June 26, 2015
Quote of the Week

"In the year since we launched, we've been working to make Chicago the education innovation hub for the country, creating a model that bridges the gap among our schools and innovators."

 

         - Phyllis Lockett, 

Founder and CEO of LEAP Innovations

Members in the News

Chicago Tribune Logo  

The Northridge Group Study Featured  

Therese Fauerbach (2004), CEO and co-founding partner of the Northridge Group, was quoted in a Chicago Tribune article about a recent study by the Northridge Group that showed many companies fail to respond to customer complaints in a timely or effective manner even as consumers increasingly turn to social media for customer service.  

 

"Within organizations in business, there's still a struggle in who owns it," said Therese Fauerbach. Read more... 

Crain's
LEAP Innovations Awarded $5.1 Million from Gates Foundation

In just a year, LEAP Innovations, under the leadership of its CEO Phyllis Lockett (2004), has helped start a movement to evaluate edtech, piloting products and techniques that personalize instruction to each student's level, interests, and goals. This new grant enables LEAP to drive collaboration and sharing of best practices among a growing number of edtech innovators from across the country so districts can quickly scale effective innovations. Read more... 

 

LEAP Commits $4 Million to Expand Next-Gen Learning  

LEAP Innovations announced that 16 Chicago Public Schools will join seven schools previously selected in 2014 to be eligible for $4 million in philanthropic funding and professional development to create next-generation, personalized learning schools. The schools are located throughout the city and are a mix of traditional, magnet, selective enrollment, alternative and charter elementary and high schools. Each will undergo a complete transformation led by their principal and key teachers to create sustainable, 21st century school models that personalize instruction to meet each student's needs, goals and learning styles. "Breakthrough Schools Chicago reaches public schools all across our city to prepare our kids to succeed with 21st century skills," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "These educators are leading the way forward, paving a path for how our schools can thrive in the future." Read more... 

Debra Cafaro on Shattering the Glass Ceiling
Debra Cafaro (2007), CEO of Ventas Inc., was featured in an article about how her father's advice helped her shatter the glass ceiling. Debra noted that he made sure she was the first in her family to attend college. He worked a second job collecting and selling rare coins to raise enough money to pay for her to attend the University of Notre Dame.

"My father always supported me and said, 'You can do whatever you put your mind to, " said Debra Cafaro. "Looking back, I realize how incredibly unusual and important his constant support and reinforcement were."  Read more...
 

Two of Five Cook County Camping Sites Up and Running  

Reservations to camp at two suburban campgrounds in Cook County are going fast, with three other sites opening by the end of summer. The Cook County Forest Preserve District last year announced they'd open camping sites to the public for the first time in 50 years. The camping sites are part of an initiative by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (2011) to get families, and especially kids, out of the city and active in nature. "I want to encourage people to take advantage of the opportunity," Toni Preckwinkle said. "It's a good thing that people can camp near their home instead of driving to Michigan, Indiana or Wisconsin. It's a great chance to get outdoors." Read more...    

Women on Boards 

Julie Scott Elected as Board President 

Julie Scott (2012), President and CEO of CTS Holdings, Inc., a hands-on Finance & IT business advisory and project management firm, has been elected as President of the University of Illinois College of Business Alumni Association Board, which represents approximately 60,000 University of Illinois College of Business alums worldwide. Julie remains very active with her Urbana-Champaign campus alma mater, and is also currently serving on the Selection Committee to identify the new Dean for the College of Business at Urbana-Champaign. Along with her husband, Julie established and maintains a scholarship program for U of I Business at Urbana-Champaign students interested in Entrepreneurship. 

 

In addition to her this role, Julie also serves on the Board for the University of Illinois Alumni Association, representing all three U of I campuses, with over 700,000 alumni worldwide.  

New Roles 
Sophia Shaw to Start Consulting Business 

Sophia Shaw (2008) is leaving her position as president and CEO of the Chicago Botanic Garden to start her own consultancy business next year after her replacement is hired to allow a smooth transition. She'll serve as a consultant while the North Shore plant museum wraps up two major building projects.

 

"It's the natural course of events. In any big organization, there needs to be a leadership transition at the right moment. Whether it's a for-profit or nonprofit, it's important for the company or institution as well as the individual. For me, it's been almost 10 years." Read more... 

Pat Werhane to Retire from DePaul July 1 

Since going to DePaul in 2003 from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, Pat Werhane (2004) has solidified her place as one of the world's most prolific and respected scholars in Business Ethics. A couple of years ago, the Journal of Business Ethics ranked Pat 16 in their list of "Leading Authors in Business Ethics Research." She has published more than a hundred articles and over seventy case studies and is the author or editor of more than twenty-four books. In addition to her own scholarship, Pat has been editor of some of the most prestigious journals in business ethics and she serves on the boards of the world's leading business ethics organizations. Read more...

Awards and Announcements 
Irene Thompson Receives National Healthcare Award
B'nai B'rith International is proud to announce Irene Thompson (2010), Vice Chair of the Board of Managers of UHC, the Academic Medical Center, Network of VHA-UHC Alliance NewCo, Inc., is the recipient of the National Healthcare Award, which has recognized outstanding leaders in the health care field for more than 30 years. A gala award dinner was held in her honor on June 22 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago.

"Irene Thompson's resume in the health care field is one
of the most extensive I've encountered while bestowing this honor. Her career and community involvement are nearly unmatched by her peers. It gives me great joy to confer the National Healthcare Award on Irene," B'nai B'rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said.

Click here for the full press release.
Christine Edwards Among National Law Journal's 2015 List of "Trailblazers" 
When she was named general counsel of Dean Witter in 1990, Christine Edwards (2001), Capital Partner at Winston & Strawn, broke the glass ceiling on Wall Street. "It was extraordinarily lonely. I went to meeting
 after meeting where I was the only woman." Since then, Christine has spent enormous amounts of time and energy supporting other women-both lawyers and non-lawyers in the corporate setting, for example, sponsoring work-shops for women deputy general counsel to train them on what they need to know to become general counsel. "I'm passionate about that, and passionate about getting women on boards of directors." Read more... 
Gillian Darlow on the History of the Polk Bros. Foundation
On June 16, Gillian Darlow (2015) spoke at the City Club of Chicago about the history of the Polk Bros. Foundation. Gillian spoke about the foundation's current grantmaking, and two topics that grantee partners indicated are increasingly critical: the financial stability of Chicago nonprofits and the mental health of Chicagoans. 

 

Related to grantee financial strength, the quote most widely tweeted was, "The goal is not to blindly and indiscriminately preserve nonprofits per se. The goal is to preserve the supports and critical services that people in our communities need." Click here to read more. To watch video, click here!   

Sylvia Puente Receives Alumni Achievement Award and Invites TCN Members to Unlocking Opportunities

As the first Latina to be given the Alumni Achievement Award from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sylvia Puente, Executive Director of The Latino Policy Forum (2011) is filled with gratitude for the pioneers who came before her at UIUC, and for the hundreds that struggled and protested for the Department of Latina/Latino Studies and La Casa Cultural Latina. It's a reminder of how far the community has come, and also of how far it has to go.

With the state's fiscal instability already making an adverse impact on many nonprofit agencies that serve Latino communities, the Latino Policy Forum will launch a conversation later this summer to better understand and articulate the economic return and benefits of investments made in fair housing, improved immigration policy and high quality education, among other issues, affecting diverse communities. The Latino Policy Forum invites you to save the date, August 24, for Unlocking Opportunities, a summit that will bring together the Forum's 100+ member organizations and serve as a space for developing new partnerships.

Dorri McWhorter Honored at 2015 N'DIGO Foundation Jazz Enchantment Gala 

Now in its 18th year, the N'DIGO GALA provides an opportunity to not only give merit educational scholarships to students, but to honor community leaders across various sectors. This year's theme, Jazz Enchantment, included performances by Grammy winning artists, Gregory Porter and Dianne Reeves. On Sunday, June 21, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago CEO Dorri McWhorter (2015), was honored for her work as an international business leader. The organization's focus on domestic violence and technology training were also highlighted.

Nila Leiserowitz Featured in NeoCon Panel
In conjunction with NeoCon 2015 in Chicago, the largest annual commercial interiors expo and conference for the design industry, Nila Leiserowitz (2013) , Regional Managing Principal at Gensler, participated in a panel discussion entitled, "Active Design Meets Active Discussion: The Blueprint for Human Sustainability," presented by KI and the International Interior Design Association. The panel focused heavily on workplace programming and design to enhance the health, productivity, and well-being of employees today, while looking forward to coming changes likely to affect the industry. Read more...

Gensler Chicago Wins Two Awards
Two projects designed by Gensler Chicago have recently been awarded noteworthy Chicago-centric honors. For starters, in celebration of Chicago's innovative workplaces, the Merchandise Mart offices of Motorola Mobility won a Chicago Creative Space Award in the ">75,000 square feet" category. Additionally, the Urban Land Institute Chicago has granted a 2015 Vision Award to the Town Hall Apartments on Halsted in the "Project - Senior Housing" category.
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