Keynotes from four thought leaders with ties to region highlight program, plus great networking
The New North Summit, the largest regional economic-development event in Northeast Wisconsin, will be held on Thursday, June 6, at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay. This year’s gathering is themed, ‘Leaps, Leaders, Legacies.’
Registration is now open at www.newnorthsummit.com; an early-bird entry fee is available through April 15.
New North Board Co-Chairs Michelle Schuler of Microsoft and Sachin Shivaram of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry will welcome business and community leaders from across the region. Community First Credit Union is the Platinum Sponsor of the 2024 Summit.
Four thought leaders offering perspectives at the national level and from the New North region are a centerpiece of the event. Keynote speakers at the 2024 New North Summit are former Green Bay Packers safety and originator of the ‘Lambeau Leap’ LeRoy Butler, Lachrisa Grandberry of Northern Sky Theater, Mary Snapp of Microsoft and Jim VandeHei of Axios.
New North President and CEO Barb LaMue will highlight organizational and regional initiatives in her President’s Message. These include the ‘Find Your True North’ video, the expanded ‘Cool Stuff’ campaign, and updates on business investment and talent attraction in the region.
Attendees also will hear from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes.
“We are excited to showcase the perspectives of this year’s great leaders,” says LaMue, “along with a vibrant agenda. The New North Summit is a celebration and thank-you to the businesses and community organizations throughout our 18-county region, and also provides a great networking opportunity.”
The initial keynote address – focused on AI and the NEW News Lab – will be provided by Mary Snapp, vice president of strategic initiatives for Microsoft, an international company dedicated to advancing human and organizational achievement. She brings more than 35 years of experience and perspective at Microsoft to her role. Snapp previously directed Microsoft’s Global Philanthropies, investing the company’s technology, financial support, employee talent and voice to partner with nonprofits and communities to create lasting positive impact. She joined Microsoft in 1988 as its fourth attorney, and its first female attorney. Snapp graduated from the University of Kansas School of Journalism before earning her law degree at the University of Michigan. Her keynote is sponsored by Miron Construction.
Lachrisa Grandberry, an actress and writer based in Chicago, will be the second keynote presenter, who will focus on her leadership journey. She also will sing the National Anthem to open the event. Grandberry is the director of NOVA programming for Northern Sky Theater, a professional theater company in Door County, Wisconsin, that creates, develops and produces musicals; NOVA stands for Nurturing Original Voices and Artists. Her acting credits include multiple plays across the Midwest, including Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, along with film (The Thing About Harry) and television (Chicago P.D.). Grandberry also has appeared in TV commercials, including for Steinhafels Furniture. Her career evolution in recent years has brought her to becoming a playwright; Sunflowered, a musical at Northern Sky Theater, debuted in 2022. Grandberry holds a BFA degree in theatre from Wisconsin Lutheran College. Her keynote is sponsored by TDS.
The morning’s third keynote speaker is LeRoy Butler, a Hall of Fame safety with the Green Bay Packers and the originator of the ‘Lambeau Leap,’ who will focus on his leadership journey and overcoming obstacles. Raised in a crime-infested Jacksonville, Fla., housing project, he was so pigeon-toed at birth that doctors had to break bones in both of his feet at age eight months to correct the problem. Butler spent much of his early childhood in a wheelchair and had to wear leg braces between ages 6-8. He went on to earn a football scholarship to Florida State and won consensus All-America honors with the Seminoles. Chosen in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, Butler enjoyed an illustrious, 12-year career with the team. He was a four-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl choice, and was voted to the 1990 NFL ‘All-Decade Team’ by Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He invented the ‘Lambeau Leap’ at the end of a defensive touchdown scored in a 1993 game against the Raiders. Three years later, he was a Super Bowl champion after the Packers defeated New England in Super Bowl XXXI. In 2022, Butler became the 357th member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he had been selected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2007. His keynote is sponsored by Green Bay Packers Give Back.
Prior to Butler, the New North Workplace Excellence Award, sponsored by Keystone Partners, will be presented.
Following lunch, two breakout sessions will be held concurrently. One will be a meeting of members of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA), led by Executive Director Ann Franz.
The second breakout is being put on by the NEW Launch Alliance, which supports business discoveries and idea creators in Northeast Wisconsin. It begins with a keynote address, followed by updates from the winners of the 2023 NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Event and on the Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program.
The afternoon keynote speaker is Jim VandeHei, co-founder and CEO of Axios, a media company focused on breaking news and insights across business, politics and technology. His keynote will focus on his entrepreneurship journey. Since its founding in 2016, Axios has become one of the most celebrated digital media success stories of the last decade. VandeHei is the author of the book, Just the Good Stuff, scheduled for release on April 30, where he shares lessons learned from founding two successful media companies, along with his tricks for thriving at work and in leadership. He previously co-founded Politico, a media company that revolutionized political and policy journalism in Washington, New York and Europe. VandeHei also spent more than a decade as a reporter, covering the Presidency and Congress for the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. A native of Oshkosh, he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. His keynote is sponsored by U.S. Venture.
The event concludes with a networking reception from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Austin Skalecki, a singer-songwriter born and raised in Northeast Wisconsin.
Summit attendees also will receive VandeHei’s new book, plus an NFL Draft keychain.
Event agenda updates will be provided at www.newnorthsummit.com on an ongoing basis.
Summit sponsorships remain available. Please contact Renee Torzala at [email protected] to learn more.
WHERE: Lambeau Field Atrium
1265 Lombardi Ave.; Green Bay, Wis.
WHEN: Thursday, June 6, 2024
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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New North Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit, regional economic development corporationfostering collaboration among private and public sector leaders throughout the 18 counties of Northeast Wisconsin, known as the New North region. The New North brand unites the region both internally and externally around talent development, brand promotion and business development, signifying the collective economic power behind the 18 counties. The counties include Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago. www.thenewnorth.com
