“Every day is a small business day,” said Karen Mills, a senior fellow at Harvard Business School, in her introduction to “A Conversation with Ken Chenault and Jack Ma” on Wednesday, June 10 at Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago.

Mr. Ma is the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, an infrastructure-building company working with small businesses. In describing his journey to founding Alibaba in 1999, this former English teacher in China explained his perseverance in the face of rejection and dedication to the vision of working with small businesses.

“Small business owners have deep passion for what they do,” he said. “When I look at the eyes of entrepreneurs, I see fire.”

On Wednesday, May 6, I joined fellow Harvard alumni at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago for an evening with Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust that included an interactive discussion called “Mapping Opportunity and the Capacity for Change.”

Sometimes we look at people who are extremely successful and think that everything they do must turn to gold. We can’t picture them making mistakes.

I enjoyed hearing Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, address The Economic Club of Chicago at a black-tie dinner on Tuesday, April 14, at the Hilton on South Michigan. He told us about the creative process at Disney and the importance of branding as we move forward in a changing world. Mr. Iger also spoke about learning from mistakes, both as individuals and as companies. 

Earlier this month, I got the chance to participate in an event I’d looked forward to attending for many years – the Petroushka Ball at the Plaza in New York City. The evening surpassed my expectations for enjoyment, fellowship and stunning elegance, and I’m so glad my schedule finally allowed me to attend.

On Saturday, January 24, I drove to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the very great pleasure of hearing the Mariinsky Orchestra in concert at University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium, presented by the University Musical Society (UMS). 

Celebrating with Bob Dold and his family and friends after his January inauguration in Washington, D.C., I was struck by the way events evolve in our lives, and by the impact we can have when we get involved.