Chicago United Names its 2013 Business Leaders of Color

CHICAGO, Oct. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago United today will announce the 45 local business executives to be featured in its 2013 Business Leaders of Color (BLC) publication. The business advocacy group aims to recommend these exceptional individuals to Fortune 1,000 corporate boards that plan to increase their diversity.

Chicago United is proud to have honored and showcased 244 board-ready candidates through its BLC publications biennially between 2003 and 2011. These talented men and women, who have demonstrated innovation and management excellence, have rendered service in 135 corporate directorships. The BLC publication continues to introduce diverse board candidates who drive global competitiveness.

These leaders have also demonstrated a strong commitment to public service. While achieving personal success, each has contributed to the cultural, civic, and educational life of Chicago and beyond. Past BLC members include:

• First Lady Michelle Obama
• Valerie B. Jarrett, senior advisor to President Barack Obama
• Don Thompson, chief executive officer of McDonald's Corp.
• Amir Shahkarami, chief executive, Exelon Nuclear Partners
• Sue Ling Gin, chief executive officer, Flying Food Group LLC
• Luis Sierra, president BP Aromatics—the Americas, Europe and Middle East
• Lou Nieto, board member, AutoZone and Ryder System Inc.

"The Business Leaders of Color publication is an inspirational resource and can be of great assistance to board nominating committees," said Gloria Castillo, president of Chicago United. "Today, talent that drives innovation and transformational change is imperative for high-performing boards. We're proud to present this sixth edition of Business Leaders of Color and we're even more thrilled to showcase these outstanding men and women."

These individuals were selected from a nominations pool of more than 110 exceptionally qualified nominees from a wide variety of product and service industries. They will be honored at Chicago United's 45^th Anniversary Gala and Bridge Awards presentation on November 19 at the Hilton Chicago.

The 2013 Business Leaders of Color are:

1. Leo Alaniz, Senior Vice President – Strategy and Global Marketing (Corporate and Institutional Services), Northern Trust
2. Paula Allen-Meares, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago
3. Leslie J. Anderson, Senior Vice President, Regional Head of Business Banking, BMO Harris Bank N.A.
4. Anthony A. Armada, President, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
5. Erik D. Barefield, Senior Managing Director, Mesirow Advanced Strategies, Inc.
6. Earl J. Barnes, II, Vice President and General Counsel, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare
7. Stephen W. Beard, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
8. Enrique Beckmann, President, Pathology Associates and Pathology Consultants of Chicago
9. Jerome Byers, President, Citibank Central Region U.S., Head of Small Business Banking, Citibank U.S.
10. D. Marie Carr, Principal, PwC LLC
11. Donna Cooper, President, Advocate Dreyer Medical Clinic
12. Kermit R. Crawford, President, Pharmacy, Health and Wellness, Walgreen Co.
13. Ana Dutra, former Global Lead of Board Effectiveness, EVP, Korn/ Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting, Korn/ Ferry International
14. Manny Favela, CFO Latin America, McDonald's Corporation
15. Guillermo Garcia, President, GSG Consultants
16. Sunil Garg, Senior Vice President, Chief Information & Innovation Officer, Exelon
17. Maurice Grant, Principal, Grant Schumann, LLC
18. Cheryl A. Harris, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Sourcing & Procurement Solutions, Allstate Insurance Company
19. Michael J. Hernandez, Equity Partner and Firm Diversity Officer, Franczek Radelet P. C.
20. Patricia Brown, Holmes Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP
21. Lisa Haley, Huff Treasury Management Market Manager: Middle Market & Commercial Banking, Public Funds Sector, PNC Bank
22. Miroslava Mejia Krug, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Roosevelt University
23. Jeongling Liu, President, ADI Medical
24. Paul E. Martin, Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Baxter International Inc. 
25. Joseph Q. McCoy, Partner and National Co-Chair Airport Concessions Industry Practice Group, Bryan Cave LLP
26. Juan J. Mir, Senior Vice President, PNC Bank
27. Jackie Clark Muhammad, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Solutions Associates Consulting, Inc.
28. Kevin Newell, Executive Vice President, Chief Brand & Strategy Officer, McDonald's USA
29. Tracey Patterson, Senior Manager / Technology Executive, Accenture
30. Cathy Peng, Chief Business Development Officer, Ethertronics, Inc.
31. Juliette W. Pryor, Executive Vice President / General Counsel / Chief Compliance Officer, US Foods
32. Ram Raju, Chief Executive Officer, Cook County Health & Hospitals System
33. Kwame Y. Raoul, Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP
34. Sreeram Reddy, Vice President, Global Oils and Liquid Products, McDonald's Business Unit, Cargill Inc.
35. Stephen Rhee, Chief Operations Officer and Managing Director, Aon eSolutions
36. Z. Scott, Partner, Chicago Co-Chair, White Collar Litigation and Internal Investigations Practice, Kaye Scholer LLP
37. Patrick R. Scotto di Luzio, Head, Personal Segment Management, BMO Harris Bank N.A.
38. Cedric Shaw, Group President, Illinois Tool Works Inc.
39. Donna N. Smith, Executive Vice President and Head of Middle Market & Regional Banking, Associated Bank
40. Maurice S. Smith, Divisional Senior Vice President, Business Development and Subsidiary Management, Health Care Service Corporation
41. Kurt A. Summers, Jr., Senior Vice President, Grosvenor Capital Management
42. John P. Trainor, Publisher / General Manager, HOY
43. Valerie J. Van Meter, Senior Vice President, Central Bank Services and Chief Diversity Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
44. Yman Huang Vien, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, American Metro Bank
45. David Wade, Vice President, Air BP Americas, BP

About Chicago United

Chicago United is an advocacy organization that promotes multiracial leadership in business to advance parity in economic opportunity.  Chicago United supports the business community's need to maximize the use of corporate and entrepreneurial talent and brings together diverse senior business leaders to break through barriers to realize the benefits of diversity and inclusion.  Chicago United is the premiere business membership organization creating an environment where racially diverse CEOs and executive level managers can share common experiences to promote multi-racial leadership in governance, management, and business partnerships. It delivers best practices for diversity practitioners and fosters relationships among leaders who share common values.

For more information please visit www.chicago-united.org.

SOURCE Chicago United