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.

July 18, 2024

From Legislation to Action: The Impact of Gun Safety Laws in Illinois – Moderated by G-PAC’s President & CEO Kathleen Sances – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Senate President Don Harmon, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly

City Club event description:

Since 2017, Illinois has ushered in five significant gun safety laws, thanks to the relentless commitment of survivors, advocates, and state leaders. These new laws were the first major strides of a concerted effort to challenge the state’s gun lobby and address the devastating impact of firearms on families and communities. During the summer months, historically associated with increased rates of gun violence, it is critical to reflect on the impact of these laws with state leaders and explore the next challenges in the mission to end gun violence in Illinois.

Speakers

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, born in Chicago to Haitian immigrants, brings a lifetime of legal experience and advocacy to the office. Attorney General Raoul launched his legal career as a Cook County prosecutor. Thereafter, he successively opened a general law practice, served as a higher education attorney for City Colleges of Chicago, and became a partner at two national corporate law firms.

In 2019, Raoul was sworn in as Illinois’ 42nd Attorney General. He took the oath to serve a second term as the state’s chief legal officer in January 2023. His office works to prevent consumer fraud, contend with crime and corruption, safeguard children, preserve the environment, defend the rights of individuals, and ultimately protect the interests of the State of Illinois and its residents.

Attorney General Raoul has combatted the scourge of gun violence in Illinois by prosecuting gun trafficking cases, developing a crime-gun-tracing database, defending the assault weapons ban, and successfully advancing legislation to hold accountable bad actors in the gun industry. Moreover, his office routinely trains law enforcement entities and constituents on the Illinois Firearms Restraining Order Act, conducts threat assessment trainings on targeted violence, and fights to enact and uphold legislation that promotes community safety.

Equally unceasing has been Attorney General Raoul’s advocacy of policies that protect and provide for survivors of gun violence. His office administers numerous programs on behalf of survivors, such as the Crime Victims Compensation Program and the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Grant.

City Club video

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon
In January 2020, Don Harmon was first elected by his colleagues to serve as the 39th President of the Illinois Senate, vowing to lead a new era of ethical progress as the Senate works to rebuild trust in public service and rationalize state tax policy.

Harmon was almost immediately tasked with guiding the Senate through a global pandemic. He took steps to keep members, staff and their families safe, and he oversaw rule changes to ensure the Senate could convene remotely, allowing vital business to continue.

Harmon, an Oak Park native, was first elected to the Illinois Senate in the fall of 2002. He represents the 39th Senate District, which consists of Oak Park, parts of the city of Chicago, and other suburbs, including Addison, Bensenville and Franklin Park.

During his time in the General Assembly, he championed early childhood education, ethics reform, curbing gun violence, protecting civil rights and expanding voter access.

He also worked to protect Illinois’ natural resources, promote renewable energy and enhancing economic opportunity for all.

Harmon has an undergraduate degree in English and economics from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and a law degree and MBA from the University of Chicago.

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.

Kathleen Sances
Kathleen Sances is the President and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC and the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee. Founded in 2013 by survivors of gun violence, G-PAC was created to counter the influence of the gun lobby in Illinois to enact meaningful legislation to protect communities impacted by gun violence. Since its founding, Kathleen has worked alongside state lawmakers, committed advocates and dedicated survivors to pass several significant laws, including the ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines, to make Illinois a national leader in gun safety.

Kathleen is also Policy Advisor to One Aim Illinois, which works in concert to educate elected officials and communities about evidence-based, life-saving policies, advocate for gun reform legislation, and support a gun safety majority in the Illinois General Assembly.

Kathleen also serves as a Board Member to LIVEFREE Illinois, an organization dedicated to the transformative mission of rebuilding black communities through the influential platform of the Black Church. She previously worked on political and issue campaigns, leading and consulting on nearly 100 campaigns since 2005, and also served as the Wheeling Township Democratic Committeeman.

July 11, 2024

Countdown to the DNC – Christy George (Executive Director, DNC Host Committee), Alex Hornbrook (Executive Director, DNC Committee) and John Roberson (City of Chicago, Chief Operating Officer)

City Club event description:

Join leaders Christy George, Executive Director of the DNC Host Committee, Alex Hornbrook, Executive Director of the Democratic National Convention Committee, and John Roberson, City of Chicago Chief Operating Officer, as they share the latest updates on plans to welcome the Convention and showcase the city.  Learn how you can play a role in one of the most important civic events of the decade.

Speakers

Christy George
Christy George currently serves as Executive Director to the Chicago DNC Host Committee. She is a dedicated public servant and problem solver. She joined Governor JB Pritzker’s Office in 2021 as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Budget & Economy leading the Governor’s business attraction and engagement efforts, workforce development priorities, crafting the Reimagining Energy & Vehicles (REV) Act, and overseeing the operations of multiple state agencies, boards and commissions. Before joining the Governor’s Office, George served as the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce Commission where she managed 200+ employees, the agency’s budget and operations, and the implementation of COVID-19 relief for utility ratepayers. Before that, George served in several roles at the City of Chicago including Deputy Budget Director for Public Safety, Assistant Commissioner at the Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection, and Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Department of Law. George obtained her J.D. at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University. She currently lives in the Beverly-Morgan Park neighborhood of Chicago with her husband and daughters.

City Club video

Alex Hornbrook
Alex Hornbrook led the DNC’s 2024 convention site selection process and currently serves as Executive Director of the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC). Before the Convention, he was DNC’s Director of Debate Planning in addition to the Director of Scheduling and Advance for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and Director of Scheduling to then-Vice President Biden. Alex grew up in Boston, MA before relocating to DC for college at George Washington University. Though he considers himself a proud Washingtonian, he has also lived in New York City and now Chicago.

John Roberson
John Roberson currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the City of Chicago. In this role, Roberson oversees the day-to-day operations of 37 departments with an annual budget of $16.2B. Prior to this role, Roberson served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle where he managed Government and Legislative Affairs and strategic operational departments and initiatives.

Roberson has had a long career in both the public and private sector. He has served as Chief of Staff to 17th Ward Alderman David Moore, Managing Principal with Electronic Knowledge Interchange (EKI), a Chicago based technology company as well as VP for Strategic Partnerships with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

Roberson’s career also includes serving in several senior executive roles under former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Under Mayor Daley, Roberson served as Commissioner of the Department of Aviation, Commissioner of Buildings, Commissioner of Sewers, Chief of Development for CHA and the first Executive Director of the Department of Construction and Permits.

Roberson is an Air Force Veteran who received commendations for his service during the Persian Gulf War. Roberson has received several awards and recognitions including Crain’ Chicago 40 Under 40, Xi Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Statesman of the Year and the national Young Public Administrator of the Year of NFBPA.

His community service includes serving as the Chairman of the Local School Council of Lindblom Math and Science Academy, a nationally ranked selective enrollment junior/senior high school located on Chicago’s South Side.

He is a graduate of Roosevelt University and a proud and enthusiastic member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. Roberson is the father of three children: John(28), Jasmine(25) and Joelle(18).

June 25, 2024

Patrick J. Kennedy: Profiles in Mental Health Courage – Join us for a compelling conversation about the bravery and resilience of those living with mental illnesses and addictions.

City Club event description:

Patrick J. Kennedy
During his 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Rhode Island’s First Congressional District, Patrick J. Kennedy fought to end discrimination against those with mental illness, addiction, and other brain diseases. He is best known as the lead sponsor of the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Federal Parity Law), which was passed with bi-partisan support and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 3, 2008. The Federal Parity Law provides millions of Americans, previously denied care, with access to mental health and addiction treatment by requiring insurance companies to cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders no more restrictively than treatment for illnesses of the body, such as diabetes and cancer.

In addition to the Federal Parity Law, Kennedy authored and co-sponsored dozens of bills during his time in Congress to increase the understanding and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the Positive Aging Act; Foundations for Learning Act; National Neurotechnology Initiative Act; Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act; COMBAT PTSD Act; Nurse-Family Partnership Act; Alzheimer’s Treatment and Caregiver Support Act; and Ready, Willing, and Able Act, which called on the Department of Homeland Security to deploy a civilian response system to blunt the psychological impact of terrorism. He served on various committees and subcommittees, including the House Appropriations Committee; the Subcommittee on Health, Education and Welfare; the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs.

City Club video

In 2013, he founded The Kennedy Forum, a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead a national dialogue on transforming mental health and addiction care delivery by uniting mental health advocates, business leaders, and government agencies around a common set of principles, including full implementation of the Federal Parity Law. The Forum aims to achieve health equity by advancing evidence-based practices, policies, political will, and programming in mental health and addiction treatment.

In 2023, Patrick Kennedy and The Kennedy Forum launched the Alignment for Progress, a National Strategy for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, which is a dynamic resource for federal policymakers that lays the groundwork for a community system of care and defines a shared path forward toward better mental health and substance use care for all. At the Alignment for Progress conference, Kennedy called for “90/90/90 by 2023!” A goal to have 90% of all individuals screened for mental and substance use disorders, 90% of those in need able to receive evidence-based treatment, and 90% of those receiving treatment able to manage their symptoms in recovery.

On April 30, 2024, Patrick Kennedy’s second book with co-author, Stephen Fried, was released, “Profiles in Mental Health Courage.” Profiles in Mental Health Courage portrays the dramatic journeys of a diverse group of Americans who have struggled with their mental health. This book offers deeply compelling stories about the bravery and resilience of those living with a variety of mental illnesses and addictions. When Kennedy’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy, published his classic book Profiles in Courage, he hoped to inspire “political courage” by telling the stories of brave U.S. senators who changed America. In Profiles in Mental Health Courage, former Congressman Kennedy adapts his uncle’s idea to inspire the “mental health courage” it takes for those with these conditions to treat their illnesses, and risk telling their stories to help America face its crisis in our families, our workplaces, our jails, and on our streets. The resounding silence surrounding these illnesses remains persistent, and this book takes an unflinching look at the experience of mental illness and addiction that inspires profound connection, empathy, and action.

Amid countless recognitions, meaningful partnerships, and political affiliations, Kennedy’s most important achievement continues to be leveraging his family legacy in the arenas of civil rights, mental health, and intellectual disabilities to advance the cause of social justice and health equity for all people. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Amy, and their children.

June 20, 2024

Illinois’ Abortion Reality: Serving as a National Access Point and Model for Patient-Centered Care – moderated by State Senator Lakesia Collins – Panelists: Sarah Garza Resnick (Personal PAC), Megan Jeyifo (Chicago Abortion Fund), Chelsea Souder (Hope Clinic), Dr. Jonah Fleisher (UIHealth)

City Club event description:

Ahead of the second anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Whole Women’s Health Organization, the case that eliminated the federal right to abortion, hear from Illinois abortion advocates, providers, and funds about Illinois as a national access point for abortion care, and how they’re managing this ongoing public health crisis.

Speakers
State Senator Lakesia Collins
Lakesia Collins is a State Elected Official hailing from Chicago, with a dedication to public service and advocacy. As a devoted mother of three and a former nursing home worker, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Notably, Lakesia served as a spokesperson for the “Fight for 15” campaign for Healthcare Workers, demonstrating her commitment to fair labor practices.

Currently representing the 5th Senate District after previously serving as the representative for the 9th House District, Lakesia has been instrumental in passing significant legislation to address various societal needs. As a freshman legislator, she successfully championed bills aimed at restoring childcare services, providing free dental care for low-income families and veterans, safeguarding reproductive rights, and reforming the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

In her capacity as a legislator, Lakesia remains actively engaged in the legislative process, serving on multiple committees such as Early Childhood Education, Financial Institutions, Human Rights, Public Health, and Revenue. Additionally, she holds the position of Vice-Chair for Child Care Access and Early Childhood, highlighting her dedication to early childhood development and accessibility.

Driven by a vision of development without displacement, Lakesia remains steadfast in her pursuit of creating more opportunities for families and individuals across the 5th Senate District.

Dr. Jonah Fleisher
Jonah Fleisher is the medical director for the Center for Reproductive Health at UI Health. In this role, he provides comprehensive reproductive healthcare including abortion to people from Illinois and across the country. Dr. Fleisher is the Co-Director of the CARLA program, a statewide navigation center that helps patients with complex medical needs access hospital-based abortion care. He received his medical degree from Northwestern University, completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University, and his fellowship in Complex Family Planning at New York University and Bellevue Hospital. He completed a Masters in Public Health from New York University.

City Club video

Sarah Garza Resnick
Sarah Garza Resnick (she/her) is the President and CEO of Personal PAC. Prior to this role she was the Chief Deputy Assessor for Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, the Chief of Staff to Cook County Clerk David Orr, and a Cook County Public Defender. Sarah Garza Resnick graduated from Cardozo School of Law, where she worked at the Innocence Project. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics from Brandeis University and her master’s degree in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics. She is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow (2023), an Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Fellow (2018), and serves on the board of Mishkan.

Megan Jeyifo
Megan Jeyifo (she/her) is a mama who has had abortions and the Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF). She is an expert in navigating onerous restrictions and barriers to abortion care across the country– informed by conversations with thousands of CAF callers and her own experiences obtaining care– and supports people with tenacity and softness. Under her leadership, CAF has experienced exponential growth in size, staffing, budget, scope and impact. This growth has enabled the fund to support every single person they reach on their hotline; no one has been turned away for assistance in close to five years despite exponential increases in case volume, complexity, and cost as thousands of people across the South and Midwest are forced to travel for abortion care. Megan was named a 2022 Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine and is a 2023 mayoral appointee to the City of Chicago’s Advisory Council for Women.

Chelsea Souder
Chelsea Souder, MPH (she/her) is motivated to help create a world where all people can plan their families as they see fit, and to parent the children they do have in safe and healthy environments. Chelsea is the Co-owner of Hope Clinic in Granite City, IL and currently working to open a second location specializing in abortion care later in pregnancy in Chicago, IL. She has a Master’s in Public Health, specializing in Maternal and Child Health, with professional and academic experience in delivery of reproductive healthcare and advocating for survivors of violence. Chelsea has sat on boards for abortion and LGBTQ+ healthcare and she has contributed to multiple publications on abortion access and delivery of care. She is currently a member of the Abortion Care Network’s Racial Justice and Equity committee as well as the Women’s Fund of Omaha Circles Leadership Class 12. She is the Founder and Director of Nebraska Abortion Resources (NEAR), Nebraska’s only state wide abortion fund. She has four wild children who keep her busy and tired.

June 18, 2024

Ellen Alberding – President & CEO, The Joyce Foundation – In conversation with Laura Washington

City Club event description:

Ellen Alberding
As president & CEO and board member of the Joyce Foundation, Ellen oversees the charitable distribution of $65 million annually from assets of $1.3 billion. Under her leadership, Joyce has gained national prominence with a grant portfolio rooted in the core belief that communities are stronger when they share benefits broadly. The Joyce Foundation funds the development and advancement of policy reforms to address racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation. It invests heavily in research to gather facts and data so that proposed policy solutions are based on solid evidence.

As chief executive of Joyce, Ellen is active in the regional and national policy arena. She is one of the founders of the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC), a funder collaborative investing in community-based strategies to reduce gun violence in Chicago. Ellen serves as an independent director of the PGIM Mutual Fund’s Board of Directors, a member of the Loyola University Board of Trustees, a member of the Chicago Public Education Fund’s Board of Directors, and is a founding board member of Advance Illinois, which advocates for public education reform. She was also a founding board member of Skills for America’s Future, which works to meet the needs of business and improve employment opportunities for community college students.

Ellen also serves on the National Park Foundation’s National Council, having been a former board member of NPF, and has served as Vice Chair of City Colleges of Chicago. From 2010 to 2016, Ellen was a board member of the Economic Club of Chicago. She is frequently invited to speak on a range of issues, from the impact of public policy, the role of foundations in addressing the nation’s challenges, and philanthropic accountability and governance.

Ellen holds a bachelor’s degree in English with honors from Brown University, and an MBA from Northwestern University.

City Club video

Laura Washington
Laura S. Washington is a contributing columnist for the Chicago Tribune and political analyst at ABC-7, Chicago’s ABC-owned station. Before moving to the Tribune, she served as a longtime contributing columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

In 2015 and 2019 she served as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

Washington brings more than two award-winning decades of experience as a non-profit professional and multi-media journalist. She specializes in African American affairs, local and national politics, race and racism, and social justice. From 2003 to 2009 she served as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor at DePaul University and fellow at the DePaul Humanities Center.

Washington earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from The Medill School at Northwestern University, where she has also taught and lectured.

Her work has been honored with dozens of local and national awards, including two Chicago Emmys, the Peter Lisagor Award, the Studs Terkel Award for Community Journalism and the Racial Justice Award from the YWCA. Washington is a founding inductee to the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement. The Chicago Community Trust awarded her a Community Service Fellowship, for “exemplary service, commitment and leadership in individuals from the nonprofit sector.” In 2018, she was named an inaugural inductee to the Chicago Women’s Journalism Hall of Fame.

Her civic activities include serving on the boards of The Field Museum, The Arts Club of Chicago, Block Club Chicago, Global Girl Media-Chicago, the Chicago Headline Club Foundation, and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity.

June 10, 2024

Featuring remarks from The Chicago Community Trust President and CEO Andrea Sáenz and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey – Panelists: Sarah Conway (City Bureau), Jacqueline Serrato (South Side Weekly), Trina Reynolds-Tyler (Invisible Institute) & Mackenzie Warren (Medill Local News Accelerator). Moderated by Olivia Obineme (Public Narrative)

City Club event description:

Chicago is home to nearly 80 independent news outlets, many of which have garnered national attention and acclaim. Our city is an epicenter for experimentation, innovation, and collaboration. However, beneath this exterior lies a challenge—many Chicago news organizations, despite their excellence, are undercapitalized.

By making philanthropic investments in a diverse range of news outlets, Press Forward Chicago aims to ensure residents have access to relevant, credible, and trusted information.

Join us at the Experimental Station for a reception and conversation about transforming support for local news in Chicago and its impact in our community. Hear from philanthropic leaders, media experts, and local journalists, including two recent Chicago journalists who won the Pulitzer Prize winners for Local News for their cross-newsroom collaboration.

Speakers
Sarah Conway
Sarah Conway is a senior reporter at City Bureau and writes stories rooted in records and data about Chicago’s deeply marginalized and overlooked people.

In 2024, Sarah won the Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for Missing in Chicago, a seven-part investigative series with City Bureau and the Invisible Institute that exposed systemic patterns of mismanagement in Chicago police’s handling of missing persons cases — which disproportionately affect Black women and girls. Published with the Chicago Reader, South Side Weekly, The TRiiBE, and Word in Black (a groundbreaking collaboration of 10 legendary Black news publishers), the investigation came at a critical moment in Illinois as elected officials work to address Chicago’s missing persons crisis.

Sarah was a Social Justice News Nexus fellow at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and an International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) reporting grantee in 2019. There, Sarah designed and wrote Asylum City, a year-long look into the stories of asylum seekers in Chicago that culminated in a 10-part project that included first-person narratives, reported features, and a nonfiction graphic novel. IWMF named Sarah one of 19 women changing journalism in 2019 who “against all odds are turning the tide with reporting that challenges traditional narratives and brings new stories to light.”

Sarah is a New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism graduate. Before Sarah’s career in journalism, she was a public survey project manager and researcher focused on civic engagement in Iraq. Sarah lived and worked in Ghana, Madagascar, Niger, and Iraq.

Jacqueline Serrato
Jacqueline Serrato has been the editor-in-chief of South Side Weekly since 2020. Previously, she worked as a contributor to The Chicago Reporter in 2019 and Multimedia Producer at Hoy Media from 2017 to 2019. She has also worked as a Production Assistant at WTTW/Chicago PBS from 2016 to 2017 and an editor at Pilsen Portal (Chicago Voz) from 2015 to 2016. In 2015 she was a WBEZ Community Reporting Fellow at Chicago Public Media. She has received multiple awards, including the 2022 Studs Terkel Award, Public Narrative’s 2022 Community Media Award, and the 2022 Peter Lisagor Award.

City Club video

Trina Reynolds-Tyler
Trina Reynolds-Tyler is the Data Director at the Invisible Institute, a journalist, and a native of the South Side Chicago. She leads Beneath the Surface, a project employing machine learning to identify gender based violence at the hands of Chicago police. Trina works to document how communities unable to depend on the police are forced to create safety and accountability outside of the carceral state. As a data scientist, she centers the practice of narrative justice in her inquiries.

Trina won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for the investigative series Missing in Chicago.

Trina is an abolitionist and trained restorative justice practitioner, an organizer with Not Me We, and is serving on a University of Chicago council attempting to measure the institution’s impact on local residents of the South Side. She developed the skills to use data science for real world problems as a Pozen Center for Human Rights intern with the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG), and was a Pearson Institute Fellow. Trina holds a masters degree in public policy from the University of Chicago.

She has spoken at the Yale Access and Accountability Conference (2022), Stanford Women in Data Science (2023), and gave the Community Keynote at the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (ACM FAccT) (2023)

Mackenzie Warren
Mackenzie Warren directs Northwestern Medill’s Local News Accelerator. He specializes in transforming organizations through research and insights, content strategy, business strategy, new product development and executive leadership development. Before coming to Northwestern, he held a number of executive roles at the USA TODAY Network/Gannett, the largest publisher in the United States. As senior director of news strategy, he guided large Pulitzer Prize-winning titles like USA TODAY, the Detroit Free Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Arizona Republic, Cincinnati Enquirer, The Courier Journal in Louisville, The Tennessean in Nashville and others through their transition to consumer-supported businesses.

Olivia Obineme
Olivia Obineme is a content and people strategist and visual journalist based in Chicago, Illinois. She is currently the director of journalism and media engagement at Public Narrative, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that focuses on narrative change through community bridge-building, workshops, and programming. She is also a coach for the 2024 Local News Accelerator program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, leveraging her expertise to foster growth and innovation in journalism among various communities.

A proud first-generation Nigerian-American and Baltimore native, Obineme holds a master’s degree in media innovation and entrepreneurship (now known as media innovation and content strategy) from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her work has been featured in various publications, and she has received recognition for her contributions to journalism projects, including the Peter Lisagor Award and the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Editorial Award. Additionally, she has been involved in various journalism programs and organizations, including the Chicago Headline Club, where she served as the 2023 VP of FOIA Fest, leading its fully hybrid version and bringing it back to in-person engagement since the height of the pandemic.

June 5, 2024

Chicago on a Global Stage: How NASCAR Chicago Drives Tourism – Moderated by NBC Chicago 5’s Leila Rahimi – Julie Giese (Chicago Street Race), Jeff Behnke (Motorsports, NBC Sports Group), Marty Snider (Pit Reporter, NBC Sports) and Kara Bachman (Chicago Sports Commission)

City Club event description:

Speakers

Kara Bachman
Kara Bachman is the Executive Director of the Chicago Sports Commission (CSC), a part of Choose Chicago, the official destination marketing organization for the city of Chicago. As Executive Director, she’s responsible for leading Chicago’s efforts in recruiting high-profile, major sporting events that help create visitor demand, drive significant economic impact, create jobs and generate positive media exposure for Chicago.

Joining CSC in January 2012, Bachman was promoted to Executive Director in April 2014. Under her leadership, Chicago has won highly sought-after business with national and international appeal, such as: 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, the 2015 & 2016 NFL Draft, 2016 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, multiple Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournaments, multiple NCAA Championships, including the 2017 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, 2018 Laver Cup, 2020 NBA All Star, the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race (2023), among others.

Bachman’s influential network extends globally and includes major professional leagues with the MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL and WNBA to some of the highest regarded international federations and national governing bodies, such as FIBA, FIVB, USA Basketball, USA Hockey, USA Rugby, USA Volleyball, World Rugby, etc. Bachman was responsible for bringing the NFL Draft to Chicago in 2015, for the first time in 51 years it was hosted outside of New York City; she’s also lured international brands like the New Zealand All Blacks to the Chicago market, driving record-breaking attendance and occupancy rates that benefit locals and visitors alike – including the 2016 test between NZRU and IRFU resulting in the Irish defeating New Zealand at Soldier Field for the first time in 111 years.

A native Chicagoan and life-long athlete, Bachman started her career in sports as part of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Committee. Bachman’s passion for her city and commitment to Chicago’s future is evidenced by her dedication to leadership and the praise of her peers. She was named to Crain’s 40 under 40 Class of 2016, where she was recognized as one of Chicago’s most influential leaders. In 2017, she was named to the Class of 2017 for Leaders Under 40 Awards, a global search for the best talent in the business of sport under the age of 40; and most recently, recognized by Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association (IHLA) with the 2023 Ambassador of Hospitality Award. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame (since 2017). She’s a member of the City Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Bachman is a graduate of the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University of Chicago and holds her M.B.A. in International Business and Finance. She earned her B.A. in International Relations from Colgate University and was a member of Colgate’s Division I Women’ Ice Hockey team.

Jeff Behnke
An 11- time Emmy Award-winning sports television producer and executive, Jeff Behnke joined NBC Sports in January of 2013, as Vice President of NASCAR Production. Operating out of Charlotte, N.C., Behnke serves as the day-to-day leader in all areas of NBC Sports’ NASCAR production efforts.

In addition to overseeing production planning and editorial content for NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage, Behnke also oversees production planning for NBC Sports’ coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, SuperMotocross, and IMSA.

City Club video

Julie Giese
Julie Giese is President of the Chicago Street Course, leading the bold initiative to bring NASCAR racing to city streets for the first time in the organization’s 75-year history. Under Giese’s stewardship, the inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend drew visitors from all 50 states and 15 countries to Chicago and resulted in more than $108 million in economic impact for the city. Named “Best New Event of 2023” by Sports Business Journal, the 2023 Chicago Street Race was the most-watched Cup Series race on NBC in six years and NBC’s most-streamed NASCAR race ever.

From 2018-2022, she served as President of Phoenix Raceway, overseeing the promotion and operation of the top motorsports and entertainment destination in the Phoenix market. While leading Phoenix Raceway, Giese also oversaw the marketing efforts for NASCAR’s 13 national series track properties in her role as NASCAR’s Vice President, Track Marketing. Prior to those roles, she served as the Managing Director of Business Operations for International Speedway Corporation’s (ISC) Design & Development, leading the coordination between ISC’s 13 race tracks, internal corporate departments and the Design & Development team on the company’s significant capital investment and redevelopment projects, including the $178 million modernization project at Phoenix Raceway.

Joining ISC in 2001, Giese has taken on roles with increasing responsibility, from Director of Public Relations at Watkins Glen International to Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Daytona International Speedway, where she spent 12 years overseeing all aspects of consumer marketing, branding, creative, advertising, digital, public relations and event entertainment at the “World Center of Racing.” Giese played a leading role in the redevelopment of the Daytona International Speedway, managing the marketing and branding of the project as well its opening in 2016.

Giese has been recognized as one of Forbes’ “Women in Sports to Watch,” Sports Business Journal’s “Game Changers,” AZ Business Magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Arizona,” Cynopsis’ “Top Woman in Sports,” and Axios Chicago’s “Power Players.”

Giese, a native of Wisconsin, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Marty Snider
Marty Snider serves as a pit reporter for NBC Sports’ NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series and INDYCAR coverage. Snider is also the pre and post-race host for NASCAR studio coverage and regularly contributes to NBC Sports’ fan-favorite NASCAR call-in show NASCAR America Motormouths.

Snider previously worked with NBC Sports as a NASCAR pit reporter from 1999 until 2006, and on assignments for Football Night in America and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition, Snider has covered Professional Bull Riding, off-road racing and open wheel racing for NBC Sports.

Leila Rahimi
Leila Rahimi is the main sports anchor at NBC 5 Chicago, anchoring weeknight sportscasts, and “Sports Sunday,” the weekly in-depth sports program. She joined NBC 5 in November 2021. She joined NBC Sports Chicago in 2015, where she served as a pregame and postgame host for both the White Sox and Cubs, and also was a sideline reporter for the Chicago Bulls, along with hosting and anchoring various sports shows for the network, covering Chicago area sports.

Additionally, Rahimi has worked for NBC Sports national broadcasts, including two Olympic Games—in South Korea in 2018, and Beijing in 2022, serving as the rinkside reporter for the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments. Rahimi also hosts on 670 “The Score” weekly on the “Bernstein and Holmes” show, along with filling in regularly for both hosts. In 2021, when she was named a full-time cohost there, she was the first woman in station history to co-host a regular weekday show, as half of “Bernstein and Rahimi.”

May 21, 2024

Water Innovation: Turning Waste into Health and Wealth – moderated by Michael Hawthorne of the Chicago Tribune – Alaina Harkness (Executive Director of Current and CEO and principal investigator (PI) of Great Lakes ReNEW) and Junhong Chen (Crown Family Professor of Molecular Engineering in the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Lead Water Strategist at Argonne National Laboratory)

City Club event description:

The Midwest has a moonshot moment for climate leadership – and to realize it, we need to accelerate the pace of water innovation. Home to one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, the Great Lakes region has the opportunity to lead the world in solving water challenges, from PFAS contamination to recovering nutrients, critical materials, and energy. Great Lakes ReNEW – a six-state, bipartisan coalition based in Chicago – has won a historic investment of up to $160M over the next 10 years from the National Science Foundation to turn water “waste into wealth.”

Join Alaina Harkness, executive director of Chicago-based Current and CEO and principal investigator (PI) of Great Lakes ReNEW and Junhong Chen, co-PI, Crown Family Professor of Molecular Engineering in the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Lead Water Strategist at Argonne National Laboratory, for a discussion on the future of water innovation. Their conversation will be moderated by Michael Hawthorne of the Chicago Tribune.

Speakers

Alaina Harkness
Alaina Harkness is the Executive Director of Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub, and the CEO for Great Lakes ReNEW, a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine focused on resource recovery and the circular blue economy. Under her tenure, Current has attracted over $30M in federal and state investments for water innovation and economic development, launched the first ever real-time water quality monitoring platform in a US urban waterway (Chicago and Calumet Rivers), and supported the commercialization of more than a dozen water startups.

Prior to Current, Alaina held impactful roles at economic development firm RW Ventures, the Brookings Institution, the John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Chicago Community Trust. She has published research for the Brookings Institution, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Crain’s Chicago Business, the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, and CityLab. She holds a B.A. in political science and art history from the University of Rochester, and masters degrees in Public Policy and Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago. Alaina currently serves on the Illinois Workforce Investment Board and the board of Urban Initiatives.

City Club video

Junhong Chen
Junhong Chen is currently a Crown Family Professor of Molecular Engineering at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and lead water strategist at Argonne National Laboratory.

Prior to coming to Chicago, Prof. Chen served as a program director for the Engineering Research Centers (ERC) program of the US National Science Foundation (NSF).  He also served as a co-chair of the NSF-wide ERC Working Group to design the ERC Planning Grants program and the Gen-4 ERC program.  In addition, Chen was a representative from the Engineering Directorate serving on the NSF-wide Working Groups for NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and NSF Research Traineeship (NRT).

Prior to joining NSF in May 2017, he was a regent scholar of the University of Wisconsin System, a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering and an Excellence in Engineering Faculty Fellow in Nanotechnology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). He served as the director of NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) on Water Equipment & Policy (WEP) for six years.  He founded NanoAffix Science LLC to commercialize real-time water sensors based on 2D nanomaterials.

Chen received his PhD in mechanical engineering from University of Minnesota in 2002 and was a postdoctoral scholar in chemical engineering at California Institute of Technology from 2002 to 2003.  Chen is an elected fellow of National Academy of Inventors and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is a recipient of the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) Medal.  His start-up company, NanoAffix, is a recipient of the 2016 Wisconsin Innovation Award.

Michael Hawthorne
Michael Hawthorne is a Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune. He has written extensively about the Great Lakes and Chicago River, the dangers of toxic chemicals in household products and the lingering hazards of brain-damaging lead in homes and drinking water. Hawthorne covered state government and the environment for newspapers in Florida, Illinois and Ohio before joining the Tribune in 2004.

May 17, 2024

Elevation of the Conversation with Governor J.B. Pritzker – This event promises to be an evening of inspiration and insight as we delve into the Governor’s “why” and explore ways to elevate the conversation in our civic community, all while enjoying drinks, hors d’oeuvres and amazing views from Chicago Cut’s brand-new Private Dining Room

City Club event description:

Governor JB Pritzker
Governor JB Pritzker was sworn in as the 43rd Governor of Illinois on Jan. 14, 2019. Since taking office, he has accomplished one of the most ambitious and consequential policy agendas in state history.

The governor won bipartisan passage for Rebuild Illinois, the largest investment in state history to upgrade roads, bridges, rail, broadband, and schools. He overcame years of fiscal mismanagement in Illinois by proposing and passing a balanced budget every year, eliminating the state’s multi-billion dollar bill backlog, reducing the state’s pension liability, and achieving six credit upgrades from rating agencies. He took bold action to put state government back on the side of working families by creating jobs, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, protecting reproductive rights, making university and community college education more affordable, and advancing equal pay for women.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Pritzker saved lives and livelihoods by prioritizing the health and safety of Illinois residents while supporting families and businesses through the COVID-induced recession. To protect hardworking families from additional hardship, one of the defining features of the governor’s response to the COVID financial crisis was launching the nation’s largest pandemic relief grant program for small businesses and the nation’s largest housing assistance program.

City Club video

In 2021, Governor Pritzker proposed and signed a comprehensive clean energy bill, making Illinois a national leader on climate action and the first state in the Midwest to pass a law phasing out fossil fuels.

Before becoming governor, Pritzker founded 1871, the non-profit small business incubator in Chicago. Since its creation, Chicago has been named one of the top ten technology startup hubs in the world, and 1871 was named the best incubator in the world. As governor, he continues to expand support for new business creation throughout the state and cut taxes for hundreds of thousands of small businesses while incentivizing job creation. Since 2019, annual new business startups in Illinois have grown by nearly 70%. Illinois now has the largest growth in small business creation among the largest states in the nation, beating states like California, Texas, Florida and New York.

Governor Pritzker and his wife, MK, have been married for more than 25 years, and they are the proud parents of daughter, Teddi, and son, Don.