Inspiring leadership was on the agenda at Women United, an annual event in Kankakee, Illinois, that celebrates women who are making an impact in their professions and communities. Tricia Stewart, who heads CSL Behring’s leading-edge manufacturing site in Kankakee, opened Women United by thanking nearly 300 attendees for “investing in yourselves.”
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The program featured accomplished speakers, including:
- Mileen M. Joines, a certified public accountant who also served as the first female lieutenant with the Bourbonnais Fire Protection District.
- Nina Epstein, who held multiple local government posts, including eight years as Kankakee’s mayor.
- Patricia Santoyo-Marin, daughter of Mexican immigrants, who went on to attain her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and then serve in various roles in higher education with a mission to empower young people.
Stewart, who is Senior Vice President and General Manager at the Kankakee site, was herself a keynote speaker at the first Women United event in 2016. This year, CSL Behring was the lead sponsor of the program, presented by the United Way of Kankakee and Iroquois counties. Additionally, Thomson Reuters recently ranked CSL one of the top 100 companies in its 2018 global Diversity and Inclusion Index.
“At CSL, we encourage the best and brightest to innovate and collaborate to help save lives. You will find that the speakers today are following that same mission in their own lives,” Stewart said in her opening remarks. “Take advantage of their insights and take time to reflect on how you might develop your own leadership.”
