Category: past speakers

CEO, American Red Cross of Chicago and Northern Illinois Region

Celena Roldán joined the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois as CEO in March of 2016. This is the fourth largest region of the American Red Cross, which responds to 1,200 disasters annually and has an annual budget of approximately $16 million. The Chicago and northern Illinois region covers 21 counties and teaches health, safety and disaster preparedness skills to more than a quarter million people annually in the Chicagoland area. Prior to joining Red Cross, Roldán served as the executive director of Erie Neighborhood House which was founded in 1870 to strengthen low-income, primarily Latino families through skill-building, access to critical resources, advocacy and collaborative action.

Roldán has extensive and significant community development experience at both the city and the state level. Recently, Roldán was honored by Chicago-Woman as a 2017 Woman Driving Excellence. Roldán was also named by the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago as the 2016 Community Leader of the Year for her work in communities and the nonprofit sector. She served on Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Education Transition Team and the Mayor’s Early Childhood Task Force as well as Governor Quinn’s Illinois Human Services Commission. Roldán was a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow in 2011, participating in an intensive leadership training and partnership-building program that examines some of the key issues facing the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2015, she participated in the German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, a month-long leadership development program in Europe focused on supporting and fostering the transatlantic relationship between the U.S. and Europe, sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF).

Currently, Roldán serves as the vice board chair for Illinois Action for Children and is on the Head Start Governing Board for Metropolitan Family Services. Most recently Roldán was appointed as a member of the national board of UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza) and was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to the City of Chicago’s Community Development Commission.

Roldán holds a master’s degree in early childhood administration from National Louis University, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

 

International Strategy & Programs, Boeing Global Engagement

 

William joined Boeing’s Global Engagement team in November 2011. He is primarily responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s charitable partnerships in 50 countries outside the United States. William is also Boeing’s primary staffer for humanitarian relief and disaster response efforts, and has helped define and inform Boeing’s enterprise-wide citizenship efforts towards the military and veteran community during his seven years in Chicago.

He is a former Captain in the U.S. Army, and is a combat veteran of the war in Iraq as well as three other combat zone deployments in both the active and reserve components. Prior to joining The Boeing Company, William served on the policy staff of U.S. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, with primary responsibility for the Senator’s 2007 legislation that was enacted as the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill in 2008. He served as a member of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Advisory Council on Veterans’ Affairs from 2012 to 2015.

William lives in Chicago with his wife Anna and their two daughters and is an avid bicycle racer, commuter, and enthusiast.

Vice President Corporate Relations and President, Exelon Foundation

As Vice President of Corporate Relations of Exelon, the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, and President of the Exelon Foundation, Steve Solomon oversees Exelon, ComEd and Constellation’s corporate relations activities, including corporate giving, sponsorships, employee volunteer programs, and the Exelon Foundation. In his 33 years with the company, he has managed advertising, corporate communications, and audio-visual services, led change management initiatives, and created The Power House, a 30,000 square-foot hands-on energy museum in Zion, Ill.

Solomon currently serves as the board chair for Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a Shedd Aquarium trustee, on the Morton Arboretum Advisory Board and ADA25 Advancing Leadership Executive Committee and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Campaign Cabinet. He was recently appointed to the Serve Illinois Commission by the Governor of Illinois. Solomon also volunteers on committees with the following organizations: Chicago History Museum, Chicago Public Schools, John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School, Museum of Science and Industry, Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy, and Rowe Elementary School. He has previously served on Chicago High School for the Arts, Chicago Children’s Museum and Pope John Paul II Catholic School boards.

Solomon is a graduate of Illinois State University, where he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in communications. He lives in Glen Ellyn with his wife Robin and they have two grown children Becky, a teacher at Bogan High School in Chicago, and Ryan, an environmental specialist for the St. Charles Park District.

Director of Inspired Giving, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago

 

In his role at the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago , Brian Starr has led efforts to create and grow sustainable individual and corporate partnerships. Starr has implemented cultivation strategies leading to long term sustainable donor engagement and corporate partnerships. He employs outstanding customer service focused on creating meaningful donor and volunteer experiences. Starr is skilled at aligning donor philanthropic objectives to organizational priorities. His responsibilities included strategic planning, goal setting, and volunteer management, as well as crafting the tactical plan to generate revenue

Prior to joining YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Starr led development efforts at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago and the American Lung Association. During his tenure, Starr created and executed the development plan which significantly increased donor engagement and organizational revenue.

Starr currently volunteers as a docent for the Glessner House and Clark House Museums.   His outside interest include Chicago history, architecture and cycling. A native of Chicago, Starr currently resides in the historic Hyde Park/Kenwood community. He attended University of Illinois at Chicago majoring in business.

Central Region Community Engagement Leader, EY

 

 

Molly joined EY in 2013 and is currently the Central Region Community Engagement Leader. In her role, she works closely with regional and local office leadership to advance the firm’s corporate responsibility (CR) strategy focused on education, entrepreneurs and equity in the workforce through board placements, financial support and volunteer engagement. Prior to joining EY, she was a development professional at City Year Milwaukee and United Way of Greater Milwaukee. Prior to working at United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Molly was an AmeriCorps member with L’Arche Cleveland. Molly is currently on the Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship Committee, was a former member of the Girl Scouts Financial Literacy Advisory Committee and was a “big sister” through Big Brothers Big Sisters for eight years.

Molly received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Marquette University. Molly and her husband, David, reside in Chicago and have 3 children: Aggie (4), Adelynne (2) and Arthur (7 months).

Partner, PwC

 

 

As Partner and the Midwest private equity leader in the PwC Chicago Transaction Services practice, Manoj Mahenthiran is known for his expertise in managing healthcare mergers and acquisitions. His clients appreciate his ability to bring together the right players for the right situation. His enthusiastic yet calm approach brings equilibrium to each situation, to the people that he directs and manages, and to the problems he solves.

A successful transaction has a flow, with diverse parts of detailed data analytics, tax, structuring, competitive intelligence being woven together with the observations and discussions with multiple target executives. Manoj manages the diligence process with his wealth of experience smoothly and seamlessly. He is able to build an intricate story with his insights of a company that forms his view on the sustainable level of earnings and other risks and opportunities for a buyer. Manoj’s insight and advice enables his clients to negotiate better deals with potential targets.

Manoj is a qualified chartered accountant who began his career at PwC UK. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Economics from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. He is a committed supporter of an education foundation in Sri Lanka and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Chicago.

Industrial Markets Line of Business Leader and the National Sector Leader for the Industrial Manufacturing Sector, KPMG, LLP

 

In this role at KPMG, Brian Heckler is responsible for overseeing and being actively engaged with clients, setting and executing the strategy for Industrial Markets, driving innovative solutions aligned to the evolving market requirements of customers, building the KPMG brand through the creation of leading industry services, generating differentiated thought leadership and deploying go-to-market strategies and tactics for one of KPMG’s largest lines of business.

Additionally, as a part of his personal brand and reflecting KPMG’s core value of being committed to communities, Brian has served on the boards of multiple nonprofit boards.  He currently serves on the board of the Goodman Theatre

Executive Director, Joffrey Ballet

 

Inspired by his lifelong love for the arts, for his hometown, and for connecting with people from every background, Greg Cameron leads the Joffrey Ballet as Executive Director, responsible for organization-wide administration and strategy. Under Greg’s partnership with Artistic Director Ashley Wheater, the Joffrey has set new records at the box office and built the strongest financial foundation in its history.

Before joining the Joffrey, Greg spent three decades supporting art and artists and creating meaningful experiences for others at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and WTTW/WFMT. In addition to leading the Joffrey, Greg throws himself into his community, volunteering for a wide range of nonprofit organizations and civic committees.

“The Joffrey brings it all together for me,” he says. “It’s about collaboration, partnership with the community, honoring and supporting artists, and telling stories that truly move people.”

Vice President for Civic Engagement, Obama Foundation

 

Mike Strautmanis oversees community affairs and strategic partnerships for the Obama Foundation. This position finds him in constant dialogue with local Chicagoans who are looking to learn more about the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park and the Foundation’s mission to empower young leaders to give back to their communities.

Before joining the Obama Foundation, Mike spent over a decade in Washington, D.C.—partnering with a diverse group of leaders and advocates to increase access to economic opportunity, strengthen the judicial system, and champion equity and inclusion in the White House, federal agencies, and Congress.

He served in the Obama White House for four of those years as Chief of Staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. After President Obama’s first term, he joined the Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California, where he led an enterprise-wide initiative to consolidate, focus, and deepen the impact of Disney’s corporate social responsibility programs.

Mike began his career in government working in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He did stints at the House of Representatives and American Association for Justice before joining then-Senator Obama’s congressional staff, campaign, and subsequent transition team.

Mike received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Communications at the University of Illinois in 1991 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1994.

Founder and CEO, Mission Measurement

 

 

Jason Saul is one of the world’s leading experts on measuring social impact. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Mission Measurement, a firm that measures and predicts social impact for governments, foundations and corporations around the world.

Jason serves on the faculty of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and is an award winning author of numerous books on measurement and social strategy, including: Benchmarking for Nonprofits, Social Innovation, Inc., and The End of Fundraising.

Jason was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for leadership and public service, has been recognized by Bloomberg/Businessweek as one of the Nation’s 25 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs and by Crain’s Chicago Business as a “40 under 40” business leader. Jason serves on the National Board of Directors of Net Impact and was appointed to the State of Illinois’ Budgeting for Results Commission.

Jason holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, an M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a B.A. in Government and French Literature from Cornell University.

Global Manager of Environmental Sustainability Initiatives, General Motors

 

Bridget Burnell is the global manager of environmental sustainability initiatives at General Motors, leading a team of experts in areas such as renewable energy, biodiversity, waste reduction, recycling and environmental outreach. She manages programs that help employees leave a smaller footprint and share best practices to drive greater progress.

Burnell mobilizes a team working to achieve wildlife habitat certification at all GM facilities, expand beyond the 152 facilities that send zero waste to landfill, and make progress on a goal to power all GM facilities’ electricity needs with renewable energy by 2050. She also has led GM’s Global Environmental Compliance and Sustainability student program supporting recruitment and professional development.

Burnell joined GM in 1997. Prior to her current role, she was the senior environmental engineer for global environmental programs. She has served as an environmental engineer for GM facilities in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Saginaw, Michigan. Key activities included regulatory reporting, data analysis, and collaboration with government agencies, NGOs, and community groups. Burnell worked with the design team to construct the Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant, which ultimately achieved LEED Gold certification and launched with Wildlife Habitat Council certification as a “Rookie of the Year” site.

Burnell earned a Master of Science in Leadership for leading sustainability from Walden University in Minneapolis and a Bachelor of Science in environmental policy and political science from Central Michigan University. She is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, Advanced Certified Sustainability Practitioner and Certified Storm Water Operator. Burnell is a member of the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment and Michigan Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals.

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Chief Innovation and Sustainability Officer, Exelon Corporation

 

In his role as SVP, Corporate Strategy & Chief Innovation and Sustainability Officer Christopher Gould is responsible for overall corporate strategic planning as well as the company’s corporate sustainability and innovation programs. Chris has been with the company since 1999, having previously served as Vice President Corporate Planning where he was responsible for Exelon’s planning and project evaluation functions, as director of pricing and structuring, as director of financial planning and analysis, and as manager of market planning at Exelon Power Team, located in Kennett Square, PA.

Prior to Exelon, Gould was with Dames & Moore (URS Corporation) in Washington, D.C. serving in a variety of engineering and project management roles in the environmental and infrastructure professional services sector. He began his career at EA Engineering as a project engineer working on various federal, state and local government agency and public utility projects to protect and remediate the environment.

Gould earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA. He received his MBA in finance from the University of Pittsburgh.

President, Wildlife Habitat Council

 

Margaret O’Gorman operates at the intersection of business and nature. As President of the Wildlife Habitat Council, she helps companies find value in natural resources conservation and mainstream biodiversity across operations. She works with multinational corporations to develop integrated strategies to implement conservation projects to meet business needs and, in so doing, enhance ecosystems, connect communities and engage employees. She helps WHC members build conservation into their sustainability efforts and helps sustain conservation efforts through WHC’s signature Conservation Certification recognition, which serves to define the standard for corporate conservation worldwide.

Prior to joining WHC, she served as the Executive Director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey where she transformed the little-known statewide non-profit into a well-respected and effective organization focused on rare and imperiled wildlife protection and recovery in the Garden State. Margaret’s extensive fundraising and development experience comes from almost a decade in lead development roles at New Jersey Future and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. She began her career in education publishing, developing an expertise in secondary and university STEM education.

Margaret is a compelling writer and speaker on the power of natural resource conservation to restore ecosystems, recover species, connect people and make a positive difference to business, people and planet.

She holds a BSc in geology and geophysics from University College Ireland, Galway and a Masters in Micropaleontology from the University of Southampton, UK.

General Manager, Communications and Corporate Responsibility, ArcelorMittal Americas and President, ArcelorMittal USA Foundation

 

William (Bill) Steers serves as general manager, communications and corporate responsibility for ArcelorMittal Americas’ region, which encompasses more than 50 steel production, mining and finishing facilities, and approximately 40,000 employees. He oversees external and internal communications, branding and corporate responsibility (CR) efforts throughout North & South America.

As a member of ArcelorMittal Americas’ senior management team, Steers leverages his expertise to counsel the company’s leadership on a wide variety of stakeholder engagement issues and community investment strategies. He is ArcelorMittal’s chief spokesperson for the Americas and leads corporate responsibility initiatives across the segment, aligning with core business priorities while working to address local stakeholder expectations. He serves as President of the ArcelorMittal USA Foundation.

Steers has spearheaded ArcelorMittal’s role as the sole corporate partner in Sustain Our Great Lakes, a bi-national public-private partnership focused on awarding financial support to programs working to restore, protect and preserve the world’s largest freshwater system, the Great Lakes basin.  Since 2006, Sustain Our Great Lakes has leveraged over $144 million in total conservation investment, and Bill remains on the SOGL Advisory Board.

Promoting collaboration across borders and industries, Steers serves on the advisory boards for the Chi-Cal River Fund and the Calumet Land Conservation Partnership, focused on restoring the health, vitality and accessibility of local waterways. Steers also serves on the Board of the Wildlife Habitat Council and is a trustee at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, serving on its conservation and PR/marketing committee since 2010.

In 2016, Bill Steers was appointed Chair of the Calumet Collaborative Board of Directors. Calumet Collaborative catalyzes innovative partnerships between Illinois and Indiana community, government, business and nonprofit stakeholders to advance a thriving Calumet region.

Senior Editor of Digital, WBEZ, Chicago Public Media

 

Tricia Bobeda is the Senior Editor of Digital at WBEZ – Every Other Hour and the co-host of the Nerdette Podcast. She leads the team of producers, reporters and editors responsible for WBEZ’s website, apps and social media.

Prior to joining WBEZ’s digital team, Tricia reported for its news desk and worked on the Front and Center series. After studying journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School, she spend several years as a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. She was a finalist in the KCRW 2013 Radio Race.

Senior Editor, WBEZ, Chicago Public Media

 

As a WBEZ editor, Cate Cahan works with reporters and producers to conceive and research stories, edits scripts and digital copy, and organizes long-term projects, including series.

Cate joined WBEZ in 1998 as editor for Eight Forty-Eight, then WBEZ’s weekday morning newsmagazine. She’s played a number of key roles here, including as interim news director and metro editor of beat reporters in community bureaus, and in business, politics, science, criminal and legal affairs, education, urban affairs and arts. Because she works with excellent reporters and producers Cate has received numerous local, regional and national awards. Before coming to WBEZ, she worked as editorial director and later planning editor for the local CBS station, WBBM.

She’s also been a magazine editor and worked as a newspaper reporter, which she still sometimes misses. Cate has a M.A. in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. in English from Mundelein College.

Director, Executive Education & Advisory Products, Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship

Stewart Rassier is the Director of Executive Education at the Center; he has more than 11 years of corporate citizenship education, communications, and advisory experience working with leading companies across the globe. Stewart has designed and implemented workshops, sustainability strategies, policies, programs, and performance management systems that connect corporate responsibility to the business, reduce cost, engage stakeholders, and produce impact.

Prior to the Center, Stewart was the regional head of North America at AccountAbility, a sustainability advisory, research, and standards organization, and was a director at Saatchi & Saatchi Sustainability, a sustainability strategy consultancy. Stewart has worked with leading companies across the globe including Disney, Walmart, Fidelity, McDonald’s, ING, Hess, Accenture, Saudi Aramco, Vestas Wind Systems, Alston + Bird, WellPoint, Kellogg’s and Frito Lay.

Co-Founder of WE Charity and ME to WE

 

 

Marc Kielburger is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of a family of organizations dedicated to the power of WE, a movement of people coming together to change the world. Along with his brother Craig Kielburger, Marc co-founded WE Charity, which provides a holistic development model called WE Villages, helping to lift more than one million people out of poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Back at home in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, WE Schools & WE Day provide comprehensive service learning programs to 10,000 schools, engaging 2.4 million young change-makers. Lastly, he is also the co-founder of ME to WE, a pioneering social enterprise, the profits from which help sustain the work of the charitable organization. His work has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes and the BBC.

Marc graduated from Harvard University with a degree in International Relations. He won a Rhodes Scholarship and completed a law degree from Oxford University. He has also received 10 honorary doctorates and degrees for his work in the fields of education and human rights. Marc is a New York Times bestselling author, who has published 8 books, as well as a nationally syndicated columnist. He is the recipient of many honors, including the Order of Canada, and was selected by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s Young Global Leaders. Marc was also recently inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame for his humanitarian efforts and his work to empower youth to change the world. In 2015, along with his brother Craig, he was named Canada’s Most Admired CEO in the public sector.

Co-CEO & Co-Founder IO Sustainability, LLC & Senior Fellow, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center

 

 

IO Sustainability. IO (Impacts and Outcomes for Sustainable Development) identifies strategic solutions for private, public, and civil sector organizations that maximize economic, social, and environmental value for the long-­‐term.

Steve has over 20 years of experience in sustainability and corporate responsibility (S&CR). He has advised leading companies across a wide variety of industry sectors on how to improve sustainability performance in a way that drives competitive success. He has been a senior executive at two leading S&CR organizations. For AccountAbility he served as the Director of Global Advisory Services and a member of the Board of Directors. For the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Steve served as the Director of Research and Development. Under his leadership both organizations demonstrated growth in revenues, reputation, and international presence.

 

Steve is co-­‐author of two books on S&CR: Beyond Good Company: Next Generation Corporate Citizenship and Untapped: Creating Value in Underserved Markets. He is the lead author of the landmark research report: Project ROI – Defining the Competitive and Financial Advantages of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. Steve obtained his MPP from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and his A.B. from Brown University.