Maureen Lucas, founding president of the LucasWorks human resources consulting firm, will join City of Windsor chief administrative officer Helga Reidel today for a Toast to Opportunities in Windsor.

The free public wine and cheese reception runs 4:15 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, at the Downtown Accelerator, 720 Ouellette Avenue.

Guest speaker Lucas received the 2011 Athena Award from the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her business and professional excellence, community service, and mentoring to encourage women. She was named one of Canada’s top 100 women entrepreneurs by Profit magazine, which also recognized LucasWorks as one of the country’s fastest-growing companies.

UWindsor grad Helga Reidel (BComm 1982, B.Ed 1993) is a lifelong resident of Windsor-Essex. She took the reins as the city’s top bureaucrat in 2009. She has held a number of management positions with the city government, as well as serving as manager of financial services for Hiram Walker and Sons, controller of the Greater Essex County District School Board, and vice-president finance of the Windsor Family Credit Union.

Today’s reception is sponsored by the Centre for Enterprise and Law and the Odette Women in Management Association. If you wish to attend, RSVP to Nicole Sleiman at nsleiman@uwindsor.ca.