Women are leading an economic revolution in the United States. The number of women owned businesses is growing 2x faster than the national average, but there is a pervasive and persistent challenge – just as there are gender gaps in leadership and in pay, there is a gender gap in lending. First Women’s Bank is forming to help bridge that gap.

On October 30th, we’ll hear from Marianne Markowitz, CEO of First Women’s Bank about the women’s economy, the disproportionate impact that the current health and social justice crises have had on women business owners and the Bank’s mission to grow the economy and advance the role of women within it from their single flagship location right here in Chicago.

Despite a recent popular awakening around racial justice work, racial inequities have long plagued our country. Chicagoland's segregation, for instance, costs us billions in lost income, lost lives, and lost potential. This conversation asks people in the fields of financial services, urban planning, journalism, and higher education how they are grappling with our shared, limiting history, and how we can leverage the unique power of recent political moments to move professional environments forward in support of a more equitable region.

Paul C. Carlisle, Chief Operating Officer and Market Head – Commercial Banking, Wintrust, Alden Loury, Senior Editor, Race, Class and Communities, WBEZ, and Nadia Quarles, Assistant Vice President of Business Diversity, The University of Chicago will sit down with moderator Kendra Freeman, Director of Community Development and Engagement, Metropolitan Planning Council, for this important conversation.

The challenges of 2020 have been unprecedented. And yet, in the face of pandemic, social unrest and economic headwinds, businesses are doubling down on their commitments to stakeholders and embracing purpose in new ways. Hear from Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris about the brewing giant’s journey through the challenges of 2020 and how innovation, strong partnerships and a nimble approach have helped the company provide critical support for partners, employees and communities to deliver strong business results.