City Club of Chicago

September 26, 2024

Rachel Arfa – Commissioner – Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

City Club event description:

Commissioner Rachel Arfa

Rachel Arfa serves as the Commissioner of the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). Commissioner Arfa is a visionary and transformative leader, and was the first deaf person to serve as a member of a Mayor’s Cabinet nationwide. Under her leadership, Commissioner Arfa has modernized MOPD to increase services to Chicago’s disability community and leads inter-agency collaboration with fellow City departments and sister agencies to advance accessibility.

Recognizing the need for advances in disability employment, Commissioner Arfa launched the MOPD Career Center, which serves job seekers with disabilities and also partners with businesses on increasing inclusive hiring practices. With MOPD support, job seekers with disabilities obtain employment on an average of 81 days, far ahead of the national rate of six months. Commissioner Arfa also launched the Access Officer program, an inter-agency collaboration that designates a member of each Commissioner/Department Head’s leadership team as a point person on accessibility for their department, and provides subject matter trainings and individual consultation on best practices. As another important step towards increasing accessibility of City services, MOPD hired four American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters on staff, who provide communication access at Mayoral events, press conferences and for City services.  MOPD also works with departments to increase digital accessibility, use of social stories and other access needs.

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Commissioner Arfa utilizes an equity framework in evaluating MOPD services and removes barriers to services. She eliminated the hourly rate that participants in MOPD’s Personal Assistance program were previously required to pay in order to obtain services. MOPD’s Home Modification program previously only served individuals with disabilities up to age 59; due to consolidation of services from Department of Housing to MOPD, individuals of any age with disabilities can now apply for Home Modification services. The Accessibility Compliance Unit has also expanded its capacity and resources, which allows for increased ability to survey accessibility of city-wide buildings, conduct pre-permit and permit reviews, and provide technical assistance to stakeholders.

Arfa comes to this role with over 15 years as a disability and civil rights attorney, and has held numerous civic and leadership roles advocating for meaningful disability access. Arfa is a 2016 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and a 2013 New Leaders Council Fellow. Arfa is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A. American Culture) and the University of Wisconsin School of Law (J.D.)

September 19, 2024

Dorval R. Carter, Jr. – President – Chicago Transit Authority

City Club event description:

Dorval R. Carter, Jr.
As President of the CTA, Dorval R. Carter, Jr. oversees more than 10,000 employees and helps ensure that everyone works together in adhering to the agency’s mission of delivering quality, affordable transit services that link people, jobs and communities.

Appointed as CTA President in 2015, Mr. Carter has led the way for unprecedented investment in CTA. Under Mayors Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot, Mr. Carter has overseen more than $8 billion of projects completed, begun or announced—including the largest construction project in CTA history (the Red and Purple Modernization), the largest railcar order in the agency’s history, and the reconstruction/rehabilitation of more than 40 rail stations.

Prior to becoming CTA President, Mr. Carter served as the Acting Chief of Staff to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, managing a department with more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation.

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Prior to that, Mr. Carter served as Acting Deputy Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as well as FTA’s Chief Counsel, where he provided support to the Department of Transportation’s General Counsel on legal matters concerning the federal transit program.

Mr. Carter is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2019 Motorola Foundation Excellence in Public Service Award from the Civic Federation of Chicago; the Transportation Research Board’s 2021 Thomas B. Deen Distinguished Lectureship; and most recently the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2021 Outstanding Public Transportation Manager Award, the same year the CTA was named APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation System.

A graduate of Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Carter also holds a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., as well as the Illinois and Federal bar associations.

September 17, 2024

Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch – Illinois House of Representatives

City Club event description:

Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch
Emanuel “Chris” Welch was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2013.  In January 2021, He became the first Black lawmaker to be elected House Speaker.

Since joining the House, he has focused on improving the state’s fiscal health, creating more equity in Black and brown communities, delivering more funds for classroom education, and creating opportunity for all.

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In 2022, he led the effort to secure the largest Democratic majority in modern Illinois history.  This supermajority, known as the Great 78, is one of the most diverse state legislatures in the nation and has championed legislation that has made Illinois a leader in clean energy, reproductive freedom, and gun violence prevention.

September 16, 2024

Rosa Escareño – General Superintendent and CEO – Chicago Park District

City Club event description:

Rosa Escareño
As the General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, Rosa Escareño manages one of the largest park systems in the country. The $475M system has nearly 9,000 acres of parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 16 historic lagoons, 11 museums, 8 golf-courses, 7 harbors, two world-class conservatories and one sports stadium.  During Escareño’s three-year tenure, she has strengthened community vibrancy through renewed equitable sustainable efforts; and has led the District through transformational change building on inclusion and improving the lives of families, Chicagoans and visitors who rely on recreational programs and special events. 

City Club video

Escareño is a lifelong public servant with 30 years of government experience and is considered a reformer and strategist, leading large-scale agency reforms that support working class families, strengthen communities, build economic and income equity, and grow small business opportunities under three Chicago Mayors. Prior to her appointment at the Park District, Escareño served as the Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection where she championed shared economy licensing reforms, established the Office of Labor Standards and expanded small business economies.

Ms. Escareño holds a Master of Science in Communications from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Chicago. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, she is a lifelong Chicagoan who resides on Chicago’s northwest side.

September 12, 2024

Kari K. Steele – President – Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

City Club event description:

Kari K. Steele
Kari K. Steele was elected November 6, 2012, to her first term as a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and re-elected in 2018 for a second term. In January 2019, she became the first African American woman in the more than 130-year history of the MWRD to be elected by the Board of Commissioners to serve as President. She is currently serving her third term. President Steele currently serves as the Chairman for the Affirmative Action and Maintenance & Operations committees. She is Vice Chairman of the Federal Legislation; Pension, Human Resources & Civil Service; and Industrial Waste & Water Pollution committees. In 2023, she was selected to serve as a board member on the Public Building Commission of Chicago.

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President Steele is a chemist, environmentalist, licensed real estate broker, and a community leader. She has more than 11 years of experience working as a chemist. She started her career at MWRD as an intern, working as a water sampler and lab technician. She also has experience working as a water chemist for the City of Chicago Department of Water Management’s

Jardine Water Purification Plant. This background makes President Steele uniquely qualified to discuss and analyze proposed operational changes and operational efficiencies. She is the first and only chemist serving on the MWRD Board of Commissioners. President Steele was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business in the 2023 Notable Women in STEM feature.

President Kari K. Steele earned a Pre-Medicine Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana. She has successfully completed the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy (2007); the University of Illinois Institute for Government and Politics Edgar Fellows Program (2014); and the Metropolitan Leadership Institute (2016).

September 11, 2024

Crime, Guns & Solutions: What Are We Doing to Stop the Flow of Illegal Guns in Illinois?
Moderated by WTTW’s Chicago Tonight Host Brandis Friedman
Christopher Amon – Special Agent in Charge, ATF Chicago Field Division, Brendan Kelly – Director, Illinois State Police, Kim Smith – Director of Programs UChicago Crime Lab and Education Lab

City Club event description:

The Joyce Foundation is hosting a three-part series, Ending Gun Violence in Chicago: Connecting Policy, Practice and Community, in partnership with the City Club of Chicago and in collaboration with WTTW’s Firsthand Initiative & WTTW News, join us at the second program.

Today, in Chicago there is a strong correlation between the flood of illegal guns — almost more than anywhere in the nation — and the volume of gun violence in our communities.

While the Chicago Police Department have made progress in getting guns off the streets — in 2023 CPD recovered more than 12,000 guns for the third consecutive year — that is a drop in the bucket and the flow of illegal guns continues.

Please join Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division, Brendan Kelly, Director of the Illinois State Police, and Kim Smith, Director of Programs for the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab to discuss the source of illegal guns coming into our region, and what can be done to eliminate them from our communities. This panel will be moderated by WTTW’s Chicago Tonight Host Brandis Friedman.

At the conclusion of these three forums, a white paper of the key takeaways and recommendations from the discussions will be developed and shared with policy makers and civic leaders in the region.

Speakers

Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon
Christopher Amon was appointed as the Special Agent in Charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chicago Field Division in March of 2023. As the Special Agent in Charge, Mr. Amon has responsibility over ATF operations in the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, The Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Northern District of Indiana.

Before arriving in Chicago, SAC Amon served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Washington Field Division since August 2020. In this role, Special Agent Amon supervised all ATF criminal enforcement operations in Washington, D.C.

Prior to this assignment, SAC Amon served as Chief of the Firearms Operation Division at ATF Headquarters, managing the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), the NIBIN National Correlation and Training Center (NNCTC), and ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Programs. He was also the Chairman of the National Crime Gun Intelligence Governing Board consisting of Chiefs of Police, United States Attorneys, District Attorneys, and Laboratory Directors from major cities nationwide.

SAC Amon began his career as a Special Agent in the Denver Field Division in 2005. He investigated violent crime and firearms trafficking organizations and was a crisis negotiator of ATF’s Los Angeles Special Response Team. Prior to joining ATF, SAC Amon worked for a member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A Brooklyn native, SAC Amon holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, and a master’s degree in professional studies from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is married with four children.

City Club video

Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly
Brendan F. Kelly was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker and confirmed unanimously by the Illinois Senate to serve as the eighth Director of the Illinois State Police in 2019. As Director, Kelly leads a public safety agency of nearly 3,000 employees and seven unique divisions, including the Divisions of Criminal Investigation, Patrol, Forensic Services, Justice Services, Academy and Training, Statewide 911, and Internal Investigation.

Director Kelly oversees the operations of statewide criminal investigations of violent crime, drug, gun and human trafficking; public corruption; and child exploitation; as well as special operations including SWAT, air operations, federal task force officers, and Illinois’ criminal intelligence fusion center. Additionally, Director Kelly oversees criminal interdiction and traffic patrol functions, statewide crime scene investigations and forensic laboratories, and 22 trafficking enforcement task forces, among other areas. Director Kelly serves on the Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, the board of Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), the Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association, and the Illinois Homeland Security Advisory Council. Director Kelly chaired the Firearms Restraining Order Task Force.

Director Kelly has sworn in more than 500 new troopers, initiated long needed changes to the firearms background check process and enforcement of firearms safety laws, and slashed forensic testing backlogs. Working with federal, state, and local law enforcement, and homeland security partners, Director Kelly has led the statewide law enforcement response to COVID-19, 2020 civil unrest, and preparations for the DNC. Director Kelly is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Saint Louis University School of Law, FBI National Executive Institute Class #44, and the Illinois State Police New Agent School, and has a certificate in International Law from Saint Louis University and Cybersecurity from Harvard University.

Kelly was a prosecutor and an elected State’s Attorney for 12 years, prosecuting every level of crime from gun and drug trafficking to crimes against children and heinous murders. Kelly is a veteran of the United State Navy. He has been married to an oncology nurse for 20 years and they have two sons.

Kim Smith
Kim Smith is the Director of Programs at the University of Chicago Crime Lab where she works across a portfolio of research projects in close partnership with government agencies and local nonprofits. She has worked extensively on the Crime Lab’s efforts to make data more accessible to the public, most recently by supporting the development and release of the Chicago Violence Reduction Dashboard, a tool for non-profit organizations, the media, and the general public, which provides near-real-time data and visualizations of violence trends. Prior to joining the Crime Lab, she worked at Innovations for Poverty Action, a research organization dedicated to discovering and advancing what works to improve the lives of people living in poverty. Kim was one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ 40 Under 40 in 2022, and a fellow in the 2023 class of Leadership Greater Chicago. Kim holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from McGill University.

September 10, 2024

Dr. Mark C. Reed, President, Loyola University Chicago in conversation with Omar Brown, Senior Vice President, Community and Impact, The Big Ten Conference

City Club event description:

Dr. Mark Reed
Mark C. Reed is the 25th president of Loyola University Chicago. One of the world’s leading Jesuit research universities, Loyola is also among the largest and most complex, with nearly 17,000 students, 13 colleges and schools, and four campuses in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy.

Prior to Loyola, Dr. Reed served for seven years as the first lay president of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. Before that, he served for fifteen years in multiple senior leadership roles, including senior vice president for administration and chief of staff, at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, where he was also honored with the Distinguished Faculty-Administrator Award.

Dr. Reed’s career has focused on strengthening the institutions he has served, particularly in the areas of expanded academic programs, academic excellence and impactful research, strategic partnerships, university finances and endowment, student formation, and advancement of the Jesuit, Catholic mission. Additionally, he has regularly taught undergraduate and graduate courses in calculus and statistics.

Dr. Reed has been engaged in addressing broader issues in education. He currently serves as a member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and its Finance Committee. He is a board member of the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL. He is past chair of the Council of Presidents for the Atlantic 10 Conference and past chair of the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

A lifelong product of Jesuit education, Dr. Reed earned a high school diploma from St. Joseph’s Prep, a BS in mathematics and MBA from Fairfield University, a MEd in secondary educational administration from Boston College, and an EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.

City Club video

Omar Brown
Omar Brown currently serves as senior vice president, community and impact. In this role, he drives diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout the conference. Among those initiatives are the Big Ten Equality Coalition – which engages, empowers, and educates student-athletes, administrators, partners, and alumni – and landmark events such as the historic Big Life Series trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama.

Brown oversees additional diversity initiatives including the Big Ten Advisory Commission and the Big Ten DEI Roundtable. In June 2022, he led the formation of LGBTQ+ Working Group to further elevate and amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ community across the Big Ten Conference.

He joined the conference in 2020 as vice president, people & culture, where he oversaw both DEI and HR efforts within the conference.

Prior to joining the Big Ten, Brown was an organizational transformation leader in Deloitte’s Human Capital Consulting practice, specializing in helping companies navigate through the complex people and process issues associated with business transformation.

From 2012 to 2015, Brown was part of the leadership team at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), where he spent more than two years as vice president of human resources (HR). It was in that role that he was responsible for keeping Chicago buses and trains moving by transforming HR’s focus to be “the heart” of the organization with a proactive customer-centric strategy to drive cultural change and support the CTA’s core values.

Throughout his career, Brown applied his experience in benefits consulting, finance, and diversity to counsel the City of Chicago, University of Illinois System, Illinois Housing Development Authority, General Board of Pension, and Aon Hewitt.

Brown is an adjunct professor at the Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business in its Baumhart Scholars program, where he lectures on managing and motivating in the workplace. He also serves on the boards of the NorthShore University HealthSystem and the McGaw YMCA of Evanston. Additionally, he is the president of the Fellowship of Afro-American Men (F.A.A.M.) basketball league, which supports middle school aged boys and girls in Evanston, Ill. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northeastern Illinois University.

September 4, 2024

Tackling the Chicago Reassessment – Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and Northern Trust Executive Vice President and CFO Jason Tyler

City Club event description:

In 2024, the Cook County Assessor’s Office is conducting its triennial reassessment of property values in the City of Chicago. These valuations determine how the tax burden gets divided up among property owners, and have far-reaching implications for equity and economic development across the city. Join Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and Jason Tyler, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Northern Trust, for a conversation about the reassessment and the outlook for commercial real estate in Chicago.

Speakers

Assessor Fritz Kaegi
Fritz Kaegi is the Cook County Assessor.

Prior to beginning his career in Cook County government, Fritz spent more than 20 years valuing assets as a mutual fund portfolio manager and analyst. In his 13 years at Columbia Wanger Asset Management, Fritz served as a financial steward, helping average families save for retirement and focusing on small companies operating around the world. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Illinois Assessment Officer designations. He is also a member of the IAAO, the International Association of Assessing Officers.

Since assuming office in 2018, Fritz has brought fairness, ethics and transparency to the Cook County Assessor’s Office with a vision focused on operational changes, technological upgrades, and the elimination of favoritism. These changes have increased predictability in the assessment system and spurred investment in Chicago and Cook County.

Fritz was born and raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago and still maintains close ties to the community. He attended Hyde Park’s Kenwood Academy for high school, completed his undergraduate studies at Haverford College, and received his MBA from Stanford University.

In 2020 Fritz received the A. Philip Randolph Change Agent Award from the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum and in 2021 the Adlai Stevenson Award for Public Service from the Chicago chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Fritz’s wife Rebecca is a teacher; they live in Oak Park, with their three children, where Fritz is a member of First United Methodist Church of Oak Park.

City Club video

Jason Tyler
Jason Tyler is Chief Financial Officer of Northern Trust, a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families, and individuals.

Born and raised in Chicago, Jason attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools where he developed a deep commitment to the city of Chicago, as well as independent thinking and leadership. Jason then attended Princeton University, majoring in Politics.

After ten years in banking, at what is now part of JP Morgan, Jason joined Ariel Investments, serving as Senior Vice President, Director of Research Operations and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

Jason also returned to the University of Chicago where he earned an MBA. Jason is a Trustee of the University of Chicago, Board Chair at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, a Director of TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:THS), Advance Illinois, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare Foundation, the Becker Friedman Institute, and the Joffrey Ballet where he formerly served as Chairman.

Jason devotes significant time to supporting the city of Chicago, the Lab Schools, and Princeton University. Those passions extend through his family. Both of Jason and Yolanda’s children (Ethan Tyler ’22 and Sydney Tyler ’27) graduated from Lab Schools before attending Princeton.

August 12, 2024

Superintendent Larry B. Snelling – Chicago Police Department

City Club event description:

Superintendent Larry B. Snelling
Larry B. Snelling is Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Superintendent Snelling joined CPD in 1992 as a patrol officer in his home community of Englewood. This type of community-based policing experience remained core to his values and his experience as he ascended through the department

After serving as a patrol officer in the 7th (Englewood) District, Superintendent Snelling was promoted to sergeant, serving in the 22nd (Morgan Park) District and Physical Skills and Operations sections for recruit training at the Police Academy. He returned to the 7th District as watch operations lieutenant before being promoted to commander, and later, deputy chief of Area 2.

City Club video

In 2022, Superintendent Snelling was promoted to Chief of the Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, which coordinates with the Office of Emergency Management and Communication and other city agencies, as well as other local, county, state and federal emergency responders, to respond to city emergencies. 

Superintendent Snelling redesigned the Department’s current force training model around national best practices and constitutional policing and has testified as an expert in federal use of force cases. Additionally, he was a lead trainer for field force training for the 2012 Chicago NATO Summit.

Superintendent Snelling was raised on the South Side of Chicago. He is a product of Chicago Public Schools, graduating from Englewood High School, and holds a bachelor’s degree in adult education from DePaul University.

July 25, 2024

Moderated by WTTW’s Chicago Tonight Host, Brandis Friedman – Panelists: Pamela Montgomery-Bosley (Purpose Over Pain of St. Sabina), Tim Daly (The Joyce Foundation), Dr. Rebecca Neusteter (UChicago Health Lab), Lorne Runnels (BlackRoots Alliance) and Eric Smith (BMO Bank / Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago)

City Club event description:

The Joyce Foundation is hosting a three-part series, Ending Gun Violence in Chicago: Connecting Policy, Practice and Community, in partnership with the City Club of Chicago.

In collaboration with BlackRoots Alliance and WTTW’s Firsthand Initiative & WTTW News, join us at the first event to engage with community advocates and business, civic and political leaders to discuss a range of solutions to address gun violence in our city.

At the conclusion of these three forums, a white paper of the key takeaways and recommendations from the discussions will be developed and shared with policy makers and civic leaders in the region.

Speakers

Pamela Bosley
Pamela Bosley was born and raised in the City of Chicago, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Olivet University in Illinois with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Trauma Informed Leadership from Dominique University. She spent more than 20 years in the banking industry. However, after one of her sons, Terrell Bosley at the age of 18 was shot and killed on the grounds of a church in 2006, she changed directions to make a difference in the lives of youth and parents whose children’s lives were taken by violence.

As St. Sabina’s Violence Prevention Executive Director, Pam oversees Purpose Over Pain where she advocates for common sense gun measures while designing creative support services that support survivor families on their journeys of transforming their pain into their new norm and purpose. Also, she has empowered young people to be leaders and self-advocates, guiding them to discover their own voices and abilities to bring change to their communities. As the Founder and CEO of the Terrell Bosley Association, the goal is to strengthen and heal communities.

Pam has been featured in several PSAs and magazines, a novel entitled How Long Will I Cry, and documentaries entitled “Under the Gun” and “Making A Killing.” She has also participated on may panels and spoken on the local and state levels against senseless gun violence in Illinois and elsewhere.

Pam believes that because her son Terrell can no longer speak, she must continue to be his voice for change. She says, “we can change the narrative of our youth and our communities by ending senseless gun violence together.”

Pam Bosley continues to reside in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and is the mother of 3 sons. It is her greatest wish to live and be happy without the element of senseless violence.

City Club video

Tim Daly
Tim Daly is Director of the Foundation’s Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program, focused on building safe and just communities in the Great Lakes region. Tim manages the Foundation’s grantmaking focused on policies and practices that reduce easy accessibility of guns to those at risk of violence; gun violence-related research and data infrastructure; litigation strategies; and education campaigns focused on the risks of gun ownership. Tim also co-directs the Foundation’s political violence pilot project, designed to respond to the threat of armed extremism, and to mitigate its impact on our democracy and democratic institutions.

Additionally, Tim serves as chair of the Fund for a Safer Future, a collaborative of 30 foundations and donors supporting efforts to prevent gun violence nationwide. He also co-chairs the gun policy action committee of the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, a donor collaborative focused on reducing gun violence in Chicago.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2019, Tim served as chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, and from 2014-2016, was managing director for the Guns and Crime policy section at the Center for American Progress (CAP). From 2010–2014, Tim also served as interim chief of staff and legislative director for U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), where he was responsible for establishing and directing the House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which Thompson continues to chair.

Tim also previously served as a fellow in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from 2009 to 2010; campaign manager and finance director for the Peter Franchot for Maryland state comptroller campaign; and communications director for U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) from 2004 to 2006.

Originally from Albany, New York, Tim graduated with honors and a degree in government and politics and economics from the University of Maryland in 2004. He also graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2010 and is admitted to the bar in New York State and the District of Columbia.

Dr. Rebecca Neusteter
Dr. S. Rebecca Neusteter is the Executive Director of the University of Chicago Health Lab. Dr. Neusteter has dedicated her career to advancing equity in the criminal justice and health care systems. Her work spans the country. She is focused on reducing justice system contact, disparities, and collateral consequences. She works to enhance public safety, civic participation, and opportunities to support health and vitality. Rebecca previously served as the Vera Institute of Justice’s founding Policing Program Director. Prior to that position, she served as Director of Research, Policy, and Planning for the NYPD. Rebecca has also served as Director of Criminal Justice for the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Research Associate for the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, Director of Criminal Justice Programs for The Doe Fund, Senior Analyst for the NYC Office of Management and Budget, and Deputy Director of Planning for the Center for Employment Opportunities.

Rebecca holds several appointments, including trustee of Friends of Island Academy, a nonprofit organization that supports and brings opportunity to youth during and after their time in New York City jails; Research Advisory Board member of the Police Executive Research Forum; and Research Advisory Committee member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Rebecca holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of the Graduate Center, City University of New York, an MS in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from the Milano Graduate School of the New School University, and a BA in Sociology from Chapman University

Lorne Runnels
Lorne Runnels is the Director of Organizing for BlackRoots Alliance. Lorne is a seasoned political organizer after spending much of his career in mortgage financing he returned to the work that was most important to him, providing equitable access to the Black community. His most recent role was as a State Director for one of the largest national coalitions of labor unions that supported his goals in mentoring future leaders.
Lorne has built his career of Black outreach and the understanding and adoption of holistic organizing to realize the necessity of a dynamic change. Lorne has spearheaded components of elections in not only local elections but statewide elections. He has worked in roles on electoral and advocacy and issue-based campaigns in Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. Lorne has also served as a organizer and director, overseeing outreach efforts, and coordinated with local leadership to build relationships within communities and increase member engagement, mobilization and victories. His passion for organizing and campaigns led him back to Chicago where he is excited to return to the work. He is dedicated to the efforts required for the Black liberation in his own backyard of Chicago, Illinois.

Eric Smith
Eric Smith is the Vice Chairman of BMO Bank. In this role, Eric is responsible for working with the Commercial Banking team and across other lines of business to develop the bank’s strategy and product capabilities as well as key client relationships. Eric is also an integral senior leader responsible for executing the successful integration of BMO’s recent $16 billion acquisition of Bank of the West. As an ambassador for the bank, Eric leads several firmwide initiatives including regulatory affairs, community affairs, and diversity and inclusion.

Eric joined BMO in January 2020 from Fifth Third Bank, where he served as the Regional President responsible for the growth and strategic alignment of the Commercial Banking, Wealth & Asset Management and Consumer businesses across the Chicagoland market. Prior to assuming that role in 2016, Eric served as Chief Financial Officer of Middle Market Banking for JPMorgan Chase for several years following his leadership role as a Managing Director in the Investment Bank responsible for advising Fortune 500 consumer product companies on mergers and acquisitions as well as debt and equity underwritings.

Eric has more than 25 years of banking experience, and he began his career with Merrill Lynch as a Financial Analyst in Public Finance. Eric has a long history of commitment to the non-profit and civic community as reflected through his board service and volunteerism. He is the Immediate Past Board Chairman of the Chicago Urban League; Chairman of the Board for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Foundation; Vice Chairman of the Board of Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Treasurer of the Economic Club of Chicago. Likewise, Eric is an active Board Member of the Chicago Public Education Fund, Commercial Club of Chicago, Navy Pier, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Ravinia. Eric is also a member of the Executives Club of Chicago, and the Executive Leadership Council.

Eric earned his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Howard University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife Kimberly Taylor-Smith have two daughters and they reside in Evanston, IL.

Brandis Friedman
Brandis Friedman is a co-anchor and correspondent for Chicago Tonight, and the host of Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, both on Chicago’s PBS affiliate, WTTW. Her reporting on education and criminal justice has appeared on PBS’ NewsHour and NPR’s The Takeaway. Before joining Chicago Tonight, Brandis worked as a reporter and anchor for WBBM Newsradio 780, and as a producer/reporter for WJLA-TV/ABC-7 in Washington, DC. In addition to earning multiple regional Emmy Awards for her work, she has earned multiple Peter Lisagor Awards, recognizing excellence in journalism, from the Chicago Headline Club.

Originally from Mississippi, Brandis’ work has taken her to numerous cities including Kansas City, Missouri, Little Rock, Arkansas and Wichita Falls, Texas. She has served on the board of the Chicago Headline Club, which is the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and is a member of the Education Writers Association and National Association of Black Journalists. Brandis is a graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans, where she earned a degree in Mass Communications, and Columbia University in New York City, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Journalism. Brandis lives in Evanston with her husband and two sons.