Inforum Inner Circle Brings Michigan’s Influential Women Leaders Together with Future Leaders

From left, seated: Rose Glenn, SVP Marketing & Communications, Henry Ford Health System; Esther R. Blum, SVP, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer, Taubman Centers; Sue Perlin, Managing Partner Non Profit, Plante and Moran; Kouhaila (Ki) Hammer, CEO, Ghafari Associates LLC. Standing: Colleen Haley, President, General Motors Business Unit, Yazaki North America; Amanda Van Dusen, Principal Attorney, Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone; Gloria Danna Brooks, President and CEO, Arbor Hospice; and Mary Ann Lievois, CEO, ISCG.

Inforum honored 16 successful Michigan business women on Dec. 8, 2008 and gave them the opportunity to help advance the careers of future women leaders through intimate networking. The Inner Circle event hosted by Inforum, Michigan’s largest and most prestigious organization for women, drew a sold out crowd of 130 participants to the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.

Inforum introduced the Inner Circle program with three sold out evening receptions last year. In early 2009, the group will expand this highly successful Inner Circle awards and networking program beyond metro Detroit to include Grand Rapids and Lansing.

“Inner Circle is an awards program with a twist that honors women of achievement and helps future leaders build meaningful relationships that will enhance their professional growth through one-on-one networking with accomplished women leaders,” said Inforum President and CEO Terry Barclay. “This unique networking opportunity is critically important in giving women in Michigan the career boost they need in these challenging times.”

The concept of recognizing influential women and bringing them together with emerging women leaders was developed by Inforum in partner with Deloitte & Touche USA. Following a brief awards ceremony, each honoree shared personal insights and business lessons learned with seven or eight women during a round table discussion. The number of registrations at this event is limited to provide an intimate networking experience for the participants.

From left, standing: Patricia Maryland, President, St John Health; Barbara Allushuski, President, Right Management
Jennie Cook, Senior Vice President, Comerica Bank. Seated, Ronia Kruse, President and CEO, OpTech LLC; Mildred Matlock, Ph.D., COO, Rehab Institute of Michigan.

Each of the five Inner Circle receptions across Michigan will honor a different group of up to 20 women.

Honorees at the Dec. 8 event Inner Circle were:

Barbara Allushuski, President, Right Management
Esther R. Blum, Senior Vice President, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer, Taubman Centers
Gloria Danna Brooks, President and CEO, Arbor Hospice
Jennie Cook, Senior Vice President, Comerica Bank
Marla Drutz, Vice President and General Manager, WDIV
Rose Glenn, SVP Marketing & Communications, Henry Ford Health System
Colleen Haley, President, General Motors Business Unit, Yazaki North America
Kouhaila (Ki) Hammer, CEO, Ghafari Associates LLC
Ronia Kruse, President and CEO, OpTech LLC
Mary Ann Lievois, CEO, ISCG
Patricia Maryland, President, St John Health
Mildred Matlock, Ph.D., COO, Rehab Institute of Michigan
Juliette Okotie-Eboh, Senior Vice President of Community Affairs & Administration, MGM Grand Detroit
Sue Perlin, Managing Partner Non Profit, Plante and Moran
Nancy Rae, Executive Vice President of Human Resources & Communications, Chrysler LLC
Amanda Van Dusen, Principal Attorney, Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone

Corp! magazine was a sponsor for the Dec. 8 event.

For more information, visit www.inforummichigan.org or call 877-633-3500.

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Richard Blanchard
Rick is the Managing Editor of Corp! magazine. He has worked in reporting and editing roles at the Port Huron Times Herald, Lansing State Journal and The Detroit News, where he was most recently assistant business editor. A native of Michigan, Richard also worked in Washington state as a reporter, photographer and editor at the Anacortes American. He received a bachelor of arts from the University of Michigan and a master’s in accountancy from the University of Phoenix.