NIU MBA alums Honored with Award
Two Northern Illinois University College of Business MBA alumni were among 19 women executives to receive The Influential Women in Business Award.
The two alums honored were: Jodie Diegel, founder and executive director of Mane in Heaven, and Hongxia Ma, director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center International Trade Center.
For the past 16 years, The Influential Women in Business Award acknowledges female executives who influence future generations of women while excelling in business, civic, and personal arenas. The honorees’ businesses are located or have a major presence in the Daily Herald Business Ledger’s coverage area of suburban Chicago. The award not only recognizes those who influenced the honorees to achieve their success, but also as a challenge to the honorees to be an influence for future generations of women entering the business world.
Chicago has been a Metro where women business owners are making an impact—the city has more than 300,000 women business owners, accounting for 40-percent of private-owned firms. Of these firms, 20-percent have revenues of over $1 million.
The 2014 Influential Women in Business program was sponsored by Northern Illinois University College of Business, B. Gunther & Co., Tasty Catering and LeaderBoard of Chicago West.
