“If you had 15 minutes alone with President Bush, what is the one critical issue you would bring to his attention?” Now, that might have been a dicey proposition for the POTUS if asked at a different D.C. venue today, but in the context of the ExecutiveBiz CIO Series Event held this morning at the WestWood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia, the question was a very good one.

The hypothetical was posed by the event’s moderator Barry West, Executive Vice President of SE Solutions. West asked the two featured speakers - Casey Coleman, CIO of the General Services Administration, and Venkatapathi (P.V.) Puvvada, VP and CTO of UNISYS - what critical Federal IT issue they would bring to the President’s attention if given 15 minutes of his time. Coleman deftly deferred to P.V., who said he would focus on the supply chain problem that exists in terms of available talent, and how there is a critical need to educate and attract highly-skilled IT workers.

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Six years ago, Joe Kelley, vice president of government and public affairs for Eli Lilly and Company, lost his wife Shelley to leukemia. Rather than let the disease have the last word, Kelley decided to carry on his wife’s fighting spirit. Since then, he’s worked tirelessly with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to raise funds to advance the mission of the organization. So, it was only natural that he also became involved with the Leukemia Ball, too. This year, Kelley is co-chairing the event — the largest non-political fundraiser in the DC area — to be held Saturday, March 29. He spoke with ExecutiveBiz about the ball, and the life-saving results of its efforts.

Tell me a little about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(LLS) and the Leukemia Ball.

Joe Kelley: LLS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. At the same time, we want to improve the lives of patients and their families. The Leukemia Ball is a black-tie gala presented by the National Capital Area Chapter to raise money and awareness for its mission.

The Leukemia Ball offers unique business networking opportunities, at the event and during the planning months. I am one of 20 business leaders who serve on the Leukemia Ball’s Co-chair Leadership Committee and one of more than 60 who serve on its executive committee.

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