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We had 200 guests attend our virtual event and raised more than $150,000! Thank you to all of our corporate sponsors and guests who made this event possible. We are also excited to have awarded scholarships to several members of our Young Women Leadership Society to help with their college journeys.
We hope that you can join ChiTech again next year for another night of empowering our young leaders!
– The Little Black Dress Night Planning Committee[/mk_fancy_title][mk_button corner_style=”full_rounded” size=”x-large” url=”https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChcqgcnCQyz51XXkERlty8g ” target=”_blank” align=”center” bg_color=”#e0195b”]WATCH LBDN 2021[/mk_button]
For two decades, specializing in high-tech businesses, she has been architecting and implementing integrated, sales-driven direct and indirect multi-channel marketing programs. She has extensive experience in translating complex product information for all types of marketing media and vehicles. Nena is known for her ability to demystify, design and deliver powerful customer-centric growth strategies.
Previously, she served as a Channel Marketing Manager, North and Latin America, for Zebra and Motorola Solutions. Nena obtained a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Illinois State University where she graduated a Mu Kappa Tau member. She is a lifetime member of Pi Sigma Epsilon. During her free time, Nena loves traveling and volunteering. She believes strongly that a community with a thriving volunteer base improves the overall quality of life and health of all its members.[/mk_toggle]
Increasing impact and organizational sustainability, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s operating budget has grown from $10.5 million in 2013 to an expected $35 million in 2021. The organization has been an active contributor to many critical initiatives across the region, including Census 2020 outreach and engagement, COVID-19 relief, Contact Tracing, and community economic development efforts on the south and west sides of the city. The expansion of services has been boosted by the acquisition and strategic integration of other direct service and policy organizations including Project HELP, DuPage Early Childhood Collaboration, Voices for Illinois Children, StreetWise, World of Money, YWCA Lake County, and Partners in Community Building.
Dorri has led the YWCA’s development of innovative digital services with the launch of YShop.org (e-commerce platform), womenshealthexchange.org (health insurance and information) and the MPWR, pronounced “empower”, mobile app (community engagement). Dorri led the process for the YWCA to partner on the development and launch of an exchange traded fund (ETF) for women’s empowerment (NYSE: WOMN) in partnership with Impact Shares, which is the first non-profit investment advisor to develop an ETF product. Dorri was included in the inaugural list of “The Blue Network”, comprised of the top 100 innovators in Chicago, by Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky Innovation and recognized by Good City Chicago receiving its Innovative Leader Award. Dorri is a 2019 Inductee in the Chicago Innovation Hall of Fame.
Dorri prides herself on being a socially-conscious business leader and is committed to creating an inclusive marketplace by leveraging a cross-sector approach of engaging business, civic and community partners. Prior to joining the YWCA, she was a partner at Crowe Horwath, LLP, one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S.. She also held senior positions with Snap-on Incorporated and Booz Allen Hamilton. Dorri serves on the Board of Directors for Lifeway Foods, William Blair Funds and Skyway Concession Company (Chicago Skyway). Dorri is also active in the accounting profession having served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and is the current Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Illinois CPA Society. Dorri serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the First Women’s Bank (in development).
Dorri is dedicated to empowering women as a founding member of the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute at DePaul University and Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University. Dorri’s civic and philanthropic leadership includes the board of directors for the Chicago Center for Arts and Technology, 1871 (Technology Business Accelerator), Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Civic Consulting Alliance, Civic Federation, and Forefront. She is also a member of the Illinois Charitable Trust Board. Dorri received a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master of business administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lake Forest College.[/mk_toggle]
Jasmine was recently named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for enterprise technology, a Google for Startups Recipient, and a US Department of State Fellow for teaching entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Jasmine graduated from the University of Notre Dame and is pursuing her MBA at the University of Chicago where she was named an Entrepreneurial Scholar.
Jasmine served on Notre Dame’s Black Alumni Board, is a P33 Chicago Advisor, and teaches entrepreneurship to companies, universities and non-profits globally. She’s been featured in Vice, Forbes, Business Insider, TEDx, Black Enterprise, Yahoo Finance, and Marketwatch. [/mk_toggle]
Her interest and passion for fairness, representation and equality began early on in her life, with parents who presented opportunities that helped her learn and understand the complexities of ethnocentric beliefs/behaviors. Fast forward to college, graduate school and a career in IT and the pendulum swung
even more for a black woman with an African name, as few and few people looked or sounded like her. During this time Mpho decided to volunteer with and join inner city groups such as the Boys and Girls Club of America, after school church programs, black professional organizations to learn more and
mentor inner city youth. These experiences became the catalyst for an internal change journey and to help lead the charge in fostering a more diverse and inclusive culture within every organization am a part of.
Prior to joining AHEAD Mpho spend years as a consultant leading professional services organizations through organizational change management in a variety of ways ranging from strategic services, software transformations and mergers and acquisitions. Her responsibilities ranged from people leadership, strategy, communication, innovation, vendor management, project management, business analysis, quality assurance across multiple fortune 1000 companies.[/mk_toggle]
Lynessa is the Director of the Master’s of Science in Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship and Bachelor’s of Science in Management programs at National Louis University where she is leading the university’s efforts to further education in women’s entrepreneurship to close the gender gap and funding gap. She also leads workshops focused on women’s entrepreneurship and the value and application of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems.[/mk_toggle]
Leslie’s impact in the HR, tech and marketing communities far exceeds her day-to-day work as CEO. Passionate about the importance of diversity, Leslie is a frequent speaker on the topic and even co-founded ARA, an organization that seeks to attract, retain and advance women in technology – 6,000 people strong.
She is part of the Women Business Collaborative Staffing Leadership Council; member of ASA’s Women in Leadership Council; is on the Board of Directors for Chicago Innovation; was recognized as one of 100 of Chicago’s most compelling innovators and entrepreneurs; is part of the UIC Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame; and was named one of the Enterprising Women of the Year. Leslie is a contributor to industry publications such as Recruiting Daily and Entrepreneur, a frequent industry speaker and host of an executive women in recruitment podcast, TheEdge.[/mk_toggle]
The Young Women’s Leadership Society is training, inspiring and supporting the next generation of tech and entrepreneurship leaders and thinkers. Get to know the club in this video, exhibited at the 7th Annual Little Black Dress Night.[/mk_fancy_title]
FourKites
GT Genesis Technologies
National Restaurant Association
NextCapital
OneSpan
Seismic
TechNexus
Egan-Ziegenfuss Family
Elizabeth & Steve Young[/mk_fancy_title][mk_fancy_title color=”#000000″ size=”20″ font_family=”none” align=”center”]Friend of ChiTech[/mk_fancy_title][mk_fancy_title color=”#000000″ size=”20″ font_family=”none” align=”center”]Built In Chicago
Focus Strategic Partners
ORBA[/mk_fancy_title]
