Joe Ricketts Addresses Woodlands' Students on Careers and Being CEO

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -Serial entrepreneur and founder and former CEO of TD Ameritrade Joe Ricketts visited Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart April 12 as the inaugural speaker in the school's new "Imagine Yourself as a CEO" speaker series.

Ricketts shared his path towards the CEO chair with the audience of ninth through 12th graders at the all-girls, Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school, including his many failures. Additionally, he spoke to what he believes makes a good leader.

"What's most important in a CEO is not intelligence - you all have that or you wouldn't be at this school - it's character," Ricketts emphasized. He also spoke at length on taking time to explore interests, recognizing that it may take several iterations before the young women discerned their own career paths.

Programs in this new Woodlands Academy series are formatted as a one-on-one interview between the guest and a student. After that, the floor is opened to questions from students in the audience. Following his participation, Ricketts joined the student body in the dining hall for lunch.

The "Imagine Yourself as a CEO" series is designed to further enrich the educational experience for Woodlands students by providing real life examples of successful leadership in business and beyond. The interactive presentations give students opportunities to ask questions and 'put themselves in the speakers' shoes' to encourage them to reach for the highest levels of leadership.

"If we are to empower girls to change the world, we must create opportunities for them to envision the many pathways their lives can take," says Head of School Meg Steele. "It is our hope that this series will help us accomplish that vital work."

Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It's part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy's identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org