Chapter focus: Chicago.

Chapter Name: Chicago

Area Covered: Greater Chicago area

Year Founded: 1933

No. Members: 740

Member Companies Represented: The Boeing Co., Abbott Laboratories, Northern Trust Corp., Marsh Inc., Equity Lifestyle Properties Inc., Baxter International Inc., The CAN Corp., Grubb and Ellis Co., Kraft Foods Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Sears Holdings Corp., USG Corp., Wm. Wrigley Co., RR Donnelly, Fortune Brands Inc. and Tatum LLC.

Annual Dues: $235

Meeting Schedule:

* Ten monthly dinner meetings (from September through April) feature keynote speakers of interest to members. Last year, speakers included: Miles D. White, chairman and CEO of Abbott Laboratories, and John P. Calamos, chairman and CEO of Calamos Investments. Presentations are recorded and posted to the chapter website to allow members who are unable to attend a meeting to hear the missed speech. Also, social events are planned, such as an afternoon of racing at Arlington Park Racetrack, planned for May.

* Topical Professional Development sessions are offered from September through April. Sessions have been extremely successful, and attendance has increased. Recent sessions have been extended to include networking and refreshments, and two continuing professional education (CPE) credits are offered for each.

* 12 Career Services sessions. All Chicago chapter members are invited to attend monthly Career Services breakfast meetings (held on the first Thursday of each month, beginning with a networking breakfast, followed by a guest speaker). Job leads are shared, and members have access to sponsor representatives from The Mentor Group, a provider of coaching, mentoring and career-transition services.

Regional Challenges: The large city and suburban area, combined with Chicago-metro traffic, often makes it difficult for all members to attend all meetings and events.

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Recent Highlights: April luncheon and afternoon offered an expanded Professional Development meeting featuring Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial, and Leigh Thompson, a noted professor at Northwestern University.

Unique Qualities: Our monthly Career Services program has been in place for a number of years, and with the help of The Mentor Group, offers a high-quality networking, education and counseling service to members who are between positions.

The chapter's Community Outreach Committee plans activities. For example, all members were invited to participate in two separate public television fundraising drives in Chicago, taking on-air pledges--while wearing FEI sweatshirts and/or baseball caps.

President's Comments: "It is a privilege to be associated with such a professional, dedicated group of board and committee volunteers who unselfishly give their time and expertise to make the Chicago chapter a 'full-service' organization for its diverse membership. We not only are fortunate to have leaders who generate ideas for new and better programs and activities every year, but also have those willing to spend the time and effort to make them a reality."

President: John McLean, VP Internal Audit, Equity LifeStyle Properties, [e-mail] or 312.279.1402.

Edited by Ellen M. Heffes