Portability of Benefits, Building Mentoring Resources, and Becoming Champions for Other Women Top Priority List for Women in Business

325 senior female executives met to identify areas of greatest challenge at The Women's Summit in Chicago, where Kateryna Yushchenko, First Lady of Ukraine, spoke of key role of women in preserving the existence of free, democratic Ukraine.

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) October 9, 2005 -- More than 325 professional women attending The Women’s Summit convened by The University of Chicago Women’s Business Group (UCWBG) identified portability of benefits, building mentoring resources and becoming champions for other women as key issues of concern among female executives.

Summit participants represented more than 25 professional organizations that serve women in a variety of leadership roles—from entrepreneurs to corporate executives—leading small businesses, not-for-profit organizations and large public companies.

“Despite their diverse backgrounds, participants quickly came to consensus on these three issues,” said Teresa Seipel, one of the architects of the Summit and president of UCWBG. “Portability of benefits was cited as a key concern because of the ongoing challenge of obtaining health care insurance coupled with the fact that whether a woman is working inside or outside the home, she remains the principal caregiver of children and aging parents.”

“Action steps that women want to pursue as a result of The Women’s Summit include increasing political involvement, forming a database of mentoring resources, educating ourselves so we can invest responsibly in women-owned businesses, and connecting the dots among the various organizations we represent to increase the clout of women helping other women,” said Barbara Flom, incoming president of UCWBG for 2006. “This is exactly the kind of dynamic that we hoped to foster in creating this event to bring together women from diverse fields to form common bonds and establish common goals.”

In welcoming participants to The Women’s Summit, Maggie Daley commended the UCWBG for its leadership, recalling her role as keynote speaker for another significant event introduced by UCWBG five years ago: Linking Professionals to Nonprofit Boards, which has proved to be a popular community service.

Kateryna Yushchenko, First Lady of Ukraine, was keynote speaker. Mrs. Yushchenko spoke of the significant role of Ukrainian women in preserving the national identity and moral values of Ukraine through periods of great stress. She credited their courage and tenacity as key to the “eloquent choice its people made for democracy, freedom and a new way of life.”

“Throughout her remarkable life, combining business expertise with community service, leadership and family, Mrs. Yushchenko has reflected the wholeness of experience that many women seek,” said Suzanne Kenney, Global Leader, Communication Business, Hewitt Associates, a global human resources firm and the primary corporate sponsor of The Summit.

A dozen young women students involved in Junior Achievement, which will receive a portion of the proceeds of the event, helped host the event and were introduced to Mrs. Yushchenko.

The University of Chicago Women’s Business Group convened The Women’s Summit to celebrate its 25th anniversary in a unique way that would be consistent with its mission of leading, connecting and growth. Formed by women graduates of The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1980, UCWBG is a vibrant, passionate community of women who create connection on multiple dimensions (personal, professional and business) throughout their life stages. The UCWBG strives to provide cutting edge thought leadership and perspective to its members, the Chicago GSB and the business community. More information about upcoming programs, including Linking Professionals to Nonprofit Boards on November 17, which will feature keynote speaker Pamela Strobel, EVP of Exelon, is available at the group’s website: www.ucwbg.org.

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