2024 Year in Review
Welcome to our 2023-2024 Year in Review! The Chicago Network
continues to thrive as we elevate our members and their communities
through fostering our purpose, mission, values, and vision. We have
much to celebrate as we reflect on our accomplishments this past
year.
The Chicago Network's commitment to achieving gender equity remains
fundamental to everything we do. Our initiative to increase the
number of women on for-profit boards is thriving with more board
placements, an expanded number of qualified candidates, increased
visibility and recognition as a go-to organization for qualified
candidates, new partnerships that boost our reach, robust
programming, and enhancements to our womenlead.io database. The
Launchpad Women’s Leadership Summit exemplifies our dedication to
advancing women in senior leadership roles. It provides high
potential women tailored professional growth experiences and
facilitates peer connections across diverse industries.
Our members are our lifeline and what makes us an exceptional
organization. We listen to them, assist them in achieving their
goals, support their personal growth, and are grateful for them.
With Excitement and Optimism for Our Future,
Suzet McKinney
Chair
Deb Boyda
Vice Chair
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Purpose: |
To empower women to lead |
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Mission: |
Connect with each other for personal and
professional growth |
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Vision: |
Gender Equity for Women of All Colors. At All Levels. Everywhere. |
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Values: |
Empathy: We meet women where they are |
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32Fortune 500 C-Suite Executives
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2.8TPublicly held member companies represent more than $2.8 Trillion in Market Cap
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4.8MMember companies employ more than 4.8 million people
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6Current and Former Fortune 500 CEOs
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47%Crain's Women of Note
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16%Crain's Power 25 Chicagoans
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9University Presidents
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19Arts and Culture Trailblazers
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54Corporate C-Suite Executives
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49CEOs and Entrepreneurs of Mid-Size Companies
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50+Corporate Directors
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9Government Leaders
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10Healthcare Industry Executives
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29Higher Education Institution Leaders
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42Non-Profit Trailblazers
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27Media and Communications Executives
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41Law Industry Leaders
Erin Amico
President and CEO,
The Chicago Academy of Sciences and
its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Rachel Bishop
President, Tableware Business Unit,
Reynolds Consumer
Products
Kristyn Cook
Executive Vice President and Chief Agency, Sales and
Marketing Officer,
State Farm Insurance
Christine DeBiase
Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary,
Allstate
Karen DeToro
President, Worksite Division,
CNO Financial Group
Casey Foss
Chief Commercial Officer,
West Monroe
Carolyn Goldhaber
President,
CI Segall Bryant & Hamill Asset
Management
Kelly Graves
CEO,
FCB Chicago
Francia E. Harrington
Senior Advisor,
Open Door Advisors Philanthropy
Darlene Hightower
Former President and CEO,
Metropolitan Planning
Council
Tanya Jaeger de Foras
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Corporate
Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer,
Ingredion
Incorporated
Laura Jozwiak
Chief Client Officer,
Wheels
Susan King
Principal, Housing and Community Sector Leader,
HED
Julieta LaMalfa
Chief Financial Officer,
Canela Media
Norah Larke
EVP, Chief HR Officer,
Wintrust Financial
Connie Lindsey
Former Executive Vice President-Retired,
Northern
Trust
Beth Marrion
Senior Managing Director, Chicago Office Managing Director,
Accenture
Coco Meers
CEO & Co-Founder,
Equilibria
Hope Mehlman
Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary,
Discover Financial Services
Melissa Merrick
President & CEO,
Prevent Child Abuse America
Marie Lynn Miranda
Chancellor and Professor of Pediatrics,
University of
Illinois Chicago
Lauren Patnaude
Partner,
BDT & MSD Partners
Alyssa D. Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer,
Freeman's | Hindman
Nadia Rawlinson
Co-Owner and Operating Chairman,
WNBA Chicago Sky
Franchise
Jamie Rhee
Commissioner,
Chicago Department of Aviation
Nicole Robinson
Chief Executive Officer,
YWCA Metropolitan
Chicago
Andrea Sáenz
President and CEO,
The Chicago Community Trust
Mary Smith
President, American Bar Association
Vice Chair, Veng
Group
Mariana Souto-Manning
President,
Erikson Institute
Alex Taylor
Executive Vice President | Chief Human Resources Officer,
Northern Trust
Elizabeth Thompson
CEO,
The Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education
Group (The CAFE Group)
Laura Thonn
Office Managing Partner,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP
Sheryl Van Anne
Vice President & General Manager,
M. A. Mortenson
Company
Lisa Wagamon
President,
Rush Health
Melissa Y. Washington
SVP, Customer Operations, Chief Customer Officer,
ComEd
Ann Marie Wright
U.S. Chief Risk Officer,
BMO Financial
Corporation
Chiara Wrocinski
Chief Administrative Officer,
Kirkland & Ellis
LLP
Chair
Suzet McKinney
Principal and Director of Life Sciences
Sterling Bay
Vice Chair / Chair-Elect
Deb Boyda
Former CEO, Dentsu International Network
Corporate Board Director
Secretary-Treasurer
Tracey Benford
Retired Partner
Goldman Sachs
Immediate Past Chair
Linda Imonti
Senior Advisor, Virtas Partners
Former National Ignition Leader and Chicago Office Managing
Principal, KPMG
Barbra Bukovac
Partner/Vice Chairman - Consumer Markets
PwC
Christina Corley
Chief Commercial and Operating Officer
CDW
Marsha Cruzan
Regional President
U.S. Bank
Francesca DeBiase
Board Director,
Sysco Corp and Norfolk Southern Corp
Sidney Dillard
Partner and Head of Corporate Investment Banking
Loop Capital Markets
Janet Foutty
Former Executive Chair of the Board
Deloitte U.S.
Yonhee Choi Gordon
Principal, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Marketing Officer
JMG Financial Group
Sara Greenstein
CEO
Axel Johnson Inc.
Patricia Brown Holmes
Managing Partner
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP
Susan Jacobs
Senior Vice President Sales, City Brands
Crain Communications
Beth Kirk Malecki
Senior Partner, US Central Zone Leader
Mercer
Aurelie Richard
Chief Finance Administration and Strategy Officer
S&C Electric Company
Joyce St. Clair
Former Chief Human Resource Officer
The Northern Trust
Celena Sarillo
CEO
American Red Cross of Illinois
Julie Scott
President, CEO and Founder
CTS Impact
Zaldwaynaka (“Z”) Scott
President
Chicago State University
Dana Mara Thompson, MD, MS, MBA, FACS
Division Head, Otolaryngology, Vice Chair of Ambulatory Practice,
Pediatric Surgery
Lurie Children’s Hospital
Sona Wang
Co-Founder
Randolph Entertainment, LLC
At The Chicago Network, we pride ourselves on the variety, exclusivity, and quality of our programming. Our best-in-class programs give members an inside look at some of our cities most respected institutions, opportunities to network with other women of their caliber, and educational and professional development opportunities targeted towards women at the highest levels of their organizations. We are delighted to report that members rate TCN programming 4.9/5 on average.
Executive Committee
Suzet McKinney, Chair
Deb Boyda, Vice Chair
Linda Imonti, Immediate Past Chair/Nominating Committee Chair
Tracey Benford, Treasurer
Denise Singleton
Finance and Audit Committee
Tracey Benford, Chair
Deb Boyda
Sidney Dillard
Geraldine Keefe
Roxanne Martino
Suzet McKinney
Governance Committee
Marsha Cruzan, Chair
Christina Corley
Patricia Holmes
Grace Hou
Membership Committee
Janet Foutty, Chair
Jean Franczyk, Chair, Arts & Culture Subcommittee
Natasha Galavotti, Chair, Corporate Subcommittee
Mary Josephs, Chair, Financial Services Subcommittee
Z. Scott, Chair, Government Subcommittee
Verneda Bachus, Chair, Health, Science & Medicine Subcommittee
Susan Poser, Chair, Higher Education Subcommittee
Cathy Birkeland, Chair, Law Subcommittee
Alison Scholly, Chair, Media & Communications Subcommittee
Erin Inman, Chair, Mid-Size Private Companies Subcommittee
Jane Mentzinger, Chair, Nonprofit Subcommittee
Kathy Scherer, Chair, Professional Services & Associations
Subcommittee
Communications Committee
Susan Jacobs, Chair
Gayla Brockman
Kathleen Carroll
Yvonne Franzese
Stephanie Hickman
Lindsay Jenkins
Kary McIlwain
Diane Pearse
Michelle Russell
Mary Lee Schneider
Jill Smart
Maxine Winer
Emerita Committee
Anna Rappaport, Chair
Barbara Provus
Libbet Richter
Wilma Smelcer
Toni Smith
Launchpad Committee
Yonhee Gordon, Chair
Aarti Dhupelia
Karyn Esken
Karyn Esken
Susan Gallagher
Stephanie Hickman
Teresa Harmon
Laurie Joyner
Rebekah Kohmescher
Tracie Morris
Anna Paglia
Maria Pesqueira
Aurelie Richard
Heather Russell
Kathy Scherer
Kim Taylor
Programs & Engagement Committee
Barbra Bukovac, Chair
Linda Coberly
Elizabeth Coolidge
Angelique David
Karyn Esken
Brooke Flanagan
Sarah Guernsey
Erin Inman
Cathy Kenworthy
Pamela Forbes Lieberman
Katie Lawler
Jill Nicholson
Mary Lee Schneider
Jill Smart
Susan Stelter
Anna Valencia
Carole Wood
Kathleen Yosko
Sona Wang
Women in the Forefront Luncheon Committee
Francesca DeBiase, Co-Chair
Julie Scott, Co-Chair
Kimberly Chainey
Paulita Pike
Jill Smart
Mary Lee Schneider
Karen Teitelbaum
Joyce St. Clair
Kathleen Yosko
Yasmine Winkler
Women on Boards Committee
Sara Greenstein, Chair
Deb Boyda
Tierney Remick
Suzanne Burns
Margo Cook
Katie Doyle
Chris Edwards
Mary Josephs
Blythe McGarvie
Terri McNally
Suzet McKinney
Lauren Patnaude
Alison Ranney
Denise Singleton
Anna May Trala
Yasmine Winkler
Ann Ziegler
Arts & Culture Membership Subcommittee
Jean Franczyk, Chair
Susan Abrams
Sarah Guernsey
Perri Imer
Megan Ross
Corporate Membership Subcommittee
Natasha Galavotti, Chair
Lucy Brady
Sue Bettman
Vicki Dudley
Therese Fauerbach
Natasha Galavotti
Susan Gallagher
Laura Gurski
Beth Kirk Malecki
Terri McNally
Laurie O’Shea
Katie Rooney
Kathy Seegebrecht
Wanji Walcott
Maryann Waryjas
Yasmine Winkler
Financial Services Membership Subcommittee
Mary Josephs, Chair
Elizabeth Browne
Sidney Dillard
Anna May Trala
Beth Karlson
Julie Vander Weele
Rebekah Kohmescher
Roxanne Martino
Joyce St. Clair
Patrice DeCorrevont
Government Membership Subcommittee
Z. Scott, Chair
Melissa Bean
Kim Foxx
Janice Jackson
Robin Kelly
Juliana Stratton
Anna Valencia
Health, Science & Medicine Subcommittee
Verneda Bachus, Chair
Jan Berger
Deborah Bowen
Cheryl Lulias
Michelle Stephenson
Dana Thompson
Brenda Wolf
Kathleen Yosko
Higher Education Membership Subcommittee
Susan Poser, Chair
Beth Harris
Elaine Maimon
Stephanie Marshall
Marilyn McCoy
Jennifer Rosato Perea
Rebecca Rugg
Elissa Tenny
Law Membership Subcommittee
Cathy Birkeland, Chair
Aurora Austriaco
Rebecca Bacon
Mary Clare Bonaccorsi
Linda Coberly
Christine Edwards
Jeanne Gills
Mary Ann Hynes
Devi Koya
Cathy O’Kelly
Joan Lefkow
Terri Mascherin
Maura Ann McBreen
Mary Meg McCarthy
Britt Miller
Jill Nicholson
Jennifer Nijman
Kristen Prinz
Tina Tabacchi
Mary Wilson
Media & Communications Membership Subcommittee
Alison Scholly, Chair
Tracy Baim
Tracy Brown
Karyn Esken
E.T. Franklin
Cari Bucci-Hulings
Susan Jacobs
Renetta McCann
Sandra Micek
Nancy Ruscheinski
Edna Uribe
Maxine Winer
Mid-Size Private Companies Membership Subcommittee
Erin Iman, Chair
Caroline Becker Joss
Rona Borre
Eileen Chin
Alison Gutterman
Stephanie Hickman
Julie Scott
Cheryl Lulias
Linda Maclachlan
Laura Neiman
Ellen Rudnick
Donna Williamson
Nonprofit Membership Subcommittee
Jane Mentzinger, Chair
Heather Anichini
MarySue Barrett
Felicia Blakely
Gillian Darlow
Sol Flores
Alison Ranney
Celena Sarillo
Rebekah Scheinfeld
Karen Tamley
Brooke Wiseman
Carole Wood
Professional Services & Associations Membership
Subcommittee
Kathy Scherer, Chair
Gina Berndt
Gila Bronner
Donni Case
Lisa Johnson
Jackie Koo
Christine Laurens
Sharon Lindstrom
Clare Metcalf
Sheila O’Grady
Mary Lee Schneider
Jill Smart
Maria Doughty
President and CEO
312 787 1990
Ellen S. Feinberg
Executive Coordinator/Director of Operations
312 787 1979
Lora Joffe
Director of Programs and Member Experience
312 787 1994
Nathan Upchurch
Director of Design and Innovation
312 787 7936