WHEN:  Thursday February 19th  6:30-8:00

WHERE:  Needham/Wellesley Room 

Please join us for a panel discussion of business leaders on the value and challenges of fostering diversity in the business.  Babson’s Chief Diversity Officer, Elizabeth Thornton, will be moderating the panel.  Panelists will relay their personal experiences of the panelists as minorities in leadership positions.  In addition, the panelists will discuss why diversity is important in their industry: industries represented in include Consulting, Real Estate, Not-for-Profit and Education.  More information on the panelists can be found below.

This is a unique opportunity for different school clubs representing minorities in business to come together to share experiences and learn from each other.  

The event is co-hosted by OPEN for Business, Babson Association of Women MBAs (BAWMBA), Babson Latin American Business Club, South Asian Business Association and Black MBA Student Association.

Elizabeth Thornton, Babson’s Chief Diversity Officer will be moderating the event.  Here is some information about Elizabeth: 
http://www.cfwbr.org/assets/1023_elizabethrthornton2008.pdf
http://www3.babson.edu/Newsroom/Releases/thorntonmwib.cfm

Panelists:

Lavanya Shekar Chopra, Associate Director, Strategy and Financial Analysis
Procter & Gamble – The Gillette Company

Lavanya leads Strategy and Financial analysis for the ~$7Billion Gillette and Venus businesses. She leads an elite team of senior managers responsible for creating and driving business strategy for sustained growth and profitability.  With close to 14 years of managerial experience, Lavanya has lived and worked in many different countries (India, the Philippines, Singapore and the US).  The vast and diverse experiences, has led her to believe in the true value of diversity - to build and drive organizational results. She sits on the Board of P&Gs Finance Asian American Network and the Board of P&Gs Asia Pacific American network of Greater Boston. Lavanya also coaches a number of Women Managers both within and outside the Company.  

Elena J. Raffensperger de von Fedak, AVP Sr Director of International Taxation
Liberty Mutual Insurance

Elena is a CPA with ten years of high-level supervisory and executive functions in two of the big five accounting firms and considerable experience with multinational clients including many fortune 500 companies. She is currently responsible for proactively developing company-wide tax strategies. Elena’s experience includes both compliance and advisory tax work for multinational Corporations and Individuals, especially in the areas of service, manufacture, energy, hi-tech and insurance companies.

Manny Correia, Chief Administrative Officer
CFS Consulting Services LLC
With over 25 years of experience as a senior executive, consultant and coach, Manny drives exceptional performance by creating and fostering an inclusive culture that inspires individuals to fulfill their potential and contribute to superior business outcomes. With a particular passion for diversity and inclusion, Manny has held leadership roles on numerous non-profit boards.

Jim Plocica, Vice President - Assistant Treasurer
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Jim Plocica is Vice President - Assistant Treasurer at Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC where he is responsible for treasury and banking operations, long-term planning, and investor communications.  Jim was part of a core team that took the company private in 2008 in a $1.4 billion leveraged buyout with Bain Capital Partners, a private equity fund sponsor.  Jim is a founding member of the Bright Horizons Diversity Council and also co-chairs the GLBT affinity group. 

Amanda Strong, Director, Asset Management 
Colony Realty Partners, LLC  
Amanda is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of office, industrial, and multi-family assets in Atlanta, Georgia.  Ms. Strong also has twelve years of experience in Retail Real Estate with leasing and research experience from Marshalls, Inc., and Staples, Inc. and is a founding member of the African American Real Estate Professionals of New England.

Colleen Richards Powell, Deputy Director
Commonwealth Compact
Colleen Richards Powell is the Director for Commonweath Compact -  an initiative to make to make Greater Boston a desired destination for people of color, immigrants, and women, in the belief that their contributions will be vital to the region’s social and economic future. The CC is committed to increase recruitment, hiring, management, and governance practices of people of color and women throughout our organizations, especially in management, senior management, and board governance positions.