Miami Presents: CEC Women's Advisory Committee Speaker Series - A Chat with Dianne Driessen '74

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Join us for a fascinating conversation with Dianne Driessen ‘74 as we unpack the lessons and wisdom from her outstanding, 40+-year corporate career.  Graduating from Miami in the mid-1970s with a Systems Analysis degree put Dianne at the forefront of a budding technology industry, where she helped pave the way for women in the field coming after her.  Fellow alumnae, Denise Taylor '92 will sit down with Dianne to unpack some of the roles, relationships, and decisions that can help elevate blossoming careers, and talk about how to prioritize ourselves along the way.

Dianne Driessen ‘74 is the retired Vice President of Instructional Services for McGraw-Hill Education, International Education Services. Dianne worked for McGraw-Hill Education (MHE) in Monterey, CA from 2004 to 2013, where he was responsible for the design and development of education services solutions that produced desired learning outcomes for international customers, as well as profitable revenue for the company. Her primary focus was the China market.

Prior to McGraw-Hill, Dianne spent 30 years working with information technology and consulting organizations including IBM, the University of Wisconsin, Xerox Publishing Group, and Fujitsu Consulting. She earned a B.S. in Applied Science, majoring in Systems Analysis, from Miami University, Oxford, OH. She was a founding board member of the Program Management Institute (PMI) Monterey Bay Chapter. In 2015, she was a business mentor on a National Science Foundation grant team using entrepreneurial business modeling to determine the commercial viability of an academic product.

Dianne lives in Monterey, California with her husband, Mark. She feels so blessed to live in this beautiful city by the wild Pacific Ocean! She travels often to see her family.

Denise Taylor ‘92 is the founder of Next Level Business Consulting, a firm providing branding, website design, social media management & email marketing, and podcast production services.  Next Level is also the hub for all things DeniseTaylor.live, which includes mentoring, speaking, and events consulting.  She started her Next Level Business Consulting firm in 2016. 

Her journey as an entrepreneur comes on the heels of a fantastic corporate career.  Denise’s 25+ year professional career includes leadership roles at Eli Lilly & Company, Caterpillar, Harnischfeger Corporation, Kohls Department Stores, Belk Department Stores, BMC - Building Materials Company, and ATD - American Tire Distributor.  In addition to her professional success, Denise has held countless leadership roles with non-profit organizations and churches/ministries as well. Denise assumed her role as a full-time Entrepreneur in April 2022.  What she loves most now is the opportunity to build brands, lift voices and mentor others.

Denise is the Executive Producer and host for two podcasts: Top 100 podcast, “Embrace Your Power” which launched in April of 2021, and Top 25 Podcast, “I’m The Good Thing”, which recently launched in November of 2022.  She has also written two books based on her podcasts - “I'm the Good Thing” (April 2020) and "Embrace Your Power & Go" (February 2022). Both books are available on Amazon and on her website www.DeniseTaylor.live.  Denise’s International Mentorship Program for Women, “Power Play”, helps women embrace their power to build a life they love. 

Denise earned her Bachelor of Applied Science from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Madison, WI.  Denise values relationships, and her 25+ year marriage to the love of her life, Chuck Taylor, and two beautiful daughters, Chanise & Ciera, are the center of her joy.

This virtual event is free to attend, but registration is required.  Questions?  Please contact Mollie Young at youngmr@miamioh.edu.