Alum Beatrice Elizalde: I see i.c.stars as a light at the end of the tunnel
Chicago, IL (April 28, 2009) — Beatrice Elizalde, a graduate of the i.c.stars technology leadership program, is set to discuss the positive role her i.c.stars mentors have played in her life and career at the 2009 Capitalize on Illinois conference on Friday, May 8. The premier i.c.stars event will bring together over 200 C-level technology leaders and senior executives from across Chicagoland, i.c.stars alumni, sponsors and board members to address the issues facing IT today and celebrate the positive results of mentoring and leadership in developing future IT and community leaders.
Elizalde, a graduate of i.c.stars’ Cycle 10, currently works as Project Administrator for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, a company she has worked for since completing her internship in 2006. She credits her mentors at i.c.stars with preparing her for her professional role. “i.c.stars’ president and co-founder, Sandee Kastrul, had lunches where she would personally share her advice and stories as well as offer more direction and support for our roles. She never said, ‘This is what you should do.’ She just gave her point of view and offered options,” said Elizalde. “I felt like I was in control of the situation and supported by the mentors at i.c.stars. All the way around, it was just great support.”
Elizalde will speak about the value she found in the i.c.stars program with attendees at the 2009 Capitalize on Illinois conference. The event is the seventh that i.c.stars has held, and will feature more than 20 different simultaneous roundtable discussions, also known as “High Teas.” High Tea events are an integral part of the i.c.stars leadership training program in which interns host a technology leader from the Chicago community. The interns interview the professionals they invite to tea in order to gain knowledge and learn from the experiences of an industry veteran.
Insight CIO Steve Speidel will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Capitalize conference. Other prominent executives participating in and sponsoring the event include David Edelstein, CIO, Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics; Jonathan Stevens, CIO, CDW; Michael Brooks, CIO, GATX; Bruce Schinelli, CIO, TTX; Catherine Brune, SVP and CIO, Allstate; John Golden, CIO, CAN; Cathie Kozik, Corporate VP IT, Motorola; Ed Earl, CIO, LittelFuse; Leslie Weber, CIO, True Value; Yvonne Scott, CIO, Crowe, Chizek & Company, LLC; Jim Vanek, CTO, UBS Global Asset Management; and Andy Jurczyk, CIO, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP.
During Capitalize on Illinois, i.c.stars will also present its Alumni Award to a deserving alum who has demonstrated strong community leadership since graduating from the internship program. Last year, i.c.stars alums Seth Allen, of SIM Partners, and Tiffany Mikell, of Accenture, received the award.
This year’s Capitalize on Illinois will be held at Maggiano’s Little Italy on Friday, May 8, from
7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Maggiano’s is located at 516 North Clark Street in Chicago. Conference tickets are $1,500. Conference passes are available to volunteers for $50, students for $50, and IT practitioners for $95. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities e-mail cperry@icstars.org or for more information on the event, visit http://events.icstars.org/capitalize/2009. Media is invited to attend complimentary and is asked to contact Sandee Kastrul (skastrul@icstars.org) for specific details.
Proceeds from the conference will enable i.c.stars to deliver on its mission to help develop future IT and community leaders. You can read a full article about Elizalde’s experience with i.c.stars, by visiting http://drupal.icstars.org/Article/BeatrizElizalde.
About i.c.stars
Formed in 1999, i.c.stars is a non-profit organization in Chicago for adults with a high school diploma or GED. Using project-based learning and full-immersion teaching, i.c.stars provides opportunities to develop skills in business and technology. i.c.stars’ goal is to develop 1,000 Community Leaders by 2020.
i.c.stars places 100 percent of its qualified graduates in jobs with average annual earnings of $35,700. Before completing the program, participants typically earn around $16,600. In 2006, i.c.stars partnered with DePaul University to ensure that all i.c.stars alumni are admitted to the CTI and SNL Bachelors of Science program. Learn more on the Web at www.icstars.org.
