Laurie Elish-Piper, Ph.D. serves as the Executive Vice President and Provost of Northern Illinois University (NIU). In this role, her work focuses on student experience and success, academic innovation and efficiency, adult learner and transfer...

Kate Lipuma joined Writers Theatre as Executive Director in 2007, where she serves as producer, overseeing all management, administration, and operations for the company. She led the fundraising, planning and construction of Writers Theatre’s new...

Wendy Davidson is a global executive, board director, and angel investor with over 25 years of leadership in the consumer goods industry. Most recently CEO and Board Director of The Hain Celestial Group (a $1.7B...

Karina Ayala-Bermejo has served as President and CEO of Instituto del Progresso Latino (Instituto), a leading community-based organization that provides education and social and legal services for nearly 8 years. She has 35 years of combined professional...

Michelle leads the People and Organization practice for North America and is a leader of the global Women@BCG team. Michelle is a core member of BCG’s healthcare practice and previously led BCG’s Great Lakes &...

Anna Valencia was first sworn-in as City Clerk of Chicago on January 25, 2017 overseeing one of the largest offices in the City serving 1.2 million Chicagoans and generating more than $130 million annually. As...

Sujata K is a seasoned leader with over twenty years of nonprofit experience, dedicated to enhancing the impact of philanthropy for foundations and social change organizations. Her career is marked by a commitment to addressing...

Kate Maehr was appointed chief executive officer of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the food bank that serves Cook County, Illinois, in 2006. Since her appointment, the Food Depository has increased the annual distribution of...

With more than 30 years of local/national broadcast journalism experience, Sally Ramirez returned to Chicago in 2023 to restructure and lead the newsrooms at two of Chicago’s most prestigious media properties: NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV)...

Utopia Hill is the Chief Executive Officer at Reactivate. Utopia provides leadership and strategic direction to a diverse, rapidly growing, innovative team. In her role, she manages and fosters relationships with industry partners, businesses, and...