As part of the second annual Phil’s Day, University of Iowa alumna Janice Ellig (1968 B.B.A.) will present a guest lecture, "Life with Phil," at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber.

Named by Business Week as one of “The World’s Most Influential Headhunters,” Ellig is co-CEO of Chadick Ellig. Her search practice focuses on recruitment of board directors, C-suite executives, and divisional heads.

Ellig's 20-year corporate experience includes Pfizer, Citibank, and Ambac Financial Group, which she helped take public after a spin-off from Citibank in 1991. As a member of Ambac’s executive committee, she was responsible for marketing, human resources, and administration.

Ellig has co-authored two books: Driving The Career Highway, 20 Road Signs You Can’t Afford To Miss (2007) and What Every Successful Woman Knows: 12 Breakthrough Strategies to Get the Power and Ignite Your Career (2001), acknowledged by Business Week as “the best of its genre.” She's also co-authored two articles for Directors & Boards, “Boardroom Parity in the U.S. by 2022” and “Getting from a Good to a Great Board;” published articles for Forbes.com, "How to Add More Women To Corporate Boards"and "How To Fix Corporate Boards”; and for Directorship, "It Is About Time" and "Put Some Teeth Into Those Rules," among other publications.

In 2010, Ellig appeared on CNBC’s The Strategy Session to discuss how to build a stronger board and market trends. She is a frequent speaker at symposiums on women’s initiatives and career management issues, has appeared on network television, and been quoted extensively. For the past four years, she has moderated a panel at the University of Wisconsin’s Directors' Institute on building stronger corporate boards.

Ellig was a 2013 recipient of the University of Iowa Hancher-Finkbine Medallion, and in 2011 received a UI Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2008 she received the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) Eleanor Raynolds Award for Volunteerism. Recognized as one of 2007’s “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews, she was also a recipient of the Channel 21 Award In Excellence for her contribution to excellence in economic development for women.”

Ellig is a board director of the National YMCA and past chair of the YMCA Board of Greater New York; Trustee of the Actors Fund; board director/executive committee, University of Iowa Foundation; Women’s Forum of New York immediate past president and current chair of the Corporate Board Initiative; Simmons College School of Management Advisory Board; business committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Economic Club of NY. A native New Yorker, she resides in New York City with her husband, Bruce Ellig.

Phil’s Day is a part of the University of Iowa Foundation’s Student Philanthropy Initiative (SPI). Phil—short for philanthropy—is a nickname given to represent all those who donate to the university, as well as those who benefit from private giving.

Launched in 2007, the Student Philanthropy Initiative is as an important part of what UI Foundation President and CEO Lynette Marshall calls “building a culture of philanthropy” at the University of Iowa. The purpose is to build awareness among students about the importance of private support in enhancing their educational experience at Iowa, and to actively engage current UI students in all aspects of philanthropy.

For more information on Phil’s Day, and a complete schedule of the day’s events, visit www.uifoundation.org/PhilsDay.