14  ILLINOIS BUSINESS LEADER
CONNECTING
The event saw a tremendous turnout, 
with over 150 attendees and multiple 
exhibitor booths for networking. 
Throughout the day, we were 
addressed by a variety of outstanding 
speakers, and each session was 
followed by a Q&A segment.
	
The President and CEO of the 
Illinois Chamber, Lou Sandoval, 
opened the conference by warmly 
welcoming all attendees to the 
Conference.  
	
Elaine Hand, owner of 
Innerview, Inc., was our first speaker 
of the day. Elaine had the attendees 
up and motivated with her interactive 
presentation on “Strike the Right 
Balance: Nature vs. Nurture.” It’s 
always an enjoyable start to the 
conference when Elaine takes the 
stage.
	
Following Elaine, we heard 
from a fantastic lineup of speakers 
sharing their personal experiences, 
both positive and negative, and 
perspectives on what they wish they 
could have done differently. 
	
The women spoke about the 
things they would tell their younger 
selves if they could do it all over 
again. 
On that panel was: 
•	(Moderator)	
Denise Schoenbachler, Ph.D., 
Interim Dean, Northern Illinois 
University College of Business 
•	Panelist – Dr. Nakia Alexander-
Hall, Leadership Coach & 
Owner, Next Level Core 
Solutions 
•	Panelist – Anna Haghooie, 
Managing Director, Valtruis, 
Operating Partner, Welsh 
Carson, Anderson & Stow
•	Panelist – Sheri DeShazo, 
President, Advocate Sherman 
Hospital
Once the panel discussion concluded, 
the attendees took a short break to 
visit the exhibitor tables and connect 
with fellow conference attendees.
	
After the break, we heard 
from Andrea Beach, founder 
and chief executive officer of 
several companies, specializing in 
custom software and mobile app 
development. Andrea presented 
strategies for diffusing emotional 
confrontations and knowing when 
and what to communicate for the 
most impact in the workplace.
	
We heard from Ashley Davis, 
owner of Stronger Together Fitness 
A fantastic line-up for our panel 
discussion with ( l to r) moderator Denise 
Schoenbachler, Interim Dean, Northern 
Illinois University College of Business; 
panelist Dr. Nakia Alexander-Hall, 
Leadership Coach & Owner, Next Level 
Core Solutions; Anna Haghooie, Managing 
Director, Valtruis, and Sheri DeShazo, 
President, Advocate Sherman Hospital
Highlights from 
WIB 2024
On Thursday, June 13th, the 
Illinois Chamber of Commerce 
held its seventh annual Women 
in Business conference at the 
NIU Center in Naperville.

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