Speakers

Althea Ricketts is Vice President, Corporate Initiatives, at Shure Incorporated, the world’s leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. She is responsible for working directly with the CEO / President on company-wide initiatives such as Sustainability, Inclusion Diversity Equity and Access, and Program Management. She joined Shure in 1992 and has held several positions in her 30+ years with the Company.

Althea has excelled in business process optimization and has been critical in all of the customer facing efficiency initiatives at Shure, during her long tenure. She was the lead resource for the original implementation of the secure Dealer Extranet, which allowed Shure’s US customers to have a self-serve option for the majority of their Customer Service, Sales, and Marketing needs. With the success in the US, this secure extranet was rolled out in our international offices. Althea was also a key leader in the Value Chain Stabilization project, that optimized Shure’s end-to-end Supply Chain. Althea is the subject matter expert for the Order to Cash process, and always has customers in mind when executing an initiative. With her experience in both the Domestic and International markets, Althea has a Global perspective that is well rounded. Althea has also led the creation of Shure’s Sustainability Strategy and continues to champion ways to have a positive impact on the environment. Althea leads a team of cross functional associates focused on Shure’s 4 pillars of Sustainability: Our Associates, Our Community, Our Products, and Our Environment. Althea spends quite a bit of time mentoring & volunteering and is a member of several boards. Althea sits on several panels and webinars, that speaks to her wide range, as a subject matter expert in DEI and sustainability.

Althea is on the Pro AV 2024 watch list, and was named Crain’s Chicago Business 2022 notable Executives of color in Manufacturing, Further details and acknowledgements can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/althearicketts/

Before joining Shure, Althea worked in the financial planning, entertainment, and manufacturing industries. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Grinnell College, an MBA, with honors, and a concentration in International Business, from Keller Graduate School of Management - DeVry University, and graduate level certification in DEI from Cornell University, and Sustainability & Well Being, from the University of Wisconsin- Greenbay.    

Born in Jamaica, Althea has one son, who played Division 1 lacrosse in college, and who now studying to be a Dr of Chiropractic Medicine. In her spare time, if she is not at a hockey or lacrosse game, you can find her travelling the world or spending time at her family cottage in Galena, IL.