The Women's Summit
Creating A Shared Vision

The UCWBG has partnered with Hewitt Associates, Harris Bank, Lee Hecht Harrison, Chapman and Cutler LLP, Motorola and Allstate to create an engaging and inspiring event designed to spark, shape and implement a collective vision and plan of action to enhance the future of our community.

Once again women will be coming together from many different walks of life and diverse careers, leaders joining together from different organizations, synergies emerging and converging to celebrate successes, make connections and develop a collective vision for increasing the contribution and success of women to the community in which we live and work.

We thank the generous support of our Corporate Table Sponsors, Reception contributors and our UCWBG Business owner sponsors. We are extremely grateful for the continued support we have received from our Friends of the Summit, 34 nonprofit organizations that share in our vision to collectively make a difference in our community.

The Girl Scouts of Chicago will be the charitable beneficiary of the 2006 Women's Summit.

Keynote Speaker

Cherie Booth, QC

Noted British Attorney
Human Rights Advocate

Cherie Booth is a trailblazer in her professional life and a dedicated wife and mother in her private life.

The New York Times wrote: “Cherie Blair is viewed as something of a wonder woman for her ability to balance her high-powered professional life, high-visibility public life and intensely consuming private life." Her husband, Prime Minister Tony Blair, has given his wife credit for being "…an enormous source of strength and an extraordinary person in her own right. I never know how she manages with all the different things she does - the work, the family.”

After studying Law at the London School of Economics (LSE), Cherie Booth was at the top of her class in her Bar examinations and was called to the Bar in 1976. She was the first (and still the only) person to earn an LSE law degree with a first class in all her subjects. She married Tony Blair in 1980 and in 1995 she became a Queen's Counsel, which is a title held by only 10 percent of English lawyers. Currently, she specializes in Public, Employment and European Community Law at Matrix Chambers law group in London.

Ms. Booth's speech topics include: Human rights for women and children, balancing family and career, charity, public service and legal issues.

Ms. Booth is President of Barnardo's; Trustee, Refuge; Vice-President, 4 Children; Trustee, Citizenship Foundation; Patron, Breast Cancer Care; Patron, Cancer Care for Children; Patron, Victim Support London; Patron for Education for SCOPE; Patron, Greater London Fund for the Blind; Patron, Loomba Trust; Patron, Islington Music Centre; Patron, Refuge; Patron, Community Foundation for Merseyside; Patron, Opportunity Now Awards; Patron, Write4 GOSH Awards; Patron, Home Start Islington; Patron, Mary Ward Legal Centre; Patron, Noah's Ark; Patron, Living Legends Awards; Patron, Downside Up; Patron, Age Exchange; Honorary Patron, Genesis Appeal; Patron, The Merlyn Trust; Patron, Chinese for Labour; Patron, Asian Women of Achievement Awards; Patron, Believe to Achieve; Patron, Michael Palin Centre Appeal for Stammering Children; Patron, European Federation of Black Women Business Owners; Honorary President, Plater College; Vice-President, Family Mediators Association and Ambassador, Weston Spirit.

Ms. Booth is the Chancellor and Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University (JMU), Governor and Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics and the Open University, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, a Doctor of Laws (Westminster University) and a Fellow of the International Society of Lawyers for Public Service. She is a Bencher of Lincolns Inn London as well as honorary Bencher of Kings Inn Dublin.

Away from work Ms. Booth likes to spend as much time as possible with her children.

Visioning Sessions

Creating a Shared Vision: Be Part of the Process

As part of the The Women's Summit, the UCWBG will be hosting five facilitated visioning sessions to explore important topics for women today. Each session will have a thought leader with expertise on the topic and a professional facilitator. You are invited to share your thoughts and ideas and get involved. Our goal is for the community to come together, create a shared vision, and shape our future.

Community Outreach: Make a Difference
Thought Leader: Merri Dee, Director of Community Relations for WGN-TV [Bio]
Moderator: Merle Tresser, Executive Recruiter, GSB MBA ‘81 [Bio]

Throughout its history, Chicago has benefited from the work of civic leaders who have reached beyond their business success to contribute to the community.  Today, as women rise to prominence in the business sphere, they are stepping forward to find new ways to continue to make Chicago a vibrant community for all its citizens.

One such leader is Merri Dee, Director of Community Relations for WGN-TV and nationally recognized broadcast personality, motivational speaker, and fundraising strategist, who will inspire and motivate us through her reflections on her experience as a prominent community leader and her passion for community service.

Merri Dee will introduce us to five community projects that have been developed by local non-profit organizations especially to employ the talents and energies of Summit participants. Ms. Dee will stimulate discussion and ideas on how to move these projects ahead after the Summit. Our goal for this session is nothing less than sparking real, measurable change – in the lives of volunteers as well as those served by the non-profit organizations.

Community Projects

• Girl Scouts of Chicago
• Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity
• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• The Rush Heart Center for Women
• Scholarship Chicago

Pursue Your Passion:  Empower Your Life
Thought Leader:  Cheryl Francis, co-founder and Vice-Chairman of Corporate Leadership Center (CLC), GSB MBA ’78, [Bio]
Moderator: Courtney Parks, MA, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach [Bio]

When your life is fueled by purpose, not only will you make the world a better place, you will be more productive and happy with your life.  This lively, interaction session will be guided by Courtney Parks, a professional coach who specializes in empowering women to identify and pursue their passions to engage in their life's work.  Cheryl Francis, former CFO and EVP of RR Donnelly and GSB alumna, will share her experiences of leaving a highly successful corporate career to create a life fueled by her passions for leadership development, empowerment of women and helping others.   Using Cheryl’s experiences as a model, the session will explore the process of creating a life fueled by passion and will address common obstacles in transforming passion into reality.

Negotiations-Hone your skills: Negotiate!
Thought Leader: Stephanie Scharf, Partner, Jenner and Block [Bio]
Moderator: Sue Matson, Consultant and Executive Coach, GSB MBA ’82 [Bio]

The fine art of negotiation is necessary when you want something you can’t just buy. This visioning session will look at three significant elements of negotiation: know what you want and what you have to “trade” for it; communicate clearly and appropriately; and know what the other party wants and what they may be able to trade to get it.  Attend this session and find gems to take away; ideas that may help you get what you want.  We’ll look at changing jobs within your firm, changing firms or industries, or changing work conditions (e.g., job sharing, flex time).  Come with questions and tales about situations that were challenging for you.

Entrepreneurship: Being a Success Story 
Thought Leader: Susan Annunzio, Adjunct Professor of Management at Chicago GSB [Bio]
Moderator: Ayo Falusi, Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial, GSB MBA ‘90 [Bio]

You are now living the entrepreneurial dream of running your own show. Congratulations! Business is risky, so don’t let this dream turn into a nightmare for you. Why do only 4 out of 10 new businesses survive six years or more?  How do you grow and sustain your business in an increasingly competitive and global market place? Many women with a passion for excellence and smart business models are winning the entrepreneurial challenge. This visioning session will address key issues, challenges and opportunities that women business owners face at different stages of their business cycle and offer practical solutions to help them succeed.  We will discuss how to create your own road map with an action-oriented and dynamic business plan, how to successfully take your business to the next level of growth, and how to not only survive but thrive through business strategy regeneration, marketing plans, and new business development.  We will also address local resources for your business such as securing MWBE status.

This session will be a highly interactive and energizing exchange. Participants will get insightful information and ideas that they can put to use immediately to take their business to that next level.

The Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, and Profits
Thought Leaders: Ellen Shepard, Executive Director, Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and Board Member, Business Alliance of Local Living Economies [Bio]
Noam Frankel, President, Greener Cleaner, GSB MBA ‘95 [Bio]
Moderator: Suzanne Keers, COO Innoveer Solutions, GSB MBA ’88, [Bio]

More businesses are paying attention to the new triple bottom line: people, planet, and profits.  In prior decades, companies focused on philanthropy to overcome bad publicity or appear to be good corporate citizens, but today, corporations realize that, for their businesses to be sustainable, they must prioritize social and environmental strategies.  Demand for corporate social responsibility also has been growing as the next generation of workers seeks to integrate their values with their careers.  Sustainability is not merely philanthropic anymore.  This session will focus on how some local businesses are taking action and looking at the triple bottom line, and offer tips on incorporating the 3Ps into your business.