Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote: Denis A. Cortese, M.D.

President and CEO, Mayo Clinic

Dr. Denis Cortese is president and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic, chair of the Mayo Clinic board of governors and member of the board of trustees. A graduate of Temple University Medical School, he completed his residency at Mayo Clinic. After service in the U.S. Navy he joined the Mayo Clinic staff in late 1976. He is a professor of medicine and was director of the pulmonary disease subspecialty training program from 1979-1987 receiving the teacher of the year award in two of those years.
 
He was a chair of the clinical practice and a member of the board of governors in Rochester before moving to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1993.  From 1999-2002 he served as CEO of the Mayo Clinic and chair of the board of directors at St. Luke’s Hospital, both in Jacksonville. Cortese relocated back to Rochester and assumed his current position in February 2003.
 
Current memberships and honors:
- Institute of Medicine of The National Academy of Sciences (US)
-Chair of the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Evidence Based Medicine
- Healthcare Leadership Council and chair for 2007-2009
- Harvard/Kennedy School of Healthcare Policy Group
- Academia Nacional de Medicina (Mexico)
- Royal College of Physicians (London)
- FRESH-Thinking (Focused Research on Efficient, Secure Healthcare)
- Advisory Board, World Community Grid
- Chairs/Presidents/CEOs Council, American Medical Group Association
- Ellis Award, 2007

 

Closing Keynote: Luke Visconti

Partner and Cofounder, DiversityInc

Luke Visconti is a partner and cofounder of DiversityInc Media LLC. He directs all editorial operations of the magazine, which has an audited circulation of more than 170,000, and the web site, which reaches more than 800,000 unique visitors monthly. He also oversees marketing and circulation. Mr. Visconti developed and directs the methodology for The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®. His blog, “Ask the White Guy,” is a top draw on DiversityInc.com.

Mr. Visconti is a frequent senior-level lecturer on the business benefits of diversity to corporations, business groups and nonprofit organizations. He is a recognized leader in this field and has appeared on FOX, MSNBC and CNBC. Mr. Visconti is regularly quoted on diversity issues in publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, BusinessWeek, Fortune and The Wall Street Journal. 

Mr. Visconti and his business partner founded DiversityInc in 1998. Prior to entering the publishing industry, he was on active duty as a naval aviator and commissioned officer with the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1990, and in the reserves until 1992. Mr. Visconti holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from Rutgers University.

Associations
- Trustee, Bennett College for Women
- Trustee, Rutgers University
- Board Member, New Jersey City University Foundation
- Board Member, The PhD Project
- Member, United States Navy Diversity Senior Advisory Group
- Member, United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Executive Panel (clearance pending)
- Member, Trendsmart Panel, Scripps Network
- Member, PRIMER (Puerto Ricans in Management and Executive Roles)

Awards
- January 2006: “Bridge Builders Award” from Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Wall Street Project conference
- May 2006: “Legacy of Leadership” award from Dr. Beverly Tatum, Spelman College
- January 2007, Member of the Year, PRIMER
- May 2007, named Distinguished Alumnus, Rutgers University