Spring Summit is an annual rendezvous of like-minded individuals for professional development and intellectually stimulating discussion in a relaxed setting.
Event Details
This year's topic is: Achieving Career Success and Beyond. We will discuss defining what it means to have it all, what it takes to get ahead, facing unique challenges, breaking gender myths and biases, filling your life with purpose, and leaving a legacy.
We have an exciting panel of amazing Booth And UChicago alumnae with varied experiences and perspectives to share. Come listen to their stories and ask questions!
Seats are limited. Register today to reserve your spot!!
$25 includes heavy hors d'oeuvres, dessert and a drink ticket.
Program
5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Cocktails
6:00 PM-7:15 PM: Panel Discussion
7:15 PM-8:00 PM: Networking
Speaker Profiles
Khloé U. Karova, MBA'06 (Panelist)
Founder, Modern Capital Concepts
https://www.moderncapitalconcepts.com/
Khloé U. Karova is a Certified Financial Planner based in Chicago and owner of Modern Capital Concepts, a Registered Investment Advisor and benefit corporation. Since 1998, Khloé has held management positions in equity trading and investment management. She has counseled CEOs and CFOs on strategic planning, as well as, middle-class households on saving for retirement and getting out of debt. Khloé is most passionate about providing tools and resources to mid-career professionals to enable them to rationalize their household balance sheet, boost their income and saving, or radically change their career trajectory. She has given over 100 seminars on sustainable investing, financial planning and entrepreneurship and is a regular speaker at Money Smart Week. Khloé has an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where she served as president of the University of Chicago Women's Business Group from 2013-2014. She also holds a BA in Art History and Organizational Behavior from Northwestern
University.
Alana Widdess, MBA'10 (Panelist)
Chief of Staff, Cheetah Digital
https://www.cheetahdigital.com/
Alana Widdess is the former GM, Digital for Gifts & Celebrations at Sears Holdings (SHC) and is currently serving as Chief of Staff for the Global Services/Operations team with Cheetah Digital. She also serves as a business mentor and advisor to both early stage and established brands on their digital commerce strategy to (re)position and implement engagement relationships . Alana was named as one of the Women to Watch in Retail Disruption in both 2016 and 2017 and was included in Brand Innovators 2016 "40 under 40" (Midwest) class. Prior to her tenure at Sears, she worked in the advertising/media industry creating multisensory print and digital campaigns for clients that included McDonald's, Unilever, Tropicana (Pepsi) and Gillette. Engaged in her community, Alana is a member of the Emerging Leaders Board for the Bounce Children's Network. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Marketing, Strategy, Entrepreneurship) and a BA in Organizational Studies from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).
Lotika Pai, MBA'08 (Panelist)
Co-Founder, Powwful
https://www.powwful.com/
Lotika Pai is the co-founder of Powwful, a new entrant in the booming women's activewear market. Powwful is headquartered in Chicago and recently opened an office in Shanghai to expand into Asia. Lotika is an engineer, a global supply chain management expert and a former investment banker. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, she has worked as a Management Consultant helping global corporations optimize their operations and as an Investment Banker at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital. She also served on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Technology Diversity Council, crafting education policy initiatives for the city's first ever technology plan. Lotika holds an undergraduate degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.
Teresa Ging, AB'00 (Panelist)
Owner, Sugar Bliss
https://sugarblisscakes.com/
With a Bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago in Economics and Statistics and a career in finance for 6+ years, owner Teresa Ging left her finance position to attend Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie program in Paris. When she returned to Chicago she set out to pursue a dream to open a cupcake boutique and spent eight months testing cupcake recipes. In October 2007, Ging launched the catering and delivery side of the business with 20+ flavors in the Sugar Bliss cupcake collection. In January 2009, Teresa Ging opened Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique at 115 N Wabash in the Downtown Chicago Loop and in July 2016, she opened Sugar Bliss Patisserie at the Palmer House Hilton at 122 S Wabash. In addition, she has received numerous awards since opening Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique including Best New Business in 2010 from the City Treasurer's Office/City of Chicago and Rising Star Award in 2011 from the Women's Business Development Center, as well as has been invited by President Obama to attend the signing of the White House Council on Women & Girls.
Rachel Kaberon, AM'83 (Moderator)
President, Arkay Solutions
http://arkaysolutions.com
Rachel Kaberon is president of Arkay Solutions, a strategy and research consulting firm focused on value creation. She has held several senior management positions in Fortune 50 Financial Service Firms, launched start-ups, supported planning in the non-profit sector, and serves as adjunct faculty using principles of storytelling, design thinking, process improvement and analytics. Rachel's business strategy orientation enables small businesses and startups across several industries to apply analytics in decision-making and further organizational change, learning and leadership development. She holds an MA in Public Policy from University of Chicago, completed the advanced strategy executive program at Chicago Booth and studies toward a doctorate in learning theory from National-Louis.
Other Information
Since 2002, the Chicago Booth Women's Network (formerly known as the Chicago Women in Business Alumnae Network) is the worldwide organization of women graduates of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Our mission is to support our alma mater, facilitate a global alumnae network online and in person, and support women in business worldwide. Visit our web site.