CFA Society Chicago held its annual celebration for new members and volunteers on Thursday, January 17, 2019. The venue was a new one the Society, hosting the event at River Roast on LaSalle Street just north of the river. Attendees enjoyed a spacious, private setting away from the public area of the restaurant. The setting provided an excellent opportunity for new members to build their professional networks, and for everyone to reconnect with friends and colleagues.
CEO of the Society, Shannon Curley, CFA, led off the official portion of the event by welcoming everyone, and introducing members of CFA Society Chicago’s Board of Directors and co-chairs of advisory groups who were present. He added a special welcome to new members, encouraging them to take advantage of the event to speak with members of the various advisory groups represented, and consider volunteering their time by joining one. Finally, Shannon gave a well-deserved thank you to society staff for planning this (and every) event.
Shannon then announced the list of volunteers recognized for their outstanding contributions during 2018 to each advisory group:
Annual Dinner – Cara Esser, CFA
Professional Development – Kevin Ross, CFA
Communications – Lisa Davenport, CFA
Education Seminars – Matthew Morris, CFA
Distinguished Speakers Series – Arthur Olunwa, CFA
Membership Engagement – Deb Koch, CFA
Social Events – Jenny McNicholas
CFA Women’s Network – Bhavna Khurana, CFA
Shannon continued by thanking the co-chairs of the advisory groups for the extensive time and energy they put into making the events the society offers so valuable to our membership. All recognized volunteers received a gift from the Society in appreciation of their service. The final piece of official business was the drawing of raffle prizes (to some the highlight of the event). This year, everyone could choose to enter their choice of two drawings for overnight stays for two at the Standard Cub or Hyatt Regency. Congratulations to Ben Huddleston, CFA, and Pranay Subedi, CFA, winners of the raffle! With the official business completed, the socializing continued for the remainder of the event.