SPRINGFIELD - "If Not Now, When? Isn't It About Time to Start Pursuing Your Dreams?" will be the focus of a Taste of UIS luncheon to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, at Maldaner's Restaurant, 222 S. Sixth in downtown Springfield. The program is open to the public, however reservations are required.
The event is sponsored by the Office of UIS Alumni Relations, part of the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
Featured speakers will be Don O'Neal, UIS professor of Management, and alumnus Donald T. Johnson, who earned a bachelor's degree in Management at the UIS Peoria Center in 1982.
O'Neal's remarks will be based on his book If Not Now, When? (AuthorHouse, 2007). Designed to inspire people to stop procrastinating and actively pursue their dreams, the book is drawn from O'Neal's own experiences: After a successful business career, he took early retirement to complete a doctorate and begin a second career as a teacher. He has been a member of the UIS faculty since 1992.
As chairman, president, and CEO of Aftermarket Technology Corporation, Johnson manages a $500 million public company and exemplifies the principles espoused by O'Neal. He formerly held executive management positions with Caterpillar, Inc. and Ford Motor Company and is a recent recipient of an Ernst and Young Midwest Region Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Cost of the program, which includes a buffet lunch, is $20 per person, $15 for Alumni Association members and their guests. Make reservations no later than April 16 by calling the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395, registering on-line at www.uiaa.org/spfld/, or e-mailing alumni@uis.edu.
