MEDIA RELEASES

Jessica Mackinnon

jmack@dom.edu

(708) 524-6289

Dominican University’s Brennan School of Business will present on Tuesday, January 22 a lecture on “Social Entrepreneurship: One Man’s Journey” by Thomas M. Owens, founder of The Cara Program. The lecture will be presented at 7:00 p.m. in Blum Lecture Hall of Parmer Hall, 7900 W. Division Street, River Forest.

Owens founded The Cara Program in 1991 under the auspices of his Owens Foundation in an effort to combat homelessness in the Chicago area. The nationally recognized program provides comprehensive job training, life skills classes, substance abuse counseling, housing referrals and employment opportunities for homeless, at-risk and recently incarcerated individuals. Since its inception, The Cara Program has helped more than 5,000 formerly homeless Chicago individuals change their lives for the better.

A successful entrepreneur in the 1970s and 1980s, Owens orchestrated the expansion of XL/Datacomp, Inc. from a “kitchen table” operation into a company listed on the NASDAQ with revenues of $500 million and offices in 80 locations worldwide. After retiring in the 1990s, he directed his considerable energy and financial resources to founding The Cara Program. In addition, his Owens Foundation joined forces in 2004 with the Emergency Fund of Chicago to provide discretionary funding to help families cover the costs of rent and utilities. The foundation also awards private high school scholarships to financially disadvantaged, highly motivated children.

Owens will discuss his career as a philanthropist and entrepreneur during this free program. For more information, contact Dominican University’s Brennan School of Business at (708) 524-6810.

Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In the 2008 issue of America’s Best Colleges, U.S. News & World Report ranked Dominican University in the top tier of Midwest master’s level universities and as a best value for the tenth consecutive year.