Melissa Donaldson — Chief Diversity Officer at Wintrust Financial Corporation

Ms. Melissa Donaldson was Chief Diversity Officer of Wintrust Financial Corporation. Ms. Donaldson works with senior leadership company-wide to drive diversity and inclusion priorities, including initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in leadership pipeline development, marketplace reach and community engagement. Ms. Donaldson manages partnerships to enhance various talent initiatives and work with business units to reinforce inclusive approaches to addressing talent needs and marketplace opportunities in order to drive business success. Ms. Donaldson served as a Director of Diversity Networks and Communication at Walgreens. Her responsibilities included strategic partnerships, inclusion councils, business resource groups, multicultural leadership initiatives, women's development strategy and diversity communications. Previously, Ms. Donaldson served as a Director of Inclusion Practices at CDW. Ms. Donaldson's work has also been published in Profiles in Diversity Journal, Diversity Executive and Workforce Management magazines and shared in a number of industry outlets. She was named to Women Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal in 2008 and is a Recipient of the Diversity Officer Leadership Award by Diversity Best Practices and the Rising Star Diversity Leadership Peer Award by Diversity Woman Magazine.