

CEO, Michelle Damico CommucationsTeri Dreher, Table 6

Owner & CEO, North Shore Patient AdvocatesMaria Dugandzic-Pasic, Table 7

Vice President, regional media relations, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

Nicole Elam, Table 8Vice President, Government Relations,

JPMorgan Chase & Co.Michelle Ernsdorff- May, Table 9

Founder, Compass to Care Childhood Cancer Foundation

Adrienne Fasano, Table 10CMO, Cushman & Wakefield

Sara Fix, Table 11Owner, Endure It Sports

Karen Fleshman, Table 12Co-founder, COO, Haskins Advisory Group,

LLCAlisha Greenwald, Table 13

Senior Director of Client Strategy, BlueGrace Logistics

Elizabeth Hall, Table 14Shareholder, Vedder Price

Karen Harris, Table 15Partner, Saul Ewing Arnstain & Lehr LLP

Carmen Hernandez, Table 16SVP, General Counsel, Clayco Inc.

Teri Jordan, Table 17Chief Meetings & Education Officer, Society of

Gynecologic OncologyMayra Khan, Table 18

Director, Nova Driving SchoolDiane Kibbey, Table 19

Global Head of Online Community & Social Media, Premier Farnell, element14

Jennifer Lukas-Bourgeois, Table 20Co-Founder & VP Marketing, Lekkco Belgian

Dark Chocolate Spread

Cynthia McCafferty, Table 21President, Hawthorne Strategy Group

Dr. Suzet McKinney, Table 22CEO/Executive Director, Illinois Medical

DistrictMichelle Mikka-Van Der Stuyf, Table 23

President & CEO, BizStrat Technology Corporation

Cherilyn Murer, Table 24President & CEO, CGM Advisory Group LLC

Healthcare/Higher EducationMeighan Newhouse, Table 25

Chief People Officer, Inspirant GroupMargaret Norris, Table 26

Founder/CEO, Uphold HealthWatchen Nyanue, Table 27

Vice President, Marketing Partnerships, Chicago Sky

Belinda Oakley, Table 28CEO, Chartwells K12, a division of Compass

GroupCara Burns Pan, Table 29

SVP, Chicago Market Executive, Bank of Ameri-ca Merrill Lynch

Julia Parisot, Table 30VP Business Development, LoSasso

Integrated MarketingAlyssa Rapp, Table 31CEO, Surigcal Solutions

Gabriela Rodil, Table 32Principal, Gabriela Rodil & Co.

Lisa Sachdev, Table 33Senior Manager, Public Relations, Dentons

Rosemary Swierk, Table 34President, Direct Steel and

ConstructionStacy Wells, Table 35

Regional Vice President, Wells FargoLianne Wiker Hedditch, Table 36

Executive Vice President, Heron AgencyJennifer Wilken, Table 37

Regional Leader & Financial Advisor, Edward Jones

Nancy Wright, Table 38CEO, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and

Northwest Indiana

Meet the Mentors

Michelle Damico | CEO, Michelle Damico CommunicationsMichelle Damico is founder and CEO of Michelle Damico Communications (www.michelledamico.com), LLC, an independent PR and marketing boutique, based in the Chicago metro area. She has 20+ years of award-winning experience in communica-tions strategy and tactics, following an illustrious career as a reporter and newscast-er for top Chicago stations WBEZ, WXRT and WGN Radio. She has mentored countless interns and young professionals just launching their careers and has provided coach-ing to master critical skills needed to work with reporters and clients. Michelle be-lieves that all PR professionals must excel in serving clients as well as journalists. She believes in providing excellent customer service to both. That means your client work should always be guided by strategy and outcomes while being a step ahead of client needs. Clients value Damico Communications’ consultative approach to working with businesses, nonprofits and government agencies, so we work hard to stay on top of trends, news and communications best practices. For journalists, Michelle defines excellent service as providing only the information reporters need, on deadline and without stuffing their inboxes with repetitive and unnecessary emails.

Teri Dreher | Owner & CEO, North Shore Patient AdvocatesTeri Dreher, RN, BCPA, is a pioneer in the emerging field of professional patient advo-cacy, as well as an Amazon Best Selling author and public speaker. For 39 years, Dreher was an acclaimed acute and critical care nurse who worked in some of the country’s leading hospitals. But as the healthcare system became in-creasingly difficult to navigate, her determination to keep the patient at its center led her to pivot from bedside nursing to professional RN patient advocacy. In 2011, she founded her business, North Shore Patient Advocates. Six years later, her company is the largest RN only patient advocacy company in the Chicago area. Dreher published a book on this subject, “Patient Advocacy Matters: The Ultimate How-to Guide to Protect Your Health, Your Rights, Your Life and Your Love Ones in Today’s Era of Modern Healthcare” in 2016 and has a second edition out now. Dreher not only believes that every citizen of the world has a right to quality health-care, but has made it her life’s work to make it so.

Maria Dugandzic-Pasic | Vice President, Regional Media Relations, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Teri Dreher, RN, BCPA, is a pioneer in the emerging field of professional patient advo-cacy, as well as an Amazon Best Selling author and public speaker. For 39 years, Dreher was an acclaimed acute and critical care nurse who worked in some of the country’s leading hospitals. But as the healthcare system became in-creasingly difficult to navigate, her determination to keep the patient at its center led her to pivot from bedside nursing to professional RN patient advocacy. In 2011, she founded her business, North Shore Patient Advocates. Six years later, her company is the largest RN only patient advocacy company in the Chicago area. Dreher published a book on this subject, “Patient Advocacy Matters: The Ultimate How-to Guide to Protect Your Health, Your Rights, Your Life and Your Love Ones in Today’s Era of Modern Healthcare” in 2016 and has a second edition out now. Dreher not only believes that every citizen of the world has a right to quality health-care, but has made it her life’s work to make it so.

NIcole Elam | Vice President, Government Relations, JPMorgan Chase & Co.Nicole A. Elam is Vice President of Government Relations for the Midwest at JPMorgan Chase & Co. In this role, Nicole is the firm’s primary liaison to state and local govern-ment officials and principal advocate on legislative and regulatory proposals in the region. Nicole brings over 14 years of experience in public policy. Before joining the firm, Nicole led the government and external affairs strategy for ITT Educational Ser-vices, worked as a senior director at the government affairs firm Ice Miller Strategies, and an attorney at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP focusing on congressional investigations, government enforcement actions, and complex litigation in Washing-ton, DC. Before law school, Nicole worked as Communications Director at the Black Leadership Forum, and as a Legislative Assistant at the NAACP Washington Bureau. Nicole received a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the Howard University School of Law where she was solicitations editor of the law review, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University.

Meet the Mentors

Michelle Enrsdorff-May | Founder, Compass to Care Childhood Cancer FoundationMichelle Ernsdorff-May, an entrepreneur and marketing expert, founded Compass to Care in 2010 in honor of the emotional and financial struggles her parents faced while traveling to get her the best treatment when she battled cancer as a child. Prior to launching Compass to Care, Michelle served as the vice president of marketing for IBA Molecular, a global manufacturer of radioactive pharmaceuticals used for the diagnosis of cancer and diseases of the heart. During her 10-year tenure at IBA, Mi-chelle led a cross-functional team in strategic market planning and implementation, product promotion, clinical education, public relations, and corporate communica-tion. Michelle received her Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine from the Medical College of Georgia and her MBA from Northeastern Illinois University. She has been recognized by News On Women as one of their Successful Women in Philanthropy and on WLIT-FM Chicago as the Woman of the Week. She joined the rank of presti-gious speakers chosen to give a TED talk. In July 2014, Michelle was honored as one of the 100 Women of Inspiration in Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine and named as one of The Chicago Business Journal’s honorees for its 2016 class of Women of Influence.

Adrienne Fasano | CMO, Cushman & WakefieldAdrienne Fasano is Chief Marketing Officer, Americas, at Cushman & Wakefield. In the role, she leads the marketing and corporate communications function for North, Central, and South America, partnering with executive management to develop and execute a strategy that aligns with global initiatives, supports the achievement of business objectives and financial targets, and promotes Cushman & Wakefield and its capabilities across 120 offices in nine countries. Ms. Fasano played a critical role in the launch of Cushman & Wakefield’s new brand and corporate identity following its merger with DTZ in September 2015. She resides in Chicago, IL with her husband and four children.

Sara Fix | Owner, Endure It SportsSara is one of the only female bike shop owners in the country. She owns retail and training facilities which serve cyclists and triathletes. Her business is almost solely based on community. She recognized retail was a dying business so, created a train-ing and racing club which by size and performance has built our brand. They are one of the most winningest clubs both nationally and internationally. She further build our brand by hosting 4 large events a year 2 man 10k race on track, 5k on thanksgiv-ing and 2 Indoor cycling races - The proceeds go to Chicago Hope Academy. Personal-ly, she is a 26 time Ironman Finisher-2.4 mile swim 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run- a 6 time Ironman World Champion Finisher: 2015 and 2016 finished 7 th in the world- Has qualified for the World Championships 2019 just 2 weeks ago with a win in my Age Group at Ironman Florida and the 5 th fastest overall run of the day at age 53- My motto - I won’t coach it and ask anyone to do things if, I am not willing to myself-

Karen Fleshman | Co-founder, COO, Haskins Advisory Group, LLCKaren Fleshman is co-founder and COO of Haskins Advisory Group (Haskins), a GS1 Standards and Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID) consulting and outsourcing company based in Chicago, IL., with over 10 years of experience in the Consumer Products, Foodservice, and Healthcare industries. Karen has extensive GS1 experience. Prior to the formation of Haskins, Karen worked for GS1 US where she led the Technology Support team and managed strategic accounts.

Alisha Greenwald | Senior Director of Client Strategy, BlueGrace LogisticsAlisha (Levy) Greenwald has 14 years of experience within Supply Chain Manage-ment. Much of that time was spent at C.H. Robinson, where she was responsible for the growth and development of several large CPG clients. While at C.H. Robinson Ali-sha received the Employee of the Year Award on 3 separate occasions. She managed a team of 15 employees, and grew her portfolio an average of 15% year over year. Recently, Alisha transitioned into a new leadership role at BlueGrace Logistics, where is focused on large client strategy, IT development, and continuous education. Alisha lives in Chicago with her husband, Mitch, and her 2 energetic children, Leighton (3) and Cameron (1).

Meet the Mentors Meet the Mentors

Elizabeth Hall | Shareholder, Vedder PriceElizabeth Hall is a Shareholder in the firm’s Labor and Employment practice area and serves as the Chicago office chair of the firm’s women’s affinity group, “Women at Vedder Empowering Success” (WAVES). The mission of WAVES is to support the firm’s women attorneys in developing the skills and strategies to be successful in their practices, at the firm and in the community. Ms. Hall regularly litigates employment disputes on behalf of employers before state and federal courts and administrative agencies and has successfully argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sev-enth Circuit. She is a trusted advisor to her clients, and focuses much of her time pro-viding practical advice to employers regarding risk management; effective employee discipline and discharge; conducting workplace investigations; accommodating disabilities and pregnancy; workplace violence; managing leaves of absence and com-plying with FMLA and state leave requirements; workforce reductions; drafting and reviewing employment, recruitment and staffing agreements; policy and handbook development; wage and hour compliance; and state and federal employment laws. Ms. Hall also has significant experience conducting and advising clients on investiga-tions concerning allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

Karen Harris | Partner, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLPA graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Karen Harris is a partner in Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP’s Healthcare Practice Group. Her practice focuses on transactional and regulatory matters on behalf of all types of health care provid-ers. Karen previously served as Regional General Counsel at Aetna U.S. Healthcare, Inc. and as a supervising attorney at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, where she directed the organization’s policy and legislative agendas relating to financial issues for low income populations. Throughout her career, Karen has been a tireless advocate for diversity within the profession. She currently serves on Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s Diversity and Women’s Initiative committees. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Black Women Lawyers Association and the Chicago Committee for Diversity in Large Law Firms and is currently active in chairing events for the Chicago Black Partners Association. A highly decorated competitive sailor, Harris is the Commodore (President) of Jackson Park Yacht Club ( JPYC), where she has been instrumental in launching a youth sailing program, which targets youth from some of Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods (South Shore, Woodlawn and South Chicago), to teach them leadership, teamwork,and conflict resolution.

Carmen Hernandez | SVP, General Counsel, Clayco, Inc.Carmen Hernandez has served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Clayco Inc., an architectural, engineering, design-build, and construction services firm, since 2013. In that capacity, Carmen has advised Clayco in dozens of complex, commercial real estate construction and design-build projects, including negotiating contracts, ranging from $30 million to $400 million, and effectively resolving any proj-ect related disputes. As General Counsel, she advises Clayco and its subsidiaries on a wide range of corporate, finance, employment and any related litigation matters. Prior to joining Clayco, Carmen (then known as Carmen Lonstein) practiced law for more than 26 years at various large law firms, culminating in her tenure as Chair of the Corporate Restructuring Practice for North America at Baker & McKenzie LLP.

Teri Jordan | Chief Meeting & Education Officer, Society of Gynecologic OncologyTeri’s experience in hotel conventions and services and catering led her to a varied and successful career in association convention, meetings and exhibit management. During her service to Association Forum as Vice President, Member Services, Teri’s responsibilities expanded to include membership and educations and allowed her exposure to the full spectrum of association executive management. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, she oversees all meetings, professional and patient education, exhibits, sponsorships and industry relations for SGO.

Mayra Khan | Director, Nova Driving SchoolMayra Khan is a seasoned operations and business development executive with a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. Over the past 8 years she has served as the Managing Partner at Nova Driving School where she has grown the business from $50k to over $2 Mil in revenues. She has expanded Nova’s market share of the Chica-go driver’s education market by maintaining a strong focus on excellence in teaching and a commitment to providing superior customer service. Mayra’s focus as a leader has been to guide and develop her team as well as to create systems that empower her organization to reach the highest levels of performance. Along with growing her business, Mayra understands and values the benefits of collaboration, mentorship and the need for constant learning. She has participated in a wide variety of programs and has been recognized by notable groups. Mayra’s extensive experience and passion for innovation have led to recognition of the acute challenges as well as opportunities in the industry. She launched iDrivio to address the challenges in this Billion-dollar a year drivers education market. iDrivio is built to be a platform that connects individuals and businesses seeking driver’s education with top rated providers.

Diane Kibbey | Global Head of Online Community & Social Media, Premier Farnell, element14Dianne leads the global element14 online Community and Social Media function at Premier Farnell, a global distributor of high-tech electronic components. Since it’ s inception in 2011, Dianne has led the overall content strategy, marketing and engage-ment for element14’s year over year increases in participation and the community’s recognition as a global forum for engineers to collaborate, learn about new technol-ogy, solve problems and access leading products to complete their designs. The com-munity has gone on to become an innovation hub through global design challenges. Dianne’s 20+ year career in technology and eCommerce have helped to guide her di-rection in engaging a technical audience through community and on social media and her passion for encouraging education in the STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math ) fields. Dianne has a BS in Computer Science and and MBA in Entrepreneur-ial Business. In 2018, Dianne was also named as one of the Chicago Business Journals Women of Influence.

Jennifer Lukas-Bourgeois | Co-founder & VP Marketing, Lekkco Belgian Dark Chocolate SpreadLekkco’s Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing , Jennifer Lukas-Bourgeois “JLB” brings 20 years of strategic marketing, brand building, sampling strategy, collegiate marketing, event experience, field marketing, and leadership. With a strong back-ground in building brands within the CPG and sports arenas, Jennifer began her early career working with ESPN Summer and Winter X Games. In 1996, JLB was one of the individuals who set the foundation and grew the Red Bull Energy Drink brand for 18 years in the U.S. through late 2014. Jennifer has over 1,200 events, 20 million cans sampled, 1,000 marketing and collegiate campaigns under her belt. Her experience has shaped brands with clients including Brent Sopel 2010 Stanley Cup Champion, RESQWATER Proactive Recovery Drink, Premiere Boxing Champions, Kill Cliff Bever-age and now her own company, Lekkco Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread. JLB believes in paying it forward, sharing experiences and knowledge with aspirations of shaping the next generation of women leaders. JLB has been a mentor for WISE ( Women in Sports and Business), Perspectives Charter Schools (Chicago Inner City School), currently for YEA (Young Entrepreneurs Academy) and is the Board President of her home town Swim team and conference champions, the Bartlett Barracudas. She has sat on the NFL Alumni Association board, Chicago Chapter, which helps care for kids locally by raising funds for various charities. In 2017, JLB was a Women of Influence recipient with the Chicago Business Journal.

Cynthia McCafferty | President, Hawthorne Strategy GroupAn expert in strategy and integrated campaign management, Cynthia McCafferty is president of Hawthorne Strategy Group. Hawthorne delivers communications solutions that achieve business goals and solve business challenges for corporate, non-profit, and public agency clients. With two decades of experience, Cynthia has managed a diverse base of clients in areas such as thought-leadership, media relations, and issues management. Cynthia brings to Hawthorne a relentless com-

Meet the Mentors Meet the Mentors

mitment to client service and delivering results. Previously, she was a senior vice president and senior partner at FleishmanHillard International Communications. Her clients have included as Evinrude, Red Bull, P&G, Home Instead Senior Care, Ascen-sion Health, Business France, and the Women’s Business Development Center. Cyn-thia has also supported communications efforts related to the Affordable Care Act in multiple states and is one the nation’s most experienced communications profes-sionals in this area. Cynthia has deep experience building communications programs to meet her client’s business and organizational objectives. On behalf of McCormick Place, Hawthorne developed an updated identity to support the organization as it expands its footprint with the addition of new facilities. Cynthia has a Bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Saint Louis University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Suzet McKinney | CEO/Executive Director, Illinois Medical DistrictDr. Suzet McKinney is currently CEO of the Illinois Medical District. The IMD is a 24/7/365 environment that includes 560 acres of medical research facilities, labs, a biotech business incubator, universities, raw land devel-opment areas, 4 hospitals and more than 40 healthcare related facilities and is one of the largest urban medical districts in the U.S. Dr. McKinney is the former Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health Pre-paredness and Emergency Response at the Chicago Department of Public Health, where she oversaw the emergency preparedness efforts for the Department and coordinated those efforts within the larger spectrum of Chicago’s Public Safety activities.Dr. McKinney is an experienced, knowl-edgeable public health official with exceptional communication skills. She has served as an on-camera media expert on emergency issues including biological and chemical threats, natural disasters, pandemic influenza and severe weather. Dr. McKinney serves as an Instructor in the Division of Translational Policy and Leadership Development at Harvard Universi-ty’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. She also serves as a mentor for the Biomedical Sciences Careers Project, also at Harvard.

Michelle Mikka-Van Der Stuyf | President & CEO, BizStrat Technology CorporationAs President & CEO of BizStrat Technology Corporation, her 25 years of experience drives growth & innovation in web, e-commerce, software development, strategic systems for business, and mobile & touch screen solutions. With 2 patents, urEZso-lutions™ springboards constant technology innovation resulting in (4) software spinoffs in 2019. Clients range from start-ups to $1 billion companies. She serves on the board for Illinois Technology Foundation, Lewis University, and Triton College bringing industry needs to academic curriculums. As an active executive team member with TechSavvy and NCWIT, she provides corporate & industry support to cultivate diversity in STEM and develop future talent. She is also active with AnitaB.org, IIT, and Chicago Innovation in entrepreneurial, business, non-profit & education-al initiatives. Degrees in Computer Science, Airway Science, Math & Business tool her with the knowledge to cultivate technological change that matters. Mentoring, keynoting, speaking and serving on panels all contribute to paying it forward for this 2018 Women of Influence awardee.

Cherilyn Murer | President & CEO, CMG Advisory Group LLC, Healthcare/Higher EducationCherilyn G. Murer, J.D., C.R.A., President and CEO of CGM Advisory Group LLC, has been an active voice in the advancement of quality, cost-effective health care for more than three decades. She coupled a law degree with operational experience at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to launch and grow an international, legal-based healthcare consulting firm, with clients in 42 states, Europe, and the Middle East.Under her leadership, the firm grew dramatically with clients that included multi-hos-

pital health care systems, academic medical centers, and large physician group prac-tices, helping them navigate through the complex regulatory, strategic and financial issues facing healthcare. Cherilyn sold the firm in January 2017 and founded CGM two months later. A frequent speaker and writer on issues about healthcare, higher education, entrepreneurship, and women’s leadership, she has authored seven healthcare industry books.

Meighan Newhouse | Chief People Officer, Inspirant GroupPeople are Meg’s passion. At Inspirant, she brings that passion to both internal “Unconsultants” and to external client teams. She starts every project by finding the perfect Inspirant resource for the client’s specific needs, vision, and culture. Then, as the leader of Learning Solutions, she works with those resources and the client to assure each step in the bespoke Learner Journey is effective, engaging, and relevantto each person. Meg brings a healthy dose of empathy, listening, and relating to all of her work. Her focus on people, and innate desire to help them get “unstuck” and try something new, makes her incredibly good at what she does and an invaluable asset to the Inspirant leadership team.

Maggie Norris | Founder/CEO, Uphold HealthBio coming soon

Watchen Nyanue | Vice President, Marketing Partnership, Chicago SkyWatchen Nyanue is a strategic marketing and business development expert from Li-beria, who resides in Chicago, Illinois. She is currently the Vice President of Marketing Partnerships for the WNBA Chicago Sky. As an advocate for female leadership and empowerment, her journey has been filled with more than twelve years of execu-tive experience, where she has excelled as a proven business strategy leader who understands the importance of building relationships and capitalizing on a firm “it” factor in order to take the organization to the next level. Watchen holds a bachelor’s in communication from DePauw University. She is currently pursuing her MBA at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Prior to working at the Sky, she has had the honor of working with a multitude of renowned companies,including Comedy Central, Hearst Digital, Yahoo!, and Johnson Publishing Compa-ny. When she isn’t immersed in her career, Watchen happily serves on the Board of Trustees of the Associated Colleges of Illinois. The NextGen group of UNICEF and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is also a 2018 Chicago Business Journal Women of Influence Honoree

Belinda Oakley | CEO, Chartwells K12, a division of Compass GroupBelinda Oakley was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Chartwells K12, a division of Compass Group, in January 2018. With nearly 16,000 associates in more than 4,000 schools, ranging from large public institutions to small charter schools across the country, Chartwells is an industry leader. Belinda recognizes the critical role the organization plays in serving nutritious food that students crave so they can thrive in school and throughout their lives. By focusing on innovation and building collabora-tive and results-oriented teams, Belinda is reimagining the in-school dining experi-ence and helping to change the way a generation thinks about food. With nearly two decades of foodservice operations experience, Belinda’s career has spanned multiple countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. In addition to a multi-national perspective, she has gained valuable insights from her roles in fran-chised and company-owned retail operations, fast food and quick serve restaurants, and foodservice management. Belinda graduated from the University of Denver’s Executive MBA program as Cohort Leader with Honors. A native Australian, Belinda is married and the proud mother of a young daughter.

Meet the Mentors

Cara Burns Pan | SVP, Chicago Market Executive, Bank of America Mer-rill LynchCara Pan is a Senior Vice President and Chicago Market Executive for the Market President Office within Bank of America. In her current role she works in partnership with the Market President and Market Integration Executive to help lead the local market goals of connecting businesses, families and individuals to the banking and inves ment teams that help improve their financial lives. She also supports Bank of America’s efforts to deploy resources in the market to address social and economi-concerns and build strong communities. Cara is responsible for the development and execution of the market plan, designed to drive revenue growth, employee engag ment and corporate reputation. She also leads business integration efforts by ma aging business integration specialist(s) in the market and driving discipline around routines and inspection. In addition, she oversees community partnerships,sponsorships and philanthropy in Chicago. Cara joined Bank of America in 1999 in Fixed Income Derivatives, where she completed Six Sigma Green Belt training. She went on to work in the Global Rates & Currencies Origination team advising CFOs, treasury teams, executive management and boards on financial analysis and hedging strategies regarding foreign currency and interest rate exposures. In 2014 her role expanded to Chief Operating Officer for the Global Rates & Currencies Origination team, managing a $1billion sales platform with approximately 200 global employees. In addition to her leadership roles within the Global Corporate and InvestmentBank, Cara was one of the Co-Founders and Co-Chairs of the Chicago Women’s Lead-ership Council.

Julia Parisot | VP Business Development, LoSasso Integrated MarketingJulia Parisot is VP of Business Development at LoSasso Integrated Marketing, an independently owned, mid-sized integrated marketing agency in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. Her sociable nature, strong work ethic and sharp instincts helped her rise up the agency ranks in account management and client services overthe past 25 years, successfully leading big B2B accounts like CNH Industrial Parts & Service and Sandvik Coromant. More recently, though, Julia has taken the reins to lead exciting new client opportunities to the agency. Julia’s got a deep passion for the full spectrum of marketing disciplines—and the fun-loving, adventurous spirit to keep it interesting. Plus, thanks to her wisdom and guidance, the office fridge isalways stocked with the best bottles of vino. She has a B.A. in Communications from Loyola University Chicago and studied at their Rome center campus which explains her love of all things travel.

Alyssa Rapp | CEO, Surgical SolutionsAlyssa Rapp currently serves as the CEO of Surgical Solutions, a healthcare ser-vices company owned by Sterling Partners. She is also the managing partner of AJR Ventures and a lecturer-in-management at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Previously, Alyssa served as the founder & CEO of Bottlenotes, Inc. and author of Bottlenotes Guide to Wine: Around the World in 80 Sips. Alyssa was named one of Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30” coolest entrepreneurs in America” and is consistent-lynamed one of the wine industry’s top 100 most influential people (Intowine.com). Bottlenotes received the “People’s Choice Award” at the Empact Showcase at the United Nations, honoring the top 100 companies with founders under 35. Alyssa earned a B.A. in Political Science and the History of Art from Yale University in 2000 and an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2005.

Gabrielle Rodil | Principal, Gabriela Rodil & Co.Gabriela Rodil is an award-winning entrepreneur and a gifted CFO with deep exper-tise in the critical areas of financial strategy, systems management and execution. Gabby Rodil is an international business woman, who speaks six languages and hasclients throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. She is originally from Brazil and has lived or had extended assignments in over 20 countries.

Lisa Sachdev | Senior Manager, Public Relations, DentonsLisa Sachdev is an award-winning strategic public relations expert with more than 25 years of experience in legal and professional services marketing and communi-cations. At Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, she directs and leads the public relations initiatives for the more than 1100 lawyers and professionals and 21 offices in the United States region. Sachdev has extensive experience in crisis and litigation communications, and has worked in professional services, integrated marketing communications and public relations agency and non-profit environments.

Rosemary Swierk | Founder & President, Direct Steel and ConstructionRosemary Swierk is founder and President of Direct Steel® and Construction. Direct Steel and Construction is a commercial General Contracting, Construction Manage-ment and Owner’s Representative firm. Her team provides services which facilitate optimal end results with regard to project scope, budget, schedule, quality and safe-ty. Rosemary holds a BS from Indiana University, Dartmouth “Tuck” Executive Degree and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Certificate. Rosemary has decades of experience in real estate development and construction. Additionally, Rosemary contributes her time in several community initiatives including as a State of Illinois appointee to the Small Business Development Center Advisory Board. Rosemary has received recognitions for her accomplishments from many organizations including as recipient of the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year by the national Women’s Business Development Center and the 2016 EW Enterprising Woman of the Year award.

Stacy Wells | Regional Vice President, Wells FargoWith over thirteen years of experience in public relations, marketing, and social media, Lianne has worked on exciting campaigns for clients ranging from amazing lifestyle brands such as PaperSource and Orangetheory Fitness, some of the nation’s largest entertainment venues, multiple hotel brands across the country, as well as hot restaurants openings and nonprofit organizations. Career highlights include the expansion and renovation of Hyatt Regency McCormick Place featuring a ribbon cut-ting event with Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel; the opening of The Westin Nashville with Grand Opening performances by David Nail and Brett Young; the National Tours of Celtic Thunder, Great Divorce, and The Screwtape Letters; the 15th anniversary of the Randolph Street Market- the “Barneys of Vintage;” the annual Chicago Scots’ Highland Games and Scottish Festival, benefiting Illinois’ oldest charity, and one of her favorite places to grab a bite- Wow Bao. Lianne received her Master’s in Integrat-ed Marketing from the University of Chicago and her Bachelor’s at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been published in Connect Association Magazine, and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Illinois Meetings & Events Magazine.

Lianne Wiker Hedditch | Executive Vice President, Heron AgencyWith over thirteen years of experience in public relations, marketing, and social media, Lianne has worked on exciting campaigns for clients ranging from amazing lifestyle brands such as PaperSource and Orangetheory Fitness, some of the nation’s largest entertainment venues, multiple hotel brands across the country, as well as hot restaurants openings and nonprofit organizations. Career highlights include the expansion and renovation of Hyatt Regency McCormick Place featuring a ribbon cut-ting event with Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel; the opening of The Westin Nashville with Grand Opening performances by David Nail and Brett Young; the National Tours of Celtic Thunder, Great Divorce, and The Screwtape Letters; the 15th anniversary of the Randolph Street Market- the “Barneys of Vintage;” the annual Chicago Scots’ Highland Games and Scottish Festival, benefiting Illinois’ oldest charity, and one of her favorite places to grab a bite- Wow Bao. Lianne received her Master’s in Integrat-ed Marketing from the University of Chicago and her Bachelor’s at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been published in Connect Association Magazine, and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Illinois Meetings & Events Magazine.

Jennifer Wilken | Regional Leader & Financial Advisor, Edward JonesAs a twenty year Edward Jones financial advisor, Jennifer has trained, mentored and coached financial advisors at various stages of business and has routinely been recognized for her high value service and production. Jennifer was the Chicago Area WINGS leader and routinely asked to travel around the country and speak about women in leadership including the “Women’s Leadership forum” for the top women

Meet the Mentors

Meet the Mentors DirectionsThe mentors will sit around the tables and the mentees will move tables every

7 minutes when the bell rings to end the coaching sessions. The mentees may stand in line to wait for a specific mentor. This will give mentees/guests a chance to talk among

themselves and network while waiting. It’s fast, fun and fulfilling as everyone gets a chance to meet new people and gain new insights.

leaders in the firm. In October of 2018, Jennifer became a Regional Leader, and is responsible for leading a region of roughly 70 financial advisors in Chicagoland. A member of American Association of University Women (AAUW) Jennifer has served at the local, state and national level. Jennifer served on the national board as the Development Vice President and worked to raise funds to provide scholarships for women and girls. Dare to Dream is a conference held Latina middle school girls and their mothers and Jennifer has had the role of introducing Latina women role models (engineers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, physicians) to engage and inspire the girls to dream big and achieve their goals.

Nancy Wright | CEO, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and NorthwestWith Nancy Wright at the helm as CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and North-west Indiana, the Girl Scouts are BOLDLY raising their voices and taking action on issues that impact girls, women and communities in ways that may surprise those that think only of young girls selling those beloved Thin Mints. Since stepping into her role in 2014, Wright has been tirelessly championing a progressive strategy that opens doors for ALL girls by focusing on the experiences and programs that can open their eyes to careers that they had not previously considered, including in STEM, and inspiring them to advocate for positive social change on issues that matter.Powered by her personal passion and inspired by the Girl Scout Movement’s mission, Wright has overseen growth across multiple business lines, including those that focus on delivering rewarding girl-led and girl-focused programs to more than 50,000 girls in 245 urban, suburban, and rural communities in six Illinois counties and four Indiana counties. Considering the current social landscape, Wright knows that Girl Scouting is uniquely positioned to inspire a future generation of problem-solvers, doers and leaders and remains focused on engaging with likeminded others.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38