The Seventh Annual Summit on Regional Competitiveness

Vanessa Allen-McCloud loves education and is a tenacious community leader. Her tenacity is evidenced by the fact that after high school, she began taking college classes in the evening while working full-time and raising two daughters. Over the next ten years, despite the challenges of parenting, full-time work, and dedicated service to her church and community, she excelled in education and earned an Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Education, and, ultimately, her Doctorate of Educational Leadership in November 2013.

Allen-McCloud is an exceptional administrator who has proven success in a variety of professional positions along the full spectrum of education, including university teaching, coaching, and consulting. Her most prolific professional experience began ten years ago in 2010, when she was appointed president and CEO of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana. Under her leadership, the Urban League of Northwest Indiana has grown in reputation, scope, and service to the community. It has become one of the most highly recognized not-for-profit organizations serving citizens in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties. Allen-McCloud also boasts the establishment of one of the most diverse and successful boards of directors in the region: Four university chancellors, three bank executives, area school corporation administrators, and numerous top regional corporation executives are all seated on the current Urban League board.

Allen-McCloud is a certified Civility in the Workplace and Cultural Competence Civility trainer in great demand to provide professional development training workshops, and she often serves as a keynote speaker. She has received a vast number of prestigious awards for her work in the community and serves on several local and national boards, that is, the Ivy Tech of Lake County Board of Trustees, Horizon Bank Diversity Council, United Negro College Fund NWI Council, IUN Board of Advisory, and the National Council of Negro Women. She is also an NAACP lifetime member and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.

Dennis Alvord serves as the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) deputy assistant secretary for economic development and chief operating officer, and is responsible for enterprise-wide operations and program execution. He concurrently performed the duties of the assistant secretary and the deputy assistant secretary of economic development and regional affairs from April 2017 through March 2019.

Active in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Alvord was elected as co-chair of the Department Management Council, composed of senior executives from all of the Commerce Department’s principal operating units. Previously, as senior advisor to the deputy secretary, he worked on a broad portfolio of department-wide management, operations, program, and policy issues and co-chaired the Commerce Department’s 2016–17 presidential transition, coordinating efforts across the department and with the White House and President-Elect’s transition team.

Preceding his senior advisor role, Alvord led start-ups as executive director of BusinessUSA, a government-wide, multiagency customer service initiative that promoted and improved access to business assistance resources, and as executive director of the Commerce Department’s CommerceConnect initiative, which simplified access to the department’s business solutions.

Before joining the federal government, Alvord worked as a manager in the infrastructure finance group of an environmental and transportation consulting practice. He holds a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the State University of New York College at Cortland. Alvord is a recipient of the 2015 President’s Award for Customer Service.

David Anderson is the program manager for Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS), part of the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office. Anderson oversees the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) $45-million-per-year mobility research portfolio. He leads a team responsible for evaluating the energy and mobility outcomes that may result from disruptive transportation technologies, such as connected and automated vehicles, shared mobility, and advanced powertrains. The EEMS program’s research is focused on identifying and developing solutions that support an increase in mobility energy productivity—improving the efficiency, the affordability, and the accessibility of the transportation system. Anderson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from Clemson University and a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University. After spending more than 13 years in the semiconductor industry, he joined DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office in 2009, and has since led numerous research programs focused on improving vehicle and transportation system efficiency.

Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee, grew up on the city’s West Side. After earning his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he committed himself fully to a career in public service. Prior to becoming the mayor, Barrett served as a member of both the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate. He also completed five terms representing Milwaukee in the U.S. Congress.

Barrett’s dedicated leadership helped him earn widespread support from constituents. On April 6, 2004, Milwaukee elected him as its 40th mayor. Barrett was reelected in 2008, 2012, and 2016.

As Milwaukee’s chief executive, Barrett utilizes careful planning, practical investing, and innovative programming to strengthen Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. Barrett has been instrumental in the successes of reimagining former industrial sites, navigating the local impact of national housing issues, and promoting unprecedented growth in Milwaukee’s city center.

Barrett focuses on improving the health of the city by reducing both infant mortality and teen pregnancy. He recognizes the value of creating local, family-supporting jobs, and his workforce initiatives have provided job opportunities for Milwaukee’s young people. Through the creation of the EARN & LEARN Program, Barrett has placed more than 36,000 students in summer jobs.

Barrett is recognized as a national leader on the topics of stormwater mitigation, sustainable manufacturing, and urban agriculture. He continually celebrates Milwaukee’s greatest natural resource—Lake Michigan. His vision for a more sustainable city is implemented by Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office, which advances cost-effective sustainability practices that meet the city’s environmental, economic, and social needs while enhancing economic growth.

Barrett has advocated for modern public transit, acting as a driving force behind the Milwaukee streetcar. He prioritizes safety in Milwaukee neighborhoods through increased public safety services, gang and illegal gun targeting, and neighborhood organization partnerships. Barrett is also a founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Susan Brehm is the regional director for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) in the Chicago region. She leads a team of economic development professionals in developing and managing the agency’s investments to support the creation of higher-skill, higher-wage jobs, and to encourage private investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Brehm joined EDA in 2013 as regional counsel in Chicago and previously was an associate with the law firm Sidley Austin, where she advised large institutional nonprofit organizations on real property matters and litigated complex class actions.

Brehm earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She grew up on a small diversified farm in northeastern Iowa and currently lives in the heart of Chicago. These divergent life experiences give her a balanced perspective on the rural and urban economic development challenges that EDA seeks to address.

As deputy regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Midwest Regional Office, James Cunningham is responsible for coordinating the delivery of HUD programs in Region V’s six states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. He oversees the operations of seven HUD field offices throughout the region managing White House initiatives, Secretarial priorities, and achievement of HUD agency priority goals.

Cunningham has been with the Department for 29 years in various capacities in both the headquarters and the field. Cunningham started his HUD career as a Presidential Management Intern in HUD headquarters in the Community Development Block Grant Program. He has also worked in three field offices and was the field office director for the Cincinnati HUD Office 14 years. Prior to coming to HUD, Cunningham worked at the Chrysler Motors Corporation as a management trainee in his hometown of Belvidere, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois and a master’s in public administration from the American University.

Richard Edelman is the CEO of Edelman, a global communications firm.

The firm was named to Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List and was honored as “PR Agency of the Decade” by both Advertising Age and The Holmes Report.

Richard has extensive experience in marketing and reputation management, having led assignments with major corporations, NGOs and family businesses in over 25 industries around the world. He has counseled countries in every region of the world on economic development programs. As the creator of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, Richard has become one of the foremost authorities on trust in business, government, media and NGOs.

In 2020, Richard was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was named the PR Agency Professional of the Past 20 Years by PRWeek and was inducted into the publication’s Hall of Fame; in 2014, he was inducted in the Arthur W. Page Society’s Hall of Fame. Richard is regarded as an industry thought leader and has posted weekly to his blog since 2004.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Ad Council, the Atlantic Council, the Gettysburg Foundation, the 9/11 Museum and the National Committee on US China Relations. He is a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, World Economic Forum and PR Seminar.

Richard earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1978 and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1976.

Charles L. Evans has served as president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago since September 2007. In that capacity, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve System’s monetary policymaking body.

Before becoming president in September of 2007, Evans served as director of research and senior vice president, supervising the Bank’s research on monetary policy, banking, financial markets, and regional economic conditions.

His personal research has focused on measuring the effects of monetary policy on U.S. economic activity, inflation, and financial market prices and has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Evans is active in the civic community. He is a trustee at Rush University Medical Center, a director of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a governing board member of Econ Illinois, a member of the Economic Club of Chicago board of directors, and a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and Civic Consulting Alliance board.

Evans has taught at the University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and University of South Carolina. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in economics from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

As managing director of the Corporate Coalition, Brian Fabes is leading a collaborative of more than 30 Chicago companies committed to using their assets, capabilities, and employees to address significant economic inequities in the region. Among other initiatives, participants in the coalition are developing new ways to invest in the South and West Sides of Chicago to support employees who deal with trauma in their lives and to increase the diversity of professional service firms in the region. Fabes is also a senior fellow with NORC at the University of Chicago and the executive in residence at the Booth School of Business and Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

For the previous 15 years, Fabes served as chief executive officer of Civic Consulting Alliance (CCA), where he built an organization that forged citywide collaborations with more than 300 organizations. Together with governors, mayors, county presidents, and leaders of most major public sector institutions, Civic Consulting Alliance invested more than $125 million of pro bono services to address the region’s biggest challenges and capture some of its most exciting opportunities over the past decade and a half.

Before joining CCA, Fabes was senior vice president at National Louis University (NLU), where he was responsible for defining future directions for the institution, including negotiations with for-profit and not-for-profit merger partners. Prior to this, he was acting provost and vice president for planning at National Louis. Fabes came to NLU from McKinsey & Company, where he co-led the formation and growth of the North American product development practice and was a leader in Chicago’s health care practice. Fabes was also active in bringing the resources of the firm to government and not-for-profit organizations on a pro bono basis.

Fabes began his career as an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Arizona, where he was promoted to associate professor, with tenure, in 1993. He was nominated for the university-wide Five Star Faculty Teaching Award in 1990 and awarded the university-wide Burlington Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1993. Fabes earned a BS and PhD in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Beth Ford serves as president and CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc., a Fortune 200 food production and agribusiness company that is also a nearly 100-year-old, farmer-owned cooperative. Ford’s 34-year career spans six industries at seven companies. Since joining Land O’Lakes in 2011, she has held a variety of roles leading the farmer-to-fork business offerings. Today she is a passionate advocate on behalf of farmers and rural America with the goal of connecting people, particularly in urban areas, to the farmers and rural communities who grow their food.

A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Ford holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Columbia University Business School. She also sits on the boards of directors for the Business Roundtable and the Fortune 150 company PACCAR, Inc., as well as numerous other industry, nonprofit, and university boards.

Ford has been recognized by Fortune as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders and Most Powerful Women, and was named to Fast Company’s Most Productive People and Best Leaders lists, among other honors. She was also featured in the 60 Minutes segment titled “The Farmer’s Advocate” during the fall of 2019.

In July 2017, Becky Frankiewicz joined ManpowerGroup as the president of ManpowerGroup North America. She brings high energy and passion, coupled with strong P&L experience from a large and complex global business.

Prior to ManpowerGroup, Frankiewicz led one of PepsiCo’s largest subsidiaries, Quaker Foods North America. In that role she was responsible for the $2.6 billion business, leading all functions, sales, and manufacturing. Under her leadership, Quaker Foods delivered impressive growth as she led the transformation of that brand to be known as America’s “best start to every day.” She was also named by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in the industry, anticipating and adapting to fast-changing consumer demands.

In January 2020 Frankiewicz was appointed to the board of directors for Energizer Holdings, Inc. Prior to her success leading Quaker Foods, she held a variety of senior leadership roles at PepsiCo across the portfolio of brands. Her experience in these roles, which included leading innovation, finance, strategy, sales, and marketing across the PepsiCo portfolio, positions her well to lead ManpowerGroup’s strong and connected brands—Manpower, Experis, Right Management, and ManpowerGroup Solutions. Before joining PepsiCo, Frankiewicz worked in strategic consulting with Deloitte and Andersen Consulting. She began her career at Procter & Gamble. She is a passionate team builder and people developer. Frankiewicz earned an MBA in finance and a BA in marketing at the University of Texas.

Karen Freeman-Wilson began serving as president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League in January 2020. She brings a passion for equity and social justice to the organization, which works to advance economic, educational, and social progress for African Americans through direct service and advocacy.

Having served in the public arena most of her professional life, Freeman-Wilson has deep experience in addressing issues that impact urban communities. She was mayor of her hometown of Gary, Indiana, from 2012 through 2019. She was the first female to lead the city of Gary and the first African American female mayor in Indiana. Her mayoral accomplishments include job creation, completion of a $100 million airport runway relocation, and the development of key areas in the city. She previously served as Indiana attorney general, director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, and presiding judge of the Gary City Court. She also served as executive director of the National Drug Court Institute and CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, where she is currently board vice chair.

Freeman-Wilson is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She is a past president of the National League of Cities and a past chairperson of the Criminal and Social Justice Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and she sits on the National Police Foundation board of directors. She is a member of Israel C.M.E. Church; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the Links, Inc.; the NAACP; the Urban League of Northwest Indiana; and the Indiana Bar.

Austan D. Goolsbee is the Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Goolsbee previously served in Washington, DC, as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and a member of the President’s cabinet. His research has earned him recognition as a Fulbright scholar and an Alfred P. Sloan fellow. In prior years, he was named one of the 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum and as one of the six Gurus of the Future by the Financial Times. His ability to explain economics clearly has made Goolsbee popular in the media. Jon Stewart describes him as “Eliot Ness meets Milton Friedman,” and he has been named twice a “star” professor by BusinessWeek’s Guide to the Best Business Schools.

Goolsbee serves on the Economic Advisory Panel to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He has previously served on the Panel of Economic Advisors to the Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Census Advisory Commission, and he has been as a special consultant for internet policy to the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He joined Chicago Booth in 1995.

Angela Green serves as the regional administrator for the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Region V, with an annual budget of $9.3 billion covering five midwestern states and 34 federally recognized tribes. In this capacity she oversees the high-priority human services initiatives of the agency; administrative leadership and support for ACF’s staff; and human service emergency planning, preparedness, and response. Green is a Harvard Senior Executive Fellow with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In partnership with the Region V Housing and Urban Development Office and Chicago Housing Authority, Green co-leads the nation’s first Human Trafficking Housing Pilot with six participating community service providers. In collaboration with Region V Department of Labor—Employment and Training Administration, she also initiated and leads an annual ten-state Economic Mobility Summit, which brings together state commissioners and other thought leaders from both human services and workforce development to tackle barriers that inhibit economic growth for vulnerable families with action-oriented solutions.

Green began her social work career in a youth-development setting for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis. In April 1999 she was selected by Children’s Bureau, Inc., to develop and manage the state of Indiana’s first community-based child protection project entitled Neighborhood Alliance for Child Safety in Indianapolis, Indiana. Under her leadership, the program expanded from providing free quality services to 125 individuals within one zip code area the first year in operation to a little over 5,000 throughout the county by the sixth year. This project became the model program for the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) with mandated statewide replication. In March 2006 she accepted the challenge to become a part of the executive management team for DCS, where she served as the deputy director of practice support. In her role as deputy director, she led the direction of policy, functionality of Indiana’s child welfare information system, practice validation through a performance and quality improvement, and formalization of data management for the department. During her tenure as deputy director, Indiana’s child welfare policy manual was completely reconstructed and updated. In addition, she spearheaded the integration of a new continuous quality improvement process that included a multilevel systemic response to qualitative and quantitative data.

In 2005 Green accepted a mayoral appointment to the Health & Hospital Corporation board of trustees, where she contributed her family-centered concepts to support the actions of the public health agency and county hospital. In December 2007 Governor Mitch Daniels appointed Green to the Indiana Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services, where she served as a co-chair.

Prior to becoming a regional administrator, she served as one of ten regional program managers for the federal child welfare agency, ACF’s Children’s Bureau. In this role she provided leadership and direction in managing the approval, monitoring, and technical guidance for over $1.4 billion in child welfare funding to states and tribes for their foster care, adoption, child protection, and child welfare services.

Green believes that her life experiences and achievements have been opportunities to positively impact the lives of children and families. It is her desire to maximize opportunities for others to be able to courageously break barriers and create a society where “putting children first” is not simply used as poplar political rhetoric, but as a basis for every decision.

Green holds a Master of Social Work from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Indianapolis.

Jon Grosshans, AICP, LEED-AP, is a community planner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5. He works to align resources that support environmental protection and community revitalization alongside city, state, and federal partners. Much of this coordination focuses on connecting EPA core programs to local needs such as brownfield redevelopment, blight elimination, energy efficiency, sustainability, and green stormwater infrastructure.

Eve M. Hall serves as the president and CEO of the Milwaukee Urban League. She is a native of Milwaukee, with work experiences in Wisconsin, Florida, and Washington, DC. Previously, she served as the president/CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, where she led the renewal of the organization.

While serving as the president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce, Hall raised the required match to launch a revolving loan fund for diverse businesses, and secured over $800,000 in funding support from highly respected local foundations, the state government, and corporations. Under her leadership, the chamber’s community profile grew and influenced public awareness of the chamber, leading to representation on multiple committees and boards for the organization.

Hall also served as chief innovation officer for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, where she spent ten years in various national leadership roles impacting student retention and scholarships and university/school district partnerships promoting postsecondary education. Other past leadership roles include vice president of public affairs for Family Service of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Schools School to Work administrator, director of Governor Tommy Thompson’s Milwaukee Office, and learning disabilities teacher in Tampa, Florida.

Along the way, she has had many professional and public service affiliations, including cofounder of the African American Women’s Project Fund, created to support organizations that promote the well-being of women and girls. She presently serves on the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, Regional Transit Leadership Council, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Higher Education Regional Alliance, and other business/community committees.

Hall has been recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as a Woman of Influence in 2013, one of 16 Business Executives to Watch in 2016, and a Power Broker in 2017 and 2019. In 2015 she was recognized as Woman Executive of the Year by the Biz Times for her work in reviving the chamber. Madison365 listed Hall as one of 35 Most Influential Black Leaders in 2017. In 2018 Professional Dimensions presented the Sacagawea Award to her for community leadership and contributions. Hall was also recognized by St. Francis Children’s Center with the Leading Light Community Service Award for her civic engagement and leadership in the community.

Hall earned a BS in educational psychology and an educational certification in learning disabilities from Florida A&M University, an MS in administrative leadership from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Cardinal Stritch University.

Ian Hirt joined the Ports of Indiana in March 2017 as port director at the Port of Indiana–Burns Harbor after spending over 25 years in various maritime shipping capacities along the Great Lakes. Hirt began his career in the Vessel Agency Division for Fednav Ltd., the largest ocean carrier in the Great Lakes, before moving into their Marine Terminal Division, where he eventually managed their terminal in Burns Harbor for 12 years. He also served as general manager for North America Stevedoring in Chicago for six years and served as a member of the Great Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee.

Hirt holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Michigan University in finance.

Nicole Johnson-Scales is senior vice president, community development, Fifth Third Bank (Chicago), which includes $16 billion in assets and 190 banking centers in Illinois and Northwest Indiana. In this role, she oversees the bank’s community development efforts, charitable contributions, and compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for the Chicago region.

Johnson-Scales is currently accountable for Fifth Third’s five-year Community Commitment, representing $5.6 billion of low- and moderate-income mortgage, affordable housing, small business, and community development investments in greater Chicago. She serves as chair of Fifth Third Bank Chicago’s Community Advisory Board, composed of notable community leaders who advise the bank on community outreach strategy. She joined Fifth Third in November 2002 from Citibank, where she served as assistant vice president, retail banking. She has more than 20 years of banking and financial services experience.

Johnson-Scales earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her MBA from Olivet Nazarene University. She serves as a member of the board of directors of the YWCA, City Colleges of Chicago Foundation Board, I Heart Media Community Advisory Board, and Women’s Business Development Corporate Advisory Board. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, teaching courses in corporate social responsibility and change management.

Johnson-Scales has received numerous awards, including the Chicago United Business Leader of Color, National Diversity Council’s Most Powerful and Influential Women, Chicago Defender’s Woman of Excellence, Make It Better’s 42 Top African American Leaders, Quad County Urban League’s Woman of Power, and Ariel Investments and WVON Chicago’s Top 40 Game Changer. In 2019 she received professional certification to coach individuals in achieving their next level of professional and personal success.

Lamia Kamal-Chaoui has served since 2016 as the director of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. In this capacity, she leads the OECD’s work in the fields of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and entrepreneurship policy; regional, urban, and rural development; regional and metropolitan-area statistics; multilevel governance; and tourism. The Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities manages several programs and initiatives—such as the Local Employment and Economic Development Programme (LEED) and its Trento Centre (to support local development capacity), the Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth, the Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers, the Water Governance Initiative, and the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment.

Kamal-Chaoui has held several senior positions at the OECD since 1993, most notably leading work on inclusive growth and urban development. From 2012 to 2016, she served as senior advisor to the OECD secretary-general. In this role, she oversaw the OECD Inclusive Growth Initiative, the Knowledge-Sharing Alliance Programme, and the implementation of the OECD Strategy on Development. From 2003 to 2012, she was head of the OECD Urban Programme, where she advised national policymakers and city leaders and launched the OECD Roundtable for Mayors and Ministers. Earlier in her career at the OECD, she worked in several directorates (such as Public Governance and Territorial Development; Trade; and Financial and Enterprise Affairs). Kamal-Chaoui is a French and Moroccan national. She has been a member of several international committees and advisory boards, as well as a lecturer at Sciences Po Paris. She holds a master’s degree in macroeconomics from the University of Paris Dauphine and a master’s degree in foreign languages and history from the University of Paris Diderot.

Lori E. Lightfoot is the 56th Mayor of Chicago.

Since assuming office, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding inclusive growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods, with early accomplishments including landmark ethics reforms, worker protection legislation, as well as key investments in education, public safety and financial stability.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Lightfoot has led a coordinated, citywide response to address its impact, including the creation of the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team, the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, among other actions.

Prior to her election, Mayor Lightfoot served as a senior equity partner at Mayer Brown. Previously, she served as President of the Chicago Police Board, as well as the Chair of the Police Accountability Task Force. Mayor Lightfoot has also served in other City government roles, and as Assistant United States Attorney.

She lives in Chicago’s Near Northwest Side with her wife and their daughter.

Susan Longworth is a senior business economist in the Community Development and Policy Studies Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Prior to joining the Fed in 2011, she had over 20 years of community development experience, with a special emphasis on community development financial institutions and community banks. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Michigan, a master’s in public service management from DePaul University, and an international MBA from the University of Chicago.

Clark Martin is a program manager for the Federal Highway Administration’s Center for Transportation Workforce Development. Martin’s responsibilities include overseeing the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership and the Transportation Education Development Program.

Martin has been in transportation for his entire career. He served as the director of safety for the American Trucking Associations and national coordinator to implement the Commercial Driver’s License Program for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators before taking up his current role as program manager for the Federal Highway Administration.

He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and majored in political science.

Todd McLees is a globally recognized strategist and Future of Work thought leader. He collaborates with business and academic leaders to effectively anticipate and respond to paradigm shifts and inflection points. His focus is on the convergence of people, technology, and collaborative innovation.

McLees is the architect of the Skills for the Next Era of Innovation framework. He is an advocate for continuous innovation and life-long learning, maximizing human potential, high-impact collaborations between people, and the inevitable convergence of human beings and intelligent technologies.

McLees is a regular contributor to NSF programs focused on the Future of Work, such as the National Career Pathways Network and programs conducted by the Center for Occupational Research and Development.

McLees serves on multiple boards of directors, including those for the Higher Education Regional Alliance, Pathways High, and ADHD America, and on the advisory board at Marquette University’s Center for Supply Chain Management.

Eileen Mitchell is president of AT&T Illinois and AT&T Great Lakes States, with responsibility for AT&T’s public policy, philanthropy, and community relations initiatives throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

Mitchell first joined AT&T in 2003. As vice president, external affairs, she successfully led initiatives to modernize public policy in Illinois and served as lead strategist for successful AT&T initiatives in other states. After departing for public service in 2015, she rejoined AT&T in May 2017.

In 2018, Mitchell led development of Believe Chicago®—the company’s employee-informed initiative designed to help residents and lift Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods impacted by gun violence and high unemployment—through AT&T hiring, mentoring, internships, and philanthropy to more than 100 organizations. This work led to the launch of the corporation’s national community engagement initiative, AT&T Believes℠.

Mitchell successfully led teams in municipal and state governments, most recently as chief of staff to the mayor of Chicago (2015–16) and on the staff of the Illinois Speaker of the House (1992–2003). As a volunteer, she worked with the Archdiocese of Chicago helping the cardinal develop the Office of Violence Prevention (2017). Mitchell serves on the boards of directors of The Economic Club of Chicago, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Urban League, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and Loyola University. She is a trustee of the Civic Federation and a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, and she serves on advisory boards for Misericordia and Marillac St. Vincent Family Services. Mitchell is a graduate of Loyola University.

Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian is a professor of transportation systems and head of the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2002 and has been at UIC since 2003. He is a member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Board.

Mohammadian’s research covers various areas of transportation systems including travel behavior analysis, travel surveys, computational analysis of transportation systems, freight and logistics modeling, and agent-based microsimulation models. He is the author or co-author of more than 370 scholarly publications in scientific journals, contributions to conference proceedings, book chapters, and reports. He is the editor in chief of the Journal of Transportation Letters and has served as committee chair of the Traveler Behavior and Values Committee (AEP30) of the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board (TRB). Mohammadian has received numerous research awards, including the Fred Burggraf Award, Charley V. Wootan Award, and Ryuichi Kitamura Paper Award, recognizing his contributions to transportation research. He has advised 25 PhD students.

David Naftzger serves as chief executive officer for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. He coordinates the efforts of eight U.S. governors and two Canadian premiers to grow the region’s $6 trillion economy and protect its world-class environment.

Naftzger manages an innovative economic portfolio that includes impact investment, maritime transportation, export promotion, and tourism marketing. He also spearheads an award-winning environmental program to protect about 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water.

Naftzger directs government relations and communications. He has been widely quoted by media, including The Economist, The New York Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, and many others.

Previously, Naftzger served as city councilman in Highland Park, Illinois, and served state legislators as a government relations director in Washington, DC.

Naftzger earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University, and he studied at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

Chris Nevers joined Rivian in February of 2020 to help implement the policies needed to expand electrification and Rivian’s role in creating a sustainable future. Prior to joining Rivian, Nevers was the vice president of energy and environment for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Nevers has also worked in government (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality) and industry (over a decade at Chrysler). Whether it be from a manufacturer, government, or trade association standpoint, his focus has been on the environment and electrification.

Linda Nolan is a senior vice president and senior managing director in wealth advisory services at the Northern Trust Corporation. In her role, she leads a team that comprises experienced investment, trust, and banking advisors delivering comprehensive wealth management solutions to successful individuals and their families.

She earned the Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA) designation from the Investment Management Consultants Association. Before joining Northern Trust in 2000, she was the director of community alliance at Allstate Bank; director of specialized industries-insurance at Harris Bank; a cash management officer at Bank of Boston, and a sales representative at Alcoa.

She graduated from Florida A&M University with a BS in marketing.

Nolan is a member of the YWCA of Chicago board of directors, chair of the University of Chicago Women’s Board, a member of the Red Cross Tiffany Circle, and a member of the Horizons for Youth Leadership Advisory Council. She served as the immediate past chair for the Northern Trust Women in Leadership Business Resource Council. Nolan received recognition from Chicago United as a 2009 Business Leader of Color.

Kelly O’Brien is president and CEO of the Alliance for Regional Development (Alliance) and executive director of the Chicago Central Area Committee (CCAC). Her career spans both the public and private sectors, and she has distinguished herself as a creative and strategic thinker.

As one of the founding members of the Alliance, O’Brien is responsible for convening leaders from government, academia, and the private sector to identify collaborative initiatives that move the mega-region forward in strategic focus areas outlined by the OECD in its territorial review of the tri-state Chicago metropolitan area.

As executive director of CCAC, O’Brien manages a brain trust of Chicago leaders interested in planning and development by applying best practices to enhance the public good. Approaching its 65th anniversary, this civic group has been at the center of major initiatives impacting the city and helping it to grow into the global destination it is today.

In her roles, O’Brien has positioned the organizations to provide expert programming, and she serves as the project manager overseeing teams composed of industry experts locally, regionally, and nationally.

Before moving back home to Chicago, O’Brien was affiliated with the County Executives of America (CEA), the only nonpartisan association dedicated specifically to chief elected county officials. Serving as the deputy director of CEA and director of a major initiative, the County Executive Telecommunications Network, O’Brien worked closely with both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government as well as county governments in 45 of the 50 states. Her portfolio included economic development, housing, workforce development, and homeland security issues.

Previously, O’Brien served at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) as director of public affairs and liaison for the Secretary of Commerce to the nation’s premier business and government leaders and top academics studying American competitiveness.

Prior to joining the President’s team, O’Brien was an associate at a New York investment banking firm, where she specialized in housing and health care facility municipal bond finance. She quickly became an influential member of the industry and was invited to serve on the board of directors for the National Leased Housing Association. After completing law school, she was engaged as the director of the government policy and practice group of a large midwestern law firm. There, she engaged clients, hired lawyers, and managed support staff and outside consultants. She registered as a lobbyist in Illinois and Washington, DC. She has been involved at every level of political campaigns in races from school board to presidential elections, in several states.

O’Brien received a degree in political communications from the George Washington University and a JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She is a former elected official in Illinois, serving as alderman of the Fourth Ward of Palos Hills and as chairman of the Economic Development Committee. O’Brien joined the St. Laurence High School board of directors in 2016 and was inducted into the Moraine Valley Community College Hall of Fame in 2015. She is also a recipient of the International St. Vincent de Paul Vincentian Charism Award for public service.

Anna Paulson is executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. She leads the Bank’s research and policy analysis work, overseeing the department that provides analytic support for monetary policymaking and conducts research on banking and financial markets, macroeconomics, microeconomics, and regional economics. Paulson also has responsibility for the Bank’s Public Affairs and Community, Development and Policy Studies departments. She attends meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the group responsible for formulating the nation’s monetary policy, and serves on the Bank’s Executive Committee.

Paulson is an expert on financial markets and institutions, with particular expertise on the insurance industry. Her research investigates how households and firms adapt to incomplete financial markets and how household financial decision-making is influenced by exposure to institutions and economic events, including financial crises. Paulson’s research has been published in leading scholarly journals, including the Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economics and Statistics, and Review of Financial Studies. She is a past member of the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession and a past board member of the Western Economic Association International. Paulson received a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton College and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.

Paulson joined the Chicago Fed as an economist in 2001 after serving as an assistant professor of finance at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In 2009 she was promoted to vice president in the Financial Markets Group and established the Insurance Initiative, which analyzes financial stability and regulatory issues in the insurance industry on behalf of the Federal Reserve System. She became associate director of research in 2017 and was promoted to director of research in 2019.

Jerome A. Prince is the mayor of Gary, Indiana. As mayor, he has vowed to clean the city; make it a safe place in which to work, live, and play; and build infrastructure that invites large businesses with more jobs. He is focused on creating small businesses, fostering an arts culture, and drawing Gary natives back to their hometown.

Since his first day in office on January 1, 2020, Prince has led the charge to demolish vacant buildings and boosted small business success throughout Gary. Along with starting the city’s first bond bank, Prince has caught illegal dumpers, improved the hiring process in the city, and landed development deals to eventually return Gary residents to work. He did it all while leading Gary through a historic pandemic.

Prince’s ascension to lead Gary is the latest step in a lifetime of public service. He has served in the U.S. Marine Corps, the Calumet Township Assessor’s Office, and the Gary Precinct Organization.

In 1999, Prince began his three terms as Gary’s Fifth District city councilman. In 2008, one month into his third term on the council, then-Councilman Prince was unanimously selected by the Gary Precinct Organization to serve the Third District on the Lake County Council.

In 2014, Prince became the first African American to serve as county assessor in the state of Indiana, overseeing 243,759 parcels in the county and leading 85 percent of his staff to earn a Level II or Level III Indiana Assessor-Appraiser Certification.

Shayndi Raice is the Midwest Bureau Chief based in Chicago. Shayndi joined the Journal as a telecom reporter in 2010 after an internship at Dow Jones Newswires. She went on to cover tech companies including Facebook in San Francisco, Bank of America and Wells Fargo out of New York and European M&A out of London. Since 2016, she has been based in Chicago as a US news reporter covering the Midwest economy. She was an anchor of The Wall Street Journal's 2019 Loeb-winning coverage of Amazon’s search for HQ2.

Ann Schlenker is the director for the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory. Schlenker’s applied research area is actively seeking to improve efficiency at a component, vehicle, and transportation system level while preserving transportation consumer choice, affordability, and domestic economic growth. Her responsibilities include evaluating the energy and environmental impacts of advanced technologies and new transportation fuels. Her portfolio includes early stage fundamental and applied light and heavy-duty vehicle research. She directs the transportation system energy modeling for Smart Communities with enhanced mobility. In addition, Schlenker has responsibility for the DOE student vehicle competitions for advanced powertrain technologies and connected and automated vehicles. Her research is informed by collaborative partnerships that ensure relevance and impact. Schlenker spent more than 30 years with Chrysler Engineering in product development, serving in a variety of executive positions.

Robert Scott serves as the regional administrator for the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), overseeing the delivery of the agency’s financial assistance, technical assistance, and government contracting activities throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Prior to the SBA, Scott ran his own consulting firm, practiced law at Oldham & Deitering in Clayton, Ohio, and served as the vice mayor in Kettering, Ohio, where he remains in service as a city councilman. He has worked in the Ohio House of Representatives as a legislative aide and on several major political campaigns in Ohio, including serving as the state director for Donald J. Trump for President. Additionally, Scott wrote for the Dayton Daily News and Dayton City Paper, and he was a syndicated columnist for Brown Newspapers, Inc.

Scott received a BS from Wright State University and a juris doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law. He is a member of the Dayton Masonic Lodge, Ohio State Bar Association, and Kettering Rotary Club. Scott received a Forty Under 40 Award from the American Association of Political Consultants in 2016, and the Dayton Business Journal named him one of the city’s Notable Forty Under 40 Professionals in 2015.

Daniel G. Sullivan is an executive vice president and director of economic outreach at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He oversees the Bank’s Community Development and Policy Studies Division and its Public Affairs Department. He also leads the Bank’s outreach council and participates in its monetary policy work.

Sullivan joined the Chicago Fed as a senior economist in 1992 after serving as an assistant professor of economics at Northwestern University. He also taught at Princeton University and is currently a lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. From 1994 to 2007 Sullivan led the Bank’s applied microeconomics group, and from 2007 to 2019 he was director of research.

Sullivan’s research is mainly in the area of labor economics, especially issues related to displaced workers and alternative work arrangements. He has published articles in leading academic journals including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, Journal of Political Economy, and Quarterly Journal of Economics. He received a BA in mathematics from the University of Chicago and a PhD in economics from Princeton University.

Adam Tindall-Schlicht was appointed director of Port Milwaukee in May 2018 by Mayor Tom Barrett. Following unanimous approval by the Milwaukee Common Council, Tindall-Schlicht officially assumed the role on August 6, 2018. As director he oversees and directs the port’s multimodal, commercial, and cruise ship operations, which generate over $100 million in local economic activity annually. As director, Tindall-Schlicht is also responsible for administration of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 41. In addition to his responsibilities as port director, he was appointed commissioner of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) in 2020 by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.

A long-time employee of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) at the U.S. Department of Transportation in both Washington, DC, and Cleveland, Ohio, Tindall-Schlicht brings significant experience in marine transportation, international marketing, and Great Lakes shipping to his position.

For his work as port director, Tindall-Schlicht has received several accolades. In 2020, he was named a Notable LGBT Executive by BizTimes Milwaukee magazine and a 40 Under 40 awardee by the Milwaukee Business Journal. Tindall Schlicht was also recently recognized as a 40 Under 40 awardee by Antwerp XL for his contributions to the international breakbulk and heavy lift industry.

Del Wilkins was appointed Vice President, Northern Operations and Business Development for Canal Barge Company, Inc., a U.S. flag marine transportation and management services company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, in June, 2007. He is based at the company’s bulk liquid storage terminal (Canal Terminal Company) in Channahon, Illinois and is responsible for the management and development of terminal operations. He was instrumental in the growth of Canal Terminal Company and was a key organizer in the acquisition of Illinois Marine Towing in 2008. Del was appointed to the additional position of President of Illinois Marine Towing (IMT) in the summer of 2012.

Mr. Wilkins is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a business concentration and Northwestern University’s Transportation Center. Before coming to Canal Barge Company, Mr. Wilkins worked in Executive Leadership Roles with CSX Corporation, American Commercial Lines, LLC, and National Marine, Inc., starting his career with Dravo Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his tenure at ACL, Del served as President and Executive Director of ACBL Hidrovias, S.A. and ACBL of Venezuela, S.A. He spent 14 years in South America in the area of Project Start-Up and Infrastructure Development in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Venezuela. Further, he has accomplished exploratory and consulting missions on the inland river systems of Europe, China, and Africa.

Mr. Wilkins held a First-Class Operators license on the U.S. inland waterway system. He is also actively involved in industry affairs while serving as a board member of Wintrust Bank’s, Beverly Bank & Trust, N.A., Chicago, IL; the American Waterways Operators Association, Washington D.C.; and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Council, Chicago, IL.

Del is active in the industry and his community.

• American Waterways Operators BOD and ex-Midwest Region Chairman and ex-member of Executive Committee
• Board of Directors for Beverly Bank a Wintrust Company
• Illinois Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Council Waterways Chairman

Estella Woo is director of business development at Robert Bosch LLC.

Her role in leading corporate innovation is to translate strategy into action through innovation, curating a pipeline of new ideas, guiding internal start-ups, and building these into new businesses through Bosch’s grow platform, its internal incubator. She is passionate about innovation and continuously learning and regularly mentoring start-ups through Bosch’s partnership with Techstars.

Woo currently serves on the board of governors of Cranbrook Institute of Science, a natural history and science museum that fosters a passion and understanding of the world around them and lifelong love of learning that will produce the scientists of tomorrow. From 2016 to 2018, Woo served on the SE Michigan Regional Council of Inforum, a professional organization focused on creating strategic connections to help advance professional women in Michigan and the Midwest.

Woo holds a master’s of engineering from Imperial College London, England.

Rose Zibert is the acting regional administrator in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). This office oversees and provides technical assistance to the workforce system operating in the ten-state Midwest region, containing nearly 130 local workforce areas and 400 formula and discretionary grants and projects. Zibert provides leadership and consultation with national, state, and local officials in seeking workforce and economic solutions to meet the needs of workers and employers and develop thriving communities.