Daily News

Business Expo Luncheon Speaker Announced

SPRINGFIELD — The Women’s Professional Chamber of Commerce has announced that Patricia Diaz Dennis, retired senior vice president and assistant general counsel for AT&T and commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission during the Reagan administration, has been confirmed as the luncheon speaker for the fourth annual Western Mass. Business Expo, set for Oct. 29 at the MassMutual Center.

Dennis, a member of the board of directors at MassMutual, is a highly sought-after speaker, whose broad résumé also includes service on the National Labor Relations Board, a stint as assistant secretary of State for human rights and humanitarian affairs, a three-year term as chair of the Girl Scouts of America, and a lengthy stint on the Texas State University System Board of Regents.

At AT&T, from which she retired in 2008, she was responsible for corporate litigation, procurement, corporate real estate, environmental corporate compliance, IT, and trademark and copyright legal matters. Before joining AT&T in 1995, Dennis was special counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell for communications matters in the international law firm’s Washington, D.C. office. From 1989 to 1991, she was a partner and head of the communications section of the Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue law firm.

The Western Mass. Business Expo, presented by BusinessWest, will feature more than 150 exhibitors and a number of informative programs. The slate of speakers and programs is being finalized, with more information to be released in the weeks to come. For more information on the event, visit www.businesswest.com or www.wmbexpo.com.