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Event Description:
Join us for a Luncheon and a special presentation by the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois
Friday, November 4 | 11:30 am – 1:00 pm The Forester Hotel 200 N. Field Drive, Lake Forest
Help us celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Please join us for a luncheon and special presentation by the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois titled: Native Americans in Illinois: Open for Business
Featured speakers include:
Andrew Johnson (Cherokee), Executive Director, Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois
Kim Vigue (Menominee/Oneida), Executive Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
Andrew Johnson (Cherokee), Executive Director, Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois Andrew Johnson is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and President of Cherokee Metal and Alloy Products, LLC. He is also the chairperson of the Illinois Native American Employment Plan Advisory Council and member of the Business Enterprise Program Council. In addition, his Board responsibilities include the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative. Mr. Johnson formerly served as the Executive Director of the American Indian Center of Chicago. He is a CPA and received his MBA from the University of Southern California. Throughout his career, he has been a key member of the Executive Management Team at multiple corporations in addition to having extensive depth in the non-profit industry.
Kim Vigue (Menominee/Oneida), Executive Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian Kim brings over 20 years of experience working on behalf of many leading tribal organizations, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sector entities to develop and deliver culturally relevant initiatives and programming designed to improve the well-being of Native children, families, and communities. Kim is also the founder of Wolf River Consulting Group and previously served as the Communications Director at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education. Kim is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation and a descendant of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. She joined the Mitchell Museum in October 2021.
Betsy Fore (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Co-CEO & Founder, Tiny Organics
Ms. Fore is currently the Co-CEO & Founder of Tiny Organics. In addition, she is an Investment Partner at Boston base female-focused VC firm Factor Ventures and Chicago based minority-focused VC Firm LongJump. Betsy is also a co-founder of Natives Rising, a holistic career accelerator for indigenous founders and indigenous in tech. Previously she founded WonderWoof, the first dog activity monitor and app and prior to that she built Mind Candy alongside the current Founder of Calm in London.
Betsy has been named Entrepreneurs' 100 Women of Impact for 2021 driving real change in business and culture, she has been honored with Forbes 30 under 30 in Manufacturing & Industry. She has also been chosen by BBC's 100 Most Inspiring Women.