Our Board is comprised of leaders from Chicago’s most prominent corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations.

These leaders provide invaluable resources—including pro bono teams and fellows, philanthropic support, access to new networks, and strategic counsel—that maximize the impact of our work.

We provide Board members with the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to address issues affecting our region.

Our Board members benefit from the opportunity to engage with other civic leaders who are working toward a more vibrant, equitable, and prosperous Chicago region for all.

  • It has been my absolute pleasure to serve as Civic Consulting Alliance’s Board Chair for the past nine years, and to have worked with Civic Consulting Alliance for even longer as a pro bono partner and Board member. As the organization celebrates its 40th anniversary, it is remarkable how far the organization has come since its founding in 1985. What started as an initiative to have business leaders help Mayor Washington with the City’s finances has grown into a trusted nonprofit with 25 full-time staff and a powerful network of partners that have delivered more than $300 million in pro bono services to the Chicago region.

    Civic Consulting Alliance’s success is rooted in its team and clients, funders, and partners. Our Board and Advisory Council members provide exceptional leadership and personal commitment, and our collaborative model thrives because of the dedication of our staff and pro bono partners. Our funders and clients put their trust in this organization because of its longstanding track record of success and human-centered approach to meeting the opportunities and challenges facing the Chicago region.

    Thank you to everyone who makes this work possible, and to Jennifer Steans as she steps into the role of Board Chair. I am confident that Civic Consulting Alliance’s next chapter will be one of continued strength, relevance, and impact.

  • I am honored to serve as Board Chair of Civic Consulting Alliance at such an important moment for the organization and the Chicago region. Civic Consulting Alliance’s mission to strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors so that the government can better serve communities has never been more essential.

    I am deeply grateful to Deb DeHaas for her nine years of outstanding leadership. She leaves behind an organization that is strong, trusted, and well-positioned for the future.

    Looking ahead, my focus is on supporting Civic Consulting Alliance’s continued growth, deepening partnerships, and ensuring the organization remains responsive to the region’s evolving needs. Together, we will keep turning bold ideas into action—and getting big things done!

Leadership

Jennifer Steans*
Chair
President & CEO
Financial Investments Corporation

Dorothy Abreu

Kodjo Akaah
Director of North American Surface Transportation (NAST)
C.H. Robinson

Oliver Bevan
Partner
McKinsey & Company

Debra Bogo-Ernst
Partner
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Levoi Brown
Head of Business Banking Specialty Finance
BMO

Matthew C. Crowl
Partner
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

A. Steven Crown
General Partner
Henry Crown and Company

Gillian Darlow*
Chief Executive Officer
Polk Bros. Foundation

Deborah L. DeHaas*
Chief Executive Officer
Corporate Leadership Center

Aarti Dhupelia*
Chief Executive Officer
One Million Degrees

Derek R.B. Douglas*+
President
The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago

Polly Eldringhoff
Vice President for Operational Performance and Compliance
Peoples Gas

Michael Fassnacht*
President of the Chicagoland Region and Chief Growth Officer
Clayco

Danny Freeman
Senior Partner
West Monroe

Brent Gledhill
President and CEO
William Blair & Company

Graham C. Grady
Partner
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

David Hackett*
Partner
Baker McKenzie LLP

Members

Katie Jahnke Dale
Partner, Co-Managing Partner- Chicago Office
DLA Piper LLP

Kish Khemani
Partner
Kearney

John Kos
Managing Director
GTCR LLC

Amanda Kranz
Chicago Office Managing Director
Accenture

Anne Ladky*
Senior Advisor
Corporate Coalition of Chicago

Dr. Omar Lateef
President & CEO
Rush University System for Health

Nicole Limberg
Co-Head of FIG Insurance
PNC

Paul C. Maranville
Managing Partner
Lantern Partners

Samir Mayekar
Associate Vice President and Managing Director
Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago

John W. McCarter, Jr.
Chair, Board of Regents
Smithsonian Institution

DG McPherson+
Chairman and CEO
Grainger
ChairBoard of Directors of The Commercial Club of Chicago and The Civic Committee

Dorri McWhorter*
President and Chief Executive Officer
Executives’ Club of Chicago

Cindy S. Moelis
President
The Pritzker Traubert Foundation

David Narefsky*
Partner
Mayer Brown

Dave Richards
General Manager, Chicago Office
Slalom

Kedra Newsom Reeves*
Managing Director and Partner, Chicago
BCG

Michael O'Grady+
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Northern Trust Corporation
Vice Chair
Board of Directors of The Commercial Club of Chicago and The Civic Committee

James D. Pajakowski*
Executive Vice President, Strategy and Quality
Protiviti

Richard S. Price*
Executive Chairman
Mesirow Financial

Curtis Reed, Jr.*
Head of Government and Healthcare, Higher Education and Not-for-Profit Banking
JPMorgan Chase

David Reifman
Partner, Chair of Real Estate Group
Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres

Robert G. Reiter, Jr.
President
Chicago Federation of Labor

Stacey Swearingen White
Dean
UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Administration 

Mark Shadle
Chief Reputation Strategist & Global Managing Director, Corporate Affairs
Zeno Group

Meghan Shehorn*
Partner
Bain & Company

Robert Soles
Partner, Technology Audit and Assurance
KPMG LLP

Daniel E. Sullivan, Jr.
Head of Private & Personal Banking
CIBC US

Tina Tabacchi
Partner in Charge, Chicago
Jones Day

Noemie Tilghman*
Workforce Transformation Leader & Chicago Office Consulting Services Managing Principal
Deloitte

Melissa Washington
Senior Vice President of Governmental, Regulatory and External Affairs
ComEd

Kelly R. Welsh
Former President
The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago

Teresa Wilton Harmon
Managing Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

Robert Wislow*
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Parkside Realty, Inc.

* Executive Committee Member

+ Ex-Officio Member

Honorary Members

Our Honorary Members bring a wealth of experience and dedication to Civic Consulting Alliance. These former Board members have served with distinction, offering invaluable insights and continued commitment to our mission. Through ongoing communication and engagement opportunities, they remain active partners in our organization’s success, lending their expertise and serving as ambassadors for Civic Consulting Alliance’s mission.

Paula Allen-Meares
Chancellor Emeritus
University of Illinois at Chicago

Bram Bluestein
Co-Founder
Bluestein Ventures

Jim Glerum
Former Vice Chairman
Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.

Larry J. Goodman, MD
Retired CEO of Rush University Medical Center and President Emeritus of Rush University

Phyllis Lockett
Founder & Senior Advisor
LEAP Innovations

Kenneth Porrello
Senior Advisor
Ownership Works