BCBS of Illinois, Cargill, McDonald's To Sponsor NAPW Networking Summit in Chicago

GARDEN CITY, N.Y., June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) announced today the 13 corporate sponsors of its Chicago Networking Summit, the first stop on its three-city National Networking Summit Series. The day-long event will be held from 11 am to 5 pm on Friday, June 26, at Chicago's Navy Pier – Lakeview Terrace. The Summit Series moves to Los Angeles in August and New York City in November.

"We are thrilled to welcome these companies as sponsors of our Chicago event," said Star Jones, President of NAPW and Professional Diversity Network (PDN). "Their partnership with us underscores their corporate commitment to diversity and allows us to provide an extraordinary networking experience for our members and guests."

The event sponsors include American Heart Association; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois; Breast Cancer Research Foundation; Cargill Incorporated; Dress for Success; Geometry Global; Girls Inc.; McDonald's Corporation; Operation Graduate; Professional Diversity Network; She Takes Flight; University of Phoenix and Women In The Spotlight.

Event highlights include the "Whole Woman Power Panel" moderated by Ms. Jones; a Professional Diversity Career Fair Pavilion presented by PDN with nearly 30 hiring companies, including ABB, Calumet Specialty Products, Illinois American Water, METRA, NorthShore University Health System, Northwestern Mutual and Owens Corning, among others. Notable businesswomen and entrepreneurs Diane Alexander (Life Cycle Foundation); Sarah Baker (StyleBodySoul); Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem (McDonald's Corporation); Yuri Brown-Cruzat (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago); Freida Curry (Women's Business Development Center); Lisa Rosenzweig (myFootpath); and Melissa Dawn Simkins (Velvet Suite^®) are speakers on the "Whole Woman Power Panel."

Admission to the event is $50 for the general public. NAPW members receive free or discounted admission based on their membership tier. Register online and learn more about the event at ChicagoSummit.napw.com.

About NAPW
NAPW defines success as "owning your own power." As the nation's largest, most-recognized networking organization for professional women—spanning virtually every industry and profession—NAPW is a powerfully vibrant networking community with more than 700,000 members and over 200 Local Chapters. NAPW members have diverse backgrounds, beliefs, perspectives and lifestyles with one common bond – their ability to succeed.

SOURCE The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)