Katie Spring is U.S. President of Edelman Smithfield and leads a national team of nearly 200 communication professionals. Working closely with C-suites, Boards of Directors, and external advisors, Katie counsels clients facing transformative events, including...

JUSTICE CELIA GAMRATH Illinois Appellate Court Judicial Experience: In 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Celia Gamrath to the Circuit Court of Cook County. She was elected by voters in 2012 to the Circuit Court....

Mary Rose Alexander, Managing Partner of the firm’s Chicago office, represents Fortune 500 companies in their highest-stakes litigation and trials, often in the most hostile jurisdictions in the US. Profile A nationally recognized trial lawyer,...

W. Brooke Elliott Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business and Dean Gies College of Business University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Brooke Elliott is the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business and Dean of Gies...

Beth Satterfield is a financial industry leader with over 35 years of banking, private equity, and investment management experience. She joined William Blair in 2015 as managing director and head of market development in the...

President & CEO, First Women’s Bank, a women founded, owned, and led bank and the only bank ever formed to strategically serve the women’s economy and close the gender lending gap nationally. Previously, Markowitz served...

Constance Freedman is the Founder and Managing Partner of Moderne Ventures and the Moderne Passport, a multi-stage investment fund and industry immersion program. Freedman invests in transformative technologies like Enterprise SaaS, AI, Robotics, Deep Tech,...

Dynamic and accomplished C-suite executive with extensive experience in corporate governance, legal strategy, IT & cybersecurity, human resources, and mergers & acquisitions. A trusted advisor to executive leadership and board members, with a proven track...

Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell- is the Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Linda-Denise ascended to this role in 2021, after an extraordinary career as a professional dance artist and educator. Ms. Fisher-Harrell is the first alumni...

Carole is the Head of U.S. Deal Advisory & Strategy and Americas Regional Head of Deal Advisory at KPMG LLP. She leads the firm’s extensive network of consultants as they take clients through the M&A...