2.08.2005 ET

(CSRwire) CHICAGO, IL - On February 16th, Boardroom Bound(R) and its corporate partners and 165 women and ethnic minority male individual investors will honor business leaders for their recognition of a diverse corporate boardroom as a critical business imperative. Honorees are selected from among: top CEOs, the media, business-to-business enterprises and diversity advocates. The event is an opportunity for Director Candidates and business leaders to network. The Ambassador Awards luncheon will be held on February 16th from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago (312-280-8800).

The Keynote Speaker will be Cary Jehl Broussard, Vice President, WOMEN ON THEIR WAY(R) Marketing and Corporate Diversity, Wyndham International, Inc.* Honorees include: John W. Rowe, Chairman, President and CEO of Exelon, Deborah DeHaas, Vice Chairman and Regional Managing Partner for Deloitte & Touche, LLP, USA, Pamela L. McElvane, President, P & L ltd, and Publisher/Editor, Black MBA Magazine, and Lester McKeever,Jr., CPA and Managing Partner with Washington, Pittman & McKeever, LLC. Presenting Mr. McKeever with the group's Lifetime Achievement Award is the renowned "Father of Affirmative Action" and Advisor to five sitting U.S. Presidents, Arthur A. Fletcher, Ph.D.

Conference sponsors include: Office Depot, Wyndham International, Inc., CBIZ Business & Insurance Services, Inc., Merrill Lynch, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Lou Holland Growth Fund, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Harris Bank, A. C. Advisory, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Sanchez & Daniels, and EmployeeROI.

During the Luncheon, Boardroom Bound officials will announce the launch of its Chicago Pipeline Seminar Program. This corporate board service development program, The Pipeline Seminar, is an intensive day and a half program designed to jump-start a prospective candidate's preparation and equip him or her with the tools and insights to conduct a successful selection campaign. The Chicago Seminar will be held on February 16th and 17th, at the Wyndham Hotel, 633 N. St. Clair Street, in Chicago (312-573-0300).

To register, for full speaker biographies and 2005 event schedule (including NYC, Chicago, and Washington D.C.), visit: www.boardroombound.biz

About Boardroom Bound(R)

Boardroom Bound(R) is a 501(C)(3) Washington, DC-based organization whose goal is to restore public trust in Corporate America by preparing a new generation of diverse, independent director-candidates for corporate board service and accelerates their journey to the corporate boardroom via the group's alternative pipeline.

Business journalists, please note: A limited number of interviews with honorees and conference sponsors from Chicago area companies are available in advance, during and after the event.

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