Event Notices From February 14

ITC Holdings CEO speaks on leadership at Lawrence Tech Feb. 28: Joseph Welch, chairman, president and CEO of ITC Holdings Corp. in Novi, will discuss "The Power of Leadership" at the President's Leadership Seminar, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 1-2 p.m. at Lawrence Technological University, 21000 West 10 Mile Road, Southfield. The seminar, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Science Building auditorium. The President's Leadership Seminars, inaugurated by Lawrence Tech President Lewis Walker last year, provide a forum for leaders who can show that innovation results from collaboration among diverse disciplines and a desire to solve an important problem. The seminars relate to the areas of expertise and the academic programs offered at Lawrence Tech. Welch will discuss his own leadership style and how it was formed. He will talk about the importance of leadership education and how leaders are developed at ITC. He will also describe the challenges involved in creating ITC, what it has become, and its future direction. ITC Holdings is the nation's largest independent electricity transmission company. It invests in the electric transmission grid to improve system reliability, expand access to markets, lower the overall cost of delivered energy and allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems in seven states. Welch has been a leading voice for developing an energy policy that will support an evolving energy future and national economic development. Since the beginning of his career in the utility business in 1971, Welch has held positions of increasing responsibility in electricity transmission, distribution, rates, load research, marketing, pricing, and regulatory affairs. He established ITC Transmission as a stand-alone entity from its parent corporation in 2003. Welch has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas and is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan. He is the co-author of "Competitive Energy Markets: The Power of Choice."

NEF Sets Annual Meeting: The Ann Arbor New Enterprise Forum will hold its 2012 annual meeting Thursday, Feb. 16. Join us as we celebrate our 26th birthday and recognize and honor the best NEF Entrepreneurs of 2011. This event promises plenty of networking and the beginning of another year of great investor pitches, panels, and inspiration. This year, we'll honor the three entrepreneurs who nurtured Accuri Cytometers from founding through acquisition: Jennifer Baird, Collin Rich and Jeff Williams. Jennifer A. Baird co-founded Accuri Cytometers and led the company from inception through development and commercialization. During her time as president (2005-2010), she raised more than $30 million and achieved more than $12 million in sales. Accuri was sold to Becton Dickinson Inc. for $205 million in 2011. She is currently CEO of Accio Energy Inc., an early-stage wind energy company. Collin Rich co-founded and served as Chief Technology Officer for Accuri. He was responsible for technical oversight of the Accuri effort from concept through product launch, and made many critical intellectual property contributions during the process. He currently serves as Director of Research and Development for the BD Accuri subsidiary of Becton Dickinson. Jeff Williams served as president and CEO of Accuri Cytometers from January 2010 until its sale to Becton Dickinson in March 2011. Jeff currently serves as chairman and CEO of Tangent Medical Technologies and Life Magnetics. The showcase presenter is LogiCoul Solutions LLC, is bringing to market a charging technology for all rechargeable battery systems that increases battery run time and extends battery life without adding weight. The company is currently working with OEMs in the automotive and personal electronics industries. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn North Campus, 3600 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. Registration and networking is at 5 p.m., and the program begins at 5:45 p.m. The event is free to NEF members, $5 for students and $20 for nonmembers. For more information, visit www.NewEnterpriseForum.org.