Workshop Prepares Students for C-Suite Networking 

Front Left: Lisa Pratt, Executive Director, CWE; Front Right: Kyree Blount, Executive Director, CWE
Second row on far right: Derrick Collins, Dean of College of Business; Back left: Professor Dewayne Ross, Chicago State University

In partnership with the Chicago State’s College of Business, the Center for Workforce Equity co-hosted and sponsored an exclusive Executive Professional Etiquette Workshop for students enrolled in the Fall ‘2025 Mastering Wealth Course facilitated by Pete Kadens, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest cannabis companies in the world exceeding a market capital of $6 billion. The Mastering Wealth Course equipped students with foundational knowledge and fundamentals of wealth creation planning and best practices for obtaining and implementing a wholistic wealth generation framework fueled by their value system. Pete Kadens’s Wealth Creation course. 

Co-facilitated by Dwayne Ross, Adjunct Professor of the College’s Professional Leadership Course, the Professional Etiquette Workshop prepared students for a one-of-a-kind, high-impact networking event where they sat among and learned from C-suite level business executives and investors with a collective net worth exceeding beyond $1 Billion.   

To ensure students were equipped to make the most of this world class experience, the Center for Workforce Equity hosted a 3-hour workshop focused on:   

• Dining etiquette and professional attire  

• Strategic Networking tools  

• Executive-level leadership skills 

 

The workshop emphasized real-world readiness, helping students build confidence in professional settings as they launch or advance their careers. It also served as a model for how academic and workforce development units can collaborate to support holistic student career success and advancement.   

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