Top Illinois female business leaders took the podium to inspire a new generation of business leaders at the Women’s Leadership Summit held recently in Lisle.

Speakers at the Benedictine University event included Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Marilyn Miglin, president and CEO of Marilyn Miglin; and Emily Barr, president and general manager of ABC 7 Chicago. Kristine Cohn, the U.S. education secretary’s regional representative, acted as panel moderator.

The sold-out event focused on a new generation of female leadership—one that is no longer struggling with stereotypes and limited opportunities but is building on the accomplishments and reaping the mentorship benefits of the previous generation.

“Today’s generation of women have grown up having many fantastic role models,” Cohn said. “When you are younger, you look for ways to acquire leadership roles. As you get older, you look for ways to provide leadership roles to others.”

Attendees came nearly every sector of the business world—some were entrepreneurs, some were employees, and some were students. There were even a few men at the event, like Phnom Penh, a junior at Bradley University in Peoria. He and a few fellow students from a women’s leadership studies class left Peoria at 5:45 a.m. to attend the conference.

“I heard about the speakers and was intrigued,” he said. “I was a little hesitant because I knew I would be one of the only men here. But it is definitely worth it. The networking opportunities are excellent.”

Penh got a first-hand lesson in gender logistics when he learned women had taken over the men’s room at the break.

Miglin recounted her rise from a rejected Marshall Field’s model to a cosmetics icon. Her number one piece of advice was, “Don’t talk about it—do it”—something she learned early from her husband, Lee.

The early turning point for Miglin came when she was 11 years-old and her father died.

“My mother and I had to go to work to support ourselves,” she said, adding with a smile, “I had to lie about my age to get the job and I’ve been lying about my age every since.

“If you had met me when I was a young girl, you might have thought, what a pale, skinny ordinary girl. My complexion was so bad that my grandmother used to light a candle to St. Theresa, hoping to clear up my skin.”

In her early twenties, Miglin auditioned to be a runway model with Marshall Field’s three times. Finally, she asked why she was rejected and was told that her make-up and hair were terrible and that she “walked like a duck.”

“So I went to modeling school,” she said. “In the end, Marshall Field’s did accept me and I had a wonderful career there for over 15 years.”

In 1963, Miglin opened the first freestanding cosmetics store in Chicagoland. While she was successful almost immediately, she had to pick up executive expertise along the way.

“The only way I learned leadership skills was by going to meetings,” she said.

Miglin’s real test came during the recession in the late 1980s. She lost about 35 percent of her business, but discovered TV sales—a venue that helped her recoup her losses and move forward.

“Along the way the way I reinvented myself and made some good decisions and some bad decisions,” she said. “The important thing is to remember that, whatever your dream, you can achieve it and also help others to achieve theirs.”

Since Barr and her husband have two young daughters, some of her advice was in the context of being both an executive and parent.

Barr told the amused audience about conducting business via telephone from the labor and delivery room.

“I’ve had it relatively easy in the business world,” she said. “I have to thank everyone in the room who has paved the way for me. One of the most important things we can do as women is to support each other.”

Barr described her nearly seamless rise through the television industry ranks.

One of her first breaks was when she won a writing job in her early twenties.

“I was completely unqualified, but I was absolutely convinced I could do the job,” she explained. “I’ve learned that, if forced to choose, I will always hire someone with a great attitude and limited experience over someone with a poor attitude and a lot of experience.”

Barr’s other advice included the following:

•Doors are open for all sorts of positions—the key is to run through them without looking back or questioning.

•Sometimes you try something big and it falls flat, but it’s better than taking the easy way.

•Sometimes people will take assumptions about you and they will get it wrong. Don’t let it bother you. Instead, use it to your advantage to make people remember you.

•Once we grab the brass ring, we need to pass it along to those we mentor.

Elizabeth Terry came to the conference with an open mind.

“At this point I am exploring what type of business I want to be in,” she said. “I’m here to see if anything speaks to me.”