Join us at the 2024 DOI Gala Event

EVENTS

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Friday, May 16, 2025

Degrees of Impact Gala 2025

Join us at Rockwell on the River to celebrate another year of OMD’s impact.. Hear from OMD Scholars and help us honor our supporters, partners, and community members like you.

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10.29.2024, 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. or 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Rock Your Profile with LinkedIn

At the Rock Your Profile session you will….

  • Learn and teach best practices for maximizing LinkedIn’s potential.
  • Discover how to use AI tools to craft compelling digital narratives.
  • Maintain a strong and consistent online presence.

This event is open to OMD Scholars, Alumni, and Apprentices and requires advanced registration.

 

Alumni and Apprentices, please register here.

 

OMD Scholars, learn more and register via the Scholar Community app or website.

Session 1: 10/30, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Session 2: 10/31, 12 – 1 p.m.

OMD Works: Resume Workshops

Join the OMD Workforce team for a resume best practices workshop. Two dates are available.

These workshops are open to OMD Scholars, Alumni, and Apprentices and require advance registration.

 

OMD Scholars, register via the Scholar Community app or website.

 

Alumni and Apprentices, please register here:

session 1
session 2

10.29.2024, 12 – 1:15 p.m.

10.29.2024, 12 – 1:15 p.m.

Rock Your Profile with LinkedIn

Learn tips, tricks, and best practices to make your LinkedIn profile stand out.

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05.17.2024

Degrees of Impact Gala 2024

Join us at Rockwell on the River to celebrate a year of building momentum. Hear from OMD Scholars and help us honor our supporters, partners, and community members like you. 

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22.03.2023

Degrees of Impact Gala 2023

Nearly 500 people came together to celebrate our scholar’s pathways to success and future vendors of OMD. Your belief in the power of our scholars and community college helped raise over $700,000!

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David Scherer

David Scherer, Treasurer

One Million Degrees Co-founder 

David is principal of Origin, co-chairs the Investment Committee, and oversees investment analysis, acquisition and asset management. He has more than 20 years of experience in real estate investing, finance, and asset management. In 2006, he co-founded One Million Degrees, which has raised $20 million to help low-income community college students graduate and successfully enter the workforce. David has served as the organization’s Board Chair for the past 12 years, as the organization has grown from 30 to 1,000 students served per year. He also serves as the President of the Harvard Club of Chicago and is on the Advisory Board of Invest for Kids.  

Rose Lizarraga

Rose Lizarraga

OMD CO-Founder & President & CEO, Lysa LLC

An award-winning documentary filmmaker and freelance writer, Rose’s career also includes 10 years spent developing new product and brand strategies as well as marketing and advertising campaigns at Leo Burnett, Foote, Cone & Belding, M&M/Mars and other small businesses.  More recently, she worked as a writer/editor for Modern Luxury Inc., publishers of magazines such as CS and Angeleno.  Rose graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with dual degrees in English and Political Science.  She is a founding member of the Daniel M. Kerrane, Jr. Foundation, former Board Vice President of the Fairy Godmother Foundation, and currently serves on the Chicago committee for Human Rights Watch.

Michael B Golden

Michael B. Golden

One Million Degrees Co-Founder 

A former national award-winning broadcast journalist, Michael Golden has also served as a political campaign manager and communications strategist for U.S. Presidential, Senate and Congressional races. Michael is a fellow at the British-American Project and the Open Society Institute. In 1999, Michael’s investigative and public affairs reporting for NBC earned him honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the AP, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 2011, Michael co-founded Newsbound, Inc., a media and software company based in San Francisco, CA. He is also a co-founder of the Complete the Degree back-to-college initiative in Chicago, Illinois. Michael serves on the board of the ADL and on the governing board of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, as well as the Illinois Commission to Eliminate Poverty. He received his B.A. from Indiana University, and his M.S. in Public Services Management from DePaul University.