General Session

On May 25, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. And on August 26, 2008, when he stood on top of Puncak Jaya, in Papua New Guinea, Weihenmayer completed his 12-year quest to climb the Seven Summits— the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

He joins only 150 mountaineers who have accomplished this feat. Additionally, he has scaled El Capitan, a 3,300-foot overhanging rock wall in Yosemite; Losar, a 2,600-foot vertical ice waterfall in the Mt. Everest region of the Himalayas; and a difficult and rarely climbed rock face on 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya. He has also completed the most brutal adventure race in the world: Primal Quest, 460 miles in nine days, with no time outs.

Why Erik is a Game Changer:

• Erik is the only blind man in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

• Erik, along with his Everest teammates, led a group of soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan to the summit of Lobuche, a 20,000- foot peak in Nepal, to give back to America’s heroes and show what is possible despite adversity.

• Despite losing his vision at the age of 13, he has become an accomplished mountain climber, paraglider and skier who has never let his blindness interfere with his passion for an exhilarating and fulfilling life.

Harris is considered an expert in the field of diversity and holds several leadership positions in many national organizations. She began her career with McDonald’s over 30 years ago as an administrative assistant in the Corporate Legal department. Harris was quickly promoted to several positions within the Human Resources department leading to her current global leadership role.

She has documented her experience with McDonald’s in her book, None of Us Is Good as All of Us: How McDonald’s Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity.

Why Patricia is a Game Changer:

• She is responsible for the development and implementation of diversity strategies throughout McDonald’s Corporation, including the 31,489 restaurants in 118 countries.

• Harris is a founder and member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum, founder and past chair of the MultiCultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, and past President of the Board of Directors for the Breast Cancer Network of Strength (formerly Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization).

• Under her leadership, McDonald’s has been widely recognized for its commitment to inclusion and diversity. This recognition includes Fortune magazine’s “Top 50 Places for Minorities to Work”, Black Enterprise magazine’s “Top 40 Companies for Diversity”, Latina Style magazine’s “Best Companies for Latinas”, Asian Enterprise magazine’s ”Top 25 Companies for Asians,” and the “Disability Diversity Award” by Worklife Matters magazine.

Dr. Hrabowski has served as President of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) since 1992. With philanthropist Robert Meyerhoff, he co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program in 1988. The program is open to all high-achieving students committed to pursuing advanced degrees and research careers in science and engineering, and advancing minorities in these fields. The program has become a national model, and based on program outcomes, Hrabowski has authored numerous articles and co-authored two books that are used by universities, school systems, and community groups around the country.

Why Freeman is a Game Changer:

• In 2008, he was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report, which in both 2009 and 2010 ranked UMBC the #1 “Up and Coming” university in the nation and among the top colleges and universities in the nation for commitment to undergraduate teaching.

• In 2009, Time magazine named him one of America’s 10 Best College Presidents.

• He won the Hessy Award for Leadership Excellence in 2011.

• In May 2010, he was among 10 national and world leaders to receive an honorary doctorate from Harvard University.

• He chaired the National Academies’ committee that recently produced the report, “Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.”

As the first female president of a professional sports franchise, Susan O’Malley is a pioneer in two fields: sports and business. She knows what it takes to be a leader in a tough business environment and how to create an organization from the ground up. Her ground-breaking business ideas and proactive approach to customer service brought her – and Washington Sports and Entertainment – to the top of the sports business world.

Tapscott is an internationally renowned authority on the strategic impact of information technology on innovation, marketing and talent. He consistently identifies and explains the next business imperatives and defines the business models and strategies required for success. Tapscott has authored or co-authored 14 widely read books on technology, business and the Net Generation, including his newest book, Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World.

Bridget Van Kralingen is responsible for strategy, execution, business results and client satisfaction for the full range of IBM’s business in the United States and Canada. She is accountable for IBM’s portfolios in consulting, technology services, software, hardware and financing for clients which together generate about $40 billion in revenue each year. In 2005, she was named one of the hundred most influential people in finance by Euromoney, and was named one of Consulting magazine’s Top 25 Consultants in 2006.