By Allison Massey

Have you lost track of your dreams? Let the DePaul MBA Association guide you back to inspiration with their highly successful Storytellers series.

Drawing Chicago’s top business leaders, the series boasts an impressive list of former presenters including Mesirow Financial CEO James Tyree and Chicago White Sox CMO Brooks Boyer. Beyond the talent it attracts, Storytellers is truly special because of the rare glimpse it provides into these leaders’ careers as they generously share their personal and professional climb to the top of the corporate ladder. You may be surprised to see a piece of yourself, your life and your struggle in their inspiring story.

“Storytellers events provide DePaul students with the chance to relate to successful people in a variety of industries,” said 2009-2010 DePaul MBA Association President Michael Boyer. “These events give a human face to powerful people. These people got to power through community, through philanthropy, through giving and through leveraging their networks. All of these things embody what the DePaul MBA Association is all about.”

In keeping with the tradition of hosting esteemed Chicago leaders, the DePaul MBA Association in conjunction with the DePaul Graduate Entrepreneurs Organization, will present Jon Brorson, founder of AgraShares, on Wednesday, February 3 at 5:30 p.m. on the 11th floor of the DePaul Center. Register today! Please save the date and join us for another can’t miss Storyteller event.

The following are just a few examples of the many stories told by speakers at the DePaul MBA Association Storytellers series.

The seventh sibling of a poor family from Chicago’s south side, James Tyree began battling diabetes at the age of 24. Throughout his adulthood, the disease left him nearly blind, in a month-long comma, and on the operating table for radical surgery to replace his failing kidneys and his pancreas. In spite of his personal struggles, he became President of Mesirow Financial at the astonishingly young age of 32. James Tyree continued his upward climb and is now Mesirow Financial’s CEO.

Self-proclaimed “typical jock,” Brooks Boyer grew up a natural athlete. Star of his high school basketball team, he went on to don a jersey for Notre Dame. Off the court, Brooks Boyer had to work his way to the top, beginning his career as an unpaid intern. Undeterred, he gained 10 years of invaluable marketing experience working for the Chicago Bulls and in 2001 he graduated from DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. Hard work, natural smarts and determination paid off for Brooks Boyer, who served as the Chief Marketing Officer of the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox, a position he holds today.