#AccelerateAction with Slalom Detroit! 💪
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You're invited to join Slalom on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at the Book Tower in beautiful Downtown Detroit as we celebrate our seventh annual International Women's Day!
The event will feature guest speakers and a chance to connect with other like-minded individuals who are passionate about supporting and empowering women. We hope that you will join us in this celebration of the strength and resilience of women, and in our shared commitment to accelerating action.
Sign up today to reserve your spot!
Event Info
Date: March 6 from 12:00-5:00pm EST
Location: Book Tower, 13th floor (1265 Washington Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226)
Agenda
- Check-In & Lunch
- Keynote 1
- Keynote 2
- Executive Panel
- Networking Activity
Keynote Speakers
JoAnn Chávez
Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, DTE
JoAnn Chávez is senior vice president and chief legal officer for DTE Energy. Chávez has responsibility for the management and strategic direction of DTE’s office of the general counsel and advises DTE’s board of directors and senior management on legal and related matters. Chávez also has responsibility for the oversight of ethics and compliance, corporate security, and corporate emergency management. Until 2024, JoAnn was also the executive responsible for the oversight the tax organization and served as the Chief Tax Officer until 2022.
Prior to joining DTE in 2007, Chávez served as an international tax partner for KPMG LLP with experience serving large multinational clients. Chávez earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame.
Chávez is a strong advocate for young people and women and is the founder, President/CEO, and Director of the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (MiHC), a Michigan non-profit, that focuses on economic equity and provides opportunities for first-generation Hispanic students to graduate from college. MiHC delivers culturally relevant programming for both students and parents to help bring coherence to the chaos of college access. Chávez sits on the Boards of DTE Energy Foundation, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago – Detroit Branch, Invest Detroit, The Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, Kalamazoo College, and Tiffin University. She is the past chair of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board of directors. She also sits on the Notre Dame Law School and the University of Michigan School of Education Advisory Councils. Her recent honors include Forbes 50 over 50, an Ilitch Holdings Game Changer, and a 2021 Crain’s Detroit 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan.
Saunteel Jenkins
Former Chief Executive Officer, The Heat & Warmth Fund
Mayoral Candidate, City of Detroit
Jenkins was born and raised in Detroit, the oldest daughter of a mailman and sales associate at Hudson’s, later Macy’s. She attended Detroit Public Schools, graduating from Cass Technical High School in 1988. Her early challenges fueled Saunteel’s commitment to social work - leading her to receive her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Wayne State University.
Following a successful tenure in city hall with Council President Maryann Mahaffey, Jenkins went to work for a company providing free tutoring to children in underperforming schools. Saunteel would go on to start her own small business and was later named Director of the Residential Treatment Program at Mariners Inn, a Detroit homeless shelter for men fighting addiction.
In 2009, Jenkins ran and won a seat on the Detroit City Council and three years later became the first person in nearly 100 years to be elected City Council President by her peers. She served during one of the darkest economic chapters in Detroit's history - helping the city navigate through its bankruptcy and putting it on its ultimate path to recovery.
Jenkins has served as the CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) for the past decade, where she’s helped thousands of Detroit families pay their heat, electric and water bills during tough financial times. A cancer survivor whose brother was the tragic victim of gun violence, Jenkins has been recognized for her perseverance, leadership, and willingness to take on any challenge - no matter how large.
Saunteel launched an exploratory committee for Detroit Mayor on August 27, 2024, and formally launched her campaign for Mayor on January 14, 2025.
Executive Panel
Nicolette Bateson
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer, Great Lakes Water Authority
Nicolette N. Bateson, CPA is the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for the Great Lakes Water Authority which began operations in 2016. Ms. Bateson’s service follows her tenure as the first CFO for the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department beginning in February 2013. In that role she led the Financial Services Area through a significant transformation effort engaging cross-functional teams to achieve sustainable change. Ms. Bateson’s accomplishments in the fields of accounting and public administration have garnered the following honors: Eastern Michigan University Masters of Public Administration Program - Public Administrator of the Year (2017), Crain’s Detroit Notable Women in Finance (2018), and Eastern Michigan University Alumni Achievement Award (2022).
LinkedIn
Eileen Gilbert
Vice President, Head of Product Management, Stellantis
Eileen Gilbert is an experienced Software Product Management executive who has been Vice President & Head of Product Management for Mobilisights, the Stellantis Data Products Business Unit since May 2023. Eileen has led high performing teams to deliver global portfolios spanning the Connected Vehicle, IoT, IAM, B2B, B2B2C & B2B2G spaces. She is passionate about driving innovation & delivering customer-centric solutions by understanding the market, defining product strategy as well as the customer value to be delivered by collaborating with product, engineering & go to market cross functional teams to bring products to market. She is adept at strategically driving top line revenue while optimizing operational costs. Throughout her career, Eileen has developed an avocation for fostering inclusive cultures having participated on corporate DE&I steering committees as well as mentoring individuals in globally corporate roles, early career professionals & elementary school students in STEM initiatives.
Lindsey Rem
Senior Vice President, Business Transformation, Barton Malow
Lindsey Rem is Barton Malow Holdings’ Senior Vice President of Business Transformation. In her role, she serves on the Executive Leadership Team and provides leadership for the continued development and alignment of innovation, technology and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) strategy throughout the Family of Companies. She is also responsible for identifying new business models to ensure the long-term relevancy of the core business.
Lindsey began her more than 25-year career with Barton Malow working on projects in the field before becoming a part of the SAP Implementation team, where she learned to effectively deploy technology across the company. Her strong passion for leveraging technology to increase project performance led her to establish a cohesive VDC, innovation, and technology strategy across the company to increase Barton Malow’s competitive advantage.
Recently, Lindsey was recognized as a 2024 Autodesk Construction Champion, an annual and global award program that honors 25 construction thought leaders who are making waves in the industry by driving innovation and change. Lindsey obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, Letters and Society from the University of Chicago, where she was part of the varsity soccer team.
Catherine Susko
Vice President, HR Planning, Development & Belonging, Henry Ford Health
Catherine Susko serves as the Vice President HR Planning, Development and Belonging at Henry Ford Health. Susko has over 19 years of experience in a cross-functional and diverse industry background encompassing global conglomerate and private equity portfolio businesses.
With a career deeply rooted in community-based programming, she is passionate about creating opportunities for career development and ensuring unwavering support for team members. Under her leadership at Henry Ford Health, she has implemented innovative recruitment strategies to attract and hire the most qualified talent from diverse backgrounds. She has overseen the development of highly successful apprenticeship programs, recognized by the Department of Labor, that provide valuable skills training and career pathways.
Furthermore, she has been instrumental in fostering a workplace culture that values individual contributions and provides equal opportunities for all employees to succeed. This includes initiatives to align workforce development efforts across the organization while ensuring fair and equitable access to employment and advancement opportunities based on merit and skills.
Prior to joining Henry Ford Health in 2015, Susko spent most of her professional career as an executive management consultant providing guidance and thought leadership for manufacturing in the automotive and pharmaceutical industry, new business start-ups, mergers and acquisitions, consolidation, and restructuring efforts.
Susko received her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina and her Master of Science in Business Administration and Management from Boston University. Additionally, she received certification in Strategic Workforce Planning from the Human Capital Institute and is a National Diversity Council Diversity Professional.