Black Excellence: Influential Black Corporate Directors and Advisors - How to Raise Your Profile and Get a Board Seat (2/9/22)

Each year, Black History Month is a time to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and to recognize the critical role of Black people in U.S. history. This year we ask you to join the DICE Committee for a program about black excellence and service on “for profit” boards. The discussion will center on corporate boards and the need for greater diversity including minorities and women. Although corporate boards may not reflect the current US population, evidence shows that veteran African American business leaders and lawyers are sitting in C-suites, as CEOS and as Fortune 500 corporate board directors. Illinois now requires companies disclose their female and minority board membership. In a recent session, the passage of HB 3394 amended the Illinois Business Corporation Act to require publicly traded businesses with principal executive offices in the state to report the number of women and minorities on boards. Similarly, California, Washington, Massachusetts and New Jersey have passed laws affecting board diversity. Through this program, the DICE Committee seeks to examine the institutional racism that can impede African Americans from reaching these top directors’ seats and also to highlight positive accomplishments and discuss the path forward to increasing diversity on corporate boards.  

The DICE Committee’s Black History Month Chair, Greta Weathersby, will moderate this panel and be joined by seasoned c-suite executives and general counsels who will address how they secured their seats on top corporate boards in America. They will examine how an urgent emerging pressure from investors and shareholders, along with legislative initiatives and government agency rules, now requires more leadership diversity. Panelists will discuss the recruitment process, the skills required and their expertise (supply chain, audit, technology, and operations, legal). They will also address the committees of the board, the nominating process and the pipeline to a board seat.

Panelists:

Desiree Ralls-Morrison, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, McDonald’s Corporation; Legal Advisor to Board of Directors 
- Member, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Board of Directors
- Named One of the Most Powerful Women in Corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2019 
- One of the Top innovative General Counsels Around the World by the Financial Times in 2020

Charles Matthews, President, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas
- Member, BMO Financial Corp., Board of Directors
- Named as One of the 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors – Savoy Magazine

Ulice Payne, President and Founder, Addison-Clifton, LLC, a global trade compliance firm
- Member, Foot Locker Inc., Board of Directors
- Member, Manpower Group, Board of Directors
- Member, WEC Energy Group, Board of Directors
- Named as One of the 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors – Savoy Magazine

Moderator: Greta G. Weathersby, Senior Corporate Counsel, WEC Energy Group, Inc. 
- The Chicago Bar Association Dice Committee and former Board of Managers Member
- The Chicago Bar Foundation Board of Directors 

This program is brought to you by the D.I.C.E Committee of The Chicago Bar Association.

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Live CBA Committee meetings and seminars will take place via Zoom webinar.  You will click on "view video" and be directly connected to the meeting/seminar on Zoom.  (You will not receive a Zoom link.)

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System requirements for Mac & PC can be found here. System requirements for mobile devices can be here.  

Please note that audience members do not need video or audio access.  Audience members are able to submit questions via the chat or Q & A features of Zoom. 

Chat: Open in-meeting chat, allowing you to send chat messages to and send a message to the host, panelists, and attendees (if permitted). Question & Answer: Open the Q&A window, allowing you to ask questions to the host and panelists. They can either reply back to you via text in the Q&A window or answer your question live.