Twenty-one local women executives will be honored in the 20th Annual Influential Women in Business Awards and Recognition Event hosted by the Business Ledger and their sponsoring partners.
The awards will be presented at a reception beginning at 11 a.m. to be held on Friday, November 3, at Belvedere Banquets – located at 1170 W. Devon Ave in Elk Grove Village
The keynote speaker will be Rebecca Darr, CEO of WINGS Program, Inc. With her dynamic and decisive leadership, Rebecca has helped WINGS become the premiere and largest regional agency providing services and housing to adult and child victims of domestic violence and homelessness.
The awards are presented to outstanding women executives who excel in business, civic and personal arenas. The honorees’ business must be located or have a major presence in the Business Ledger’s primary editorial coverage area – suburban Chicago.
The awards are presented in partnership with the National Association of Women Business Owners – Chicago Area Chapter.
This year’s awards are sponsored by Northern Illinois University College of Business; B.Gunther & Co.; KPMG/Women’s PGA Championship and Focus Capital Advisors.
Honorees will be profiled in a special issue of the Business Ledger to be published December 11, 2017.
Cost to attend the reception is $55 per person. Corporate Tables are also available at a discounted rate of $45 per person. Registrations are being accepted online at www.dhbusinessledger.com.
This year’s honorees are:
• Rita Sola Cook, Midwest Region Executive, Global Commercial Bank of Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Georgia Dobbelaere, President of Business Office Systems
• Bonnie Proctor, CEO & Principal of Challenger Lighting Company, Inc.
• Cheryl Molfese, Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Crown Coverings, Inc.
• Lora Georgieva, Founder & President of Destination College
• Sarah Orleans, President & CEO of DuPage Children’s Museum
• Beth Marchetti, Executive Director of DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Nicole Wolter, President of HM Manufacturing
• Susan Abrams, CEO of Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
• Dina Derman, Senior Vice President of Inland Bank and Trust
• Alison Gutterman, CEO & President of Jelmar, LLC
• Siobhan Cottone, Executive Director of Lakeside Legacy Foundation
• Miriam Cooper, Attorney of Law Office of Miriam Cooper & Associates
• Karyn Charvat, Executive Director of PowerForward DuPage
• Lisa Fiorenza, CFO of Quantum Plastics, LLC
• Sharmila Wijeyakumar, COO & Founder of Rahab’s Daughters
• Jessica Freiburg, Partner of Sassetti LLC
• Nasutsa Mabwa, President of ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons
• Jacqueline Krage-Strako, Vice President, Area Operations of United States Postal Service
• Mildred (Millie) V. Palmer, Partner of Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC
• Susan Hagberg, President of Wild Goose Chase, Inc.
The Business Ledger is the leading provider of business news and information about businesses and the economy in suburban Chicago. The company publishes a bi-weekly newspaper and also distributes information through special publications, an Internet site and a daily e-mail newsletter. In addition, The Business Ledger hosts a series of seminars, conferences and awards programs. The Business Ledger is a sister publication to the Daily Herald and part of the Paddock Publications family.