The University of Chicago Office of Business  Diversity presents the

2nd Annual CHiA A-Level Round Table

 
The reason for the 2008 A-Level Round Table is simple: professional service industries in America are faced with the challenge remaining competitive locally and globally. Carefully created diversity initiatives have proven to be an effective way to stay competitive for many large and mid-sized public and privately held companies such as Hewitt, Microsoft and Blackwell Consulting. 

Please join us at the CHiA 2nd Annual A-Level Round Table "Diversity Inclusion or Illusion: How Do People See You? Best Practices for the Professional Services Industries" on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at the University of Chicago's Quadrangle Club from 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM.  The purpose of this year's program is to impart best practices for diversity at the board, management, employee, supplier and pipeline levels of a corporation. The breakfast panel is comprised up of several notable High Achievers who exemplify diversity and excellence in their industries. Two awards will also be given that morning: the 2008 CHiA Paradigm Shifter Award and the 2008 CHiA Advancement Award.  CHiA will also hold a private meeting with 30 Sr. Executives who are ready to be placed on a corporate or public board immediately or within the next 3-5 years.

Breakfast Panelists are:

Madeleine Condit - KornFerry, Senior Client Partner (Retired), 2008 Recipient of the CHiA Paradigm Shifter Award.  Madeleine will provide best practices for diversifying a corporate or public board.  She will share the process of how corporate board candidates are identified, considered and selected as well as impart what relational traits makes an individual a preferred candidate.

Tyronne Stoudemire - Hewitt Associates, Global Diversity Director for Diversity and Inclusion, 2008 Recipient of the CHiA Advancement Award.  Tyronne will impart best practices for identifying diverse employee needs and how to best sustain employee diversity.

Maria Wynne - Microsoft, Senior Director Economic Development and Innovation U.S. Public Sector.  Maria will impart best practices on how to work with Government leaders to develop programs that overcome City and State-wide gaps in digital literacy and workforce development.     

Robert (Bob) Blackwell - CEO, Blackwell Consulting.  Bob will impart best practices for growing an enduring business that is minority owned and operated.  Specifically, Bob will identify core areas of relationships that must be nurtured by business owners and ways to best navigate encounters that can be deadly to the survival of a smaller business.

Kara Cenar - Bell, Boyd and Lloyd, Partner.  Kara, named one of the top Intellectual Property attorney's in the state of Illinois, will moderate the panel.

The Legal panelists are:

Bruce Melton, Associate General Counsel, The University of Chicago
Kay Gemrich, Corporate Patent Council, Steelcase Inc.
Michael Martinez, Partner and Chair of Diversity Committee, Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, LLC
Pam Bloomquist, Assistant Dean, Law Admission and Financial Assistance, Loyola University Chicago

 
The IT panelists are:

Bob Blackwell, CEO, Blackwell Consulting
Maria Wynne, Microsoft, Senior Director Economic Development and Innovation U.S. Public Sector
Rhea L. Steele, President, Edge Technological Resources

 
The Engineering panelists are:

Mike DeSantiago, President, Primera Engineers
Deborah M. Sawyer, President, Environmental Design International

Registration:

• Begins promptly at 7:00 AM
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• Individual Breakfast Tickets: $40
• Breakfast tables of 10: $400 each
• Individual Industry Breakout Tickets: $25.00
• Industry Group Tickets of 10: $200
• Walk-ins are allowed if space permits: $65.00
• The University of Chicago Students Breakfast Tickets: $15 (must present student ID) seating limited.  Enter code: UOFC
• Non-University of Chicago Student Breakfast Tickets:$30 (must present student ID) seating limited.  Enter code: STUDENT
• Quadrangle Club, The University of Chicago Hyde Park Campus, 1155 E. 57th St. Chicago, IL (for directions, please use www.mapquest.com)
• Valet Parking and overnight accommodations available