UNBOSSED by Marina

Today’s Episode: Interview with Kim Fountain, Chief Administrative Officer at Center on Halsted

Dr. Kim Fountain is currently the Chief Administrative Officer at Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ Community Center and the Finance Chair for the Board of Directors for the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. She has been involved in the LGBTQ+ Movement professionally since 1995 and has published in academic journals, in edited volumes, and in organizational reports on this work. Her public speaking engagements range from industry conference presentations to local and global audiences to keynote addresses and media engagements.

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Hello, I'm Marina.

I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS...

“Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Available on-

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv

Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt

And others..

Danielle DuMerer is the VP of Technology at the Shedd Aquarium and Lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

She has managed teams and developed tech products in the public and private sectors for more than 15 years.

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Oh Hey, and I'm Marina. I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS… “Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io.

Lakshmi Shenoy is the CEO of Embarc Collective, the innovation hub in downtown Tampa that helps Tampa Bay’s startup talent build bold, scalable, thriving companies. Before moving to Tampa Bay, Lakshmi was in Chicago and served as the Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at 1871, the #1 university-affiliated business incubator in the world. Prior to 1871, Lakshmi worked at Prophet Brand Strategy, Time Inc., Procter & Gamble and Leo Burnett. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Lakshmi currently serves on the board for The Florida Aquarium and Junior Achievement Tampa Bay.

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Oh Hey, and I'm Marina. I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS… “Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io.

Hello, I'm Marina.

I am a technologist, mom, podcast, host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS...

“Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Available on-

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv

Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt

And others..

Today’s Episode: Interview with Michelle Larson, President and CEO at Adler Planetarium

Michelle Larson attributes her career path to looking up, literally. Growing up in Alaska she

enjoyed the beauty of the Northern Lights, and she became further captivated by astronomy in

her 20s when she pointed a pair of binoculars at the Moon. The stunning details visible on its

craggy surface were a complete surprise, and the experience left her eager to explore what

other secrets the cosmos had to offer. Now, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the

Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Michelle leads a talented team that connects people to the

Universe and each other under the sky we all share.

Since Michelle joined the Adler Planetarium in 2013, that team has found new and innovative

ways to meet people wherever they are and welcome them into the scientific community. The

museum has expanded astronomy programming and partnerships in neighborhoods across

Chicago; developed online experiences that engage people around the world through virtual

field trips, sky observing hangouts, and even a space comedy show; and the Adler remains

home to Earth’s largest platform for citizen science, the Zooniverse—an online tool that

connects researchers with millions of volunteers around the globe.

Michelle earned her PhD in physics from Montana State University, and serves on several

national and Chicago-area advisory boards. She lives just outside Chicago with her

husband—who is also an astrophysicist—their daughter, and three cats.

Recommendations:

Hello, I'm Marina.

I am a technologist, mom, podcast, host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS...

“Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Available on-

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv

Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt

And others..

Today’s Episode: Interview with Shelley A. Davis, President and CEO at The Coleman Foundation

Shelley Davis has dedicated her career in the non-profit and philanthropic sector and is a lifelong Chicago Southsider who grew up in the South Shore neighborhood. In her early career she provided crisis intervention counseling and policy advocacy. She began working in philanthropy during graduate school at the University of Illinois, Chicago with a fellowship at The Field Foundation. Shelley credits excellent mentoring and training at The Ford Foundation and The Joyce Foundation for guiding her development as a grantmaker, instilling a deep appreciation for the privilege and responsibilities of moving resources to benefit communities, and preparing her for the challenges of senior management. For the past ten years Shelley has held leadership roles as Vice President at the Chicago Foundation for Women and in 2013 as the inaugural Executive Director of the Forest Preserve Foundation where she raised funds and made grants to support ecological restoration projects in Cook County preserves and opportunities for families and children from a diversity of backgrounds to enjoy nature.

Equally important to Shelley are her civic commitments. She is Board chair of the Albert Pick Jr. Fund, Trustee for Lawrence University where she earned a bachelor degree in psychology, and she serves as an Illinois Commissioner of Juvenile Justice.

Shelley is committed to social justice, equity, and to paying it forward to the next generation. She is a lecturer and senior mentor at University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, focusing on nonprofit and philanthropic organizations’ impact on public policy. In 2017, UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs honored Shelley with the Jim Marek Alumni Appreciation Award, which recognizes individuals for their dedication to the fields of urban planning and public administration and their contributions to the development of the college’s students and alumni. In 2018 and 2019, Make It Better recognized Shelley as one of Chicago’s Top Black Women of Impact. In 2019, University of Chicago Harris Public Policy students, named Shelley as Mentor of the Year.

She keeps herself healthy by studying yoga, biking and swimming. She enjoys taking long walks and traveling. Shelley lives in Bronzeville with her husband and two teenage children.

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Hello, I'm Marina.

I am a technologist, podcast host, mom, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS...

“Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Available on-

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv

Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt

And others..

Today’s Episode: Interview with Robin Rue Simmons, Alderwoman of the City of Evanston

Robin Rue Simmons is a strategist, civic entrepreneur and alderman of Evanston’s 5th Ward.  Ald. Rue Simmons began her career 22 years ago when she launched her first business as a real estate broker. Troubled by the wealth disparities and concentrated poverty in urban communities, she wanted to help young adults build wealth early through homeownership. Over the course of her entrepreneurial career, she has launched and operated multiple businesses, including a bookstore that offered free afterschool programming and a construction firm that employed dozens of minority skilled tradespeople, and has developed dozens of affordable homes funded by the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Rue Simmons was elected 5th Ward alderman for the City of Evanston in 2017. Since taking office, she has prioritized improving the lived experience and expanding opportunities for Black residents. Most notably, she led the passing of the nation’s first reparations program, which will be funded by the first $10 million of Adult Use Cannabis sales tax revenue. Robin is the chairman of the Reparations Committee and a strong advocate for social equity applicants in the cannabis business.

Known for her “Solutions Only” approach in service and business, Ald. Rue Simmons is the director of innovation and outreach at Sunshine Enterprises, which has supported over 1000 neighborhood entrepreneurs (98% African American, 74% women) in launching or growing a business. She also serves as chief strategist at Ujima Solutions Group, LLC, in addition to managing residential and commercial property that she owns. In her free time, she enjoys her family, new experiences and forest bathing.

https://www.cityofevanston.org/government/city-council/reparations

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Hello, I'm Marina.

I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS...

“Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Available on-

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv

Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt

And others..

Today’s Episode: Interview with Andrea Zopp, Managing Partner at Cast Us Initiatives, Cleveland Avenue

Andrea Zopp joins Cleveland Avenue as Managing Partner leading the CAST US initiative investing in and developing minority and women led entrepreneurs and their companies. She has significant experience in a broad range of areas including banking, consumer products, retail, regulated industries, human capital, crisis and risk management and

government and community relations. Zopp is currently a member of the board of Directors of Relativity, and

of Empowerment & Inclusion Capital I Corp. She is also Chair of the Board of Trustees at Chicago State University and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Henry Ford Health System. She has previously served on the boards of Andrew Corporation (ANDW, NASDAQ) and Urban Partnership Bank. Zopp has worked in and with numerous global companies and has managed teams located overseas. In her role as the President and Chief Executive Officer of World Business Chicago, the city’s economic development organization, she worked closely with the Chicago Consular Corps, international chambers of commerce and multinational companies to attract foreign direct investment and facilitate company relocation and expansion. She was also responsible for organizing and implementing mayoral international trade delegations.

She is also a successful businesswoman and has held executive leadership positions at several Fortune 500

companies, including Sara Lee, Sears Holdings, and Exelon. As the former president and CEO of the Chicago

Urban League, she led the nationally recognized organization’s focus on expanding economic opportunity in

underserved communities.

Previously, she served as Deputy Mayor, Chief Neighborhood Development Officer for the City of Chicago.

Zopp served in the United States Attorney’s Office and was the first woman and African American to serve as

the first assistant in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She has also served on the Chicago Board of

Education the Cook County Health and Hospital System Board, and numerous nonprofits boards.

Zopp received her Bachelor of Arts in History & Science from Harvard University and is a graduate of Harvard

Law School.

Recommendations:

UNBOSSED IS...

“Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Today’s Episode: Interview with Angelique Power, President at the Field Foundation of Illinois

Born and raised on the southside of Chicago by a white, Jewish mother who was a Chicago Public school teacher and an African American father who rose to be Sergeant in the Chicago Police force, Angelique has an intense love for this dazzlingly creative and deeply scarred city. Before joining the Field Foundation, Power was a program director at the Joyce Foundation. There she co-founded Enrich Chicago, a nonprofit-led movement designed to correct inequity and structural racism in the arts. She has directed community engagement and communications at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and led community relations giving at Target Corporation. She has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan.

As President of the Field Foundation, Angelique catalyzed changes within the Field Foundation grant structure through anonymous surveys sent to nonprofit leaders, peer research, and study of Chicago’s needs and gaps in investment. Staff and Board-wide racial justice training allowed Field Foundation to ensure that racial equity was a core value of the work. Through research Field created heat maps of Chicago revealing where the city has designed communities that suffer from poverty, trauma and lack investment. Learning more about the incredible power inside of these communities of color and investing in the savvy organizations located there has become a key focus for Field.

Nonprofit feedback, foundation peer input, racial justice training, heat maps of Chicago; all of these pieces helped reveal a path forward to a new grant model centered around Community Empowerment through Justice, Art, and Leadership Investment. This new model opens the door to funding for neighborhoods that are too commonly divested in and aims at addressing root causes of the issues allowing every Chicagoan to thrive in this city we love.

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Updated heatmaps for mapping an equitable recovery for COVID. Here is the website: https://www.mappingcovid19equity.org/

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Hello, I'm Marina.

I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;)

UNBOSSED IS... “Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago”

I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at [email protected] or visiting www.unbossed.io

Tery has over 25 years of experience leading Supply Chain operations, global technology teams, and digital transformation programs with her partners, customers, and leadership. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Miami, Masters of Science from Columbia University, and Medical Training at OSHS back when God was a child. She is also a Collector of Firsts:

So when she’s not collecting another “First”, she can be found paragliding, climbing mountains, tinkering with yet another IoT device, or absorbed in a good book with her family in Chicago.

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