News

[CHICAGO, IL, July 14, 2021] – Corporate Leadership Center welcomes Michelle Warner as the incoming Executive Director of CEO Perspectives, effective January 3rd, 2022. Michelle will succeed current Executive Director, Ken Porrello, who has held the position since 2016 and was a member of the 2005 inaugural class. Michelle will begin working officially with the Corporate Leadership Center and CEO Perspectives team in September 2021 to ensure a smooth transition and will be actively engaged in programs and other key activities throughout the remainder of the calendar year.

“I am very excited to be joining the Corporate Leadership Center team as the incoming Executive Director of CEO Perspectives and working with everyone to continue the incredible legacy of this program. I know first-hand the benefits of thoughtful leadership programming and believe in the power of the unique experiences offered through CEO Perspectives to positively impact today’s leaders,” Michelle noted.

Michelle is the Founder & Principal of MMW Advisors, a strategic advisory firm that she established in 2020. Prior to that time, she worked at USG as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, where she was a member of the executive committee, working closely with other members of senior management and the Board of Directors. Michelle previously served at Motorola Solutions, Inc., for 18 years, culminating in her role as Corporate Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Secretary.

“Michelle’s experience in corporate governance is a tremendous asset to the program. Corporate governance is an increasingly important topic in CEO Perspectives, and the depth and impact of our coverage in that area will benefit greatly from Michelle’s expertise,” noted current Executive Director Ken Porrello.

Michelle is also a member of the Board of Directors for MKS Instruments, Inc., where she serves on the nominating and corporate governance, and special committees. In addition, she is a member of the President’s Council for the Museum of Science and Industry – Chicago; a Board of Advisors member at Denison University; and a director for Logan Square Preservation.

“We are thrilled to have Michelle join us as the next Executive Director of CEO Perspectives. Her deep set of experiences as a C-Suite executive and corporate board member will be invaluable to us as we focus on ensuring our programs and experiences are aligned with the priorities of executive leaders of today and tomorrow,” commented Deb DeHaas, CEO, Corporate Leadership Center. “Additionally, we are grateful to Ken Porrello for his exceptional work. Under his leadership, Ken has enhanced the curriculum to include critical business topics and trends; engaged new faculty and executive speakers; and broadened the CEO Perspectives community immeasurably.”

Michelle graduated from Denison University and earned her law degree at Northwestern University School of Law. She lives with her husband in Chicago.

About Corporate Leadership Center

Corporate Leadership Center (CLC) is the leadership development forum designed to cultivate dynamic business leaders. Combining real-world experiences with new perspectives and insights, CLC builds participants’ leadership skills so they can propel their companies – and their careers – to the next level. Co-Chairmen Cheryl Francis and Sheila Penrose are co-founders of the CEO Perspectives and Leading Women Executives programs. Both experiential programs are designed to impact leaders at key inflection points in their careers. To date, over 1000 business professionals from more than 75 sponsor companies have participated in CLC’s programs.  To learn more about CLC and its programs, visit www.corporateleadership.org.

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Contact: Wendy Rutman, Marketing Director, Corporate Leadership Center at w.rutman@corporateleadership.org or 312-371-0899.

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