Leadership Greater Chicago announces Chicago leaders for 2024 Daniel Burnham Fellowship

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Leadership Greater Chicago announced the 26 top executives for the 2024 Cohort of The Daniel Burnham Fellowship.

The LGC fellowship was created as a strategic partnership for executives to impact the region's workforce and economic progress.

The fellowship includes participants into the civic fabric of the city - understanding its history and future trajectory - and builds relationships and networks across the Greater Chicago Region to quickly activate civic engagement and cross-sector partnerships.

More than 120 high-impact leaders have been welcomed to the fellowship. Collaborations made during the program have resulted in funding investments, public policy, food distribution, community investments, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and COVID-19 relief efforts.

"I am thrilled to announce the sixth annual Cohort of The Daniel Burnham Fellowship. This diverse group of leaders form a powerful, cross sector network committed to driving positive change throughout our region," CEO of Leadership Greater Chicago and an LGC Fellow since 2016 Myetie Hamilton said. "Together they develop a deeper understanding of the issues that plague our city and are positioned to activate their collective power to create scalable impact, and transformational change that will contribute to building a stronger and more equitable region."

A recent example was the expansion of the Dominican University into Chicago to extend educational access and academic programs. It was made by Daniel Burnham Fellow Glena Temple, President of Dominican University, and LGV Fellow Raul Raymundo, co-founder and CEO of The Resurrection Project.

In partnership with The Resurrection Project, Dominican University will establish a campus in the Pilsen neighborhood, occupying Resurrection's La Casa Residence Hall and neighboring Resource Center. It will provide students in the Near West Side, Lower West Side and North Lawndale with resources to find their a career path.

"It was a privilege and an energizing experience to have completed Leadership Greater Chicago's 2023 Cohort of The Daniel Burnham Fellowship with two dozen Chicago executives from corporate, nonprofit, city government, media, arts and legal fields focused on amplifying inclusive civic leadership across our region," said Daniel Burnham Fellow, LGC Signature Fellow since 2008, and LGC Board Member Andrés Tapia, senior partner and global DE&I and ESG strategist at Korn Ferry. "We absorbed and created powerful learnings and forged invaluable, new relationships for collective good. More than ever, we are ready to serve our organizations, our constituents, and our communities inclusively for transformative good."

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The 26 top executives in the 2024 Cohort are:

Erin Amico - President and CEO, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences

Kayce Ataiyero - Chief External Affairs Officer, The Joyce Foundation

Nancy L. Berardinelli-Krantz - Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Hardik Bhatt - CEO, SDI Presence, LLC

Susan V. Booth - Artistic Director, Goodman Theatre

Garry Cooper, Jr., PhD - CEO & Co-Founder, Rheaply

Roberto Curci, PhD - Vice Provost and Dean, Dominican University's Brennan School of Business

Krista Curell, Esq, BSN, RN- Executive Vice President, Health System, Chief Operating Officer - University of Chicago Health System

Nosa Ehimwenman - President and CEO, Bowa Construction

Jessica Garascia - Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, AAR CORP

Sylvia I. Garcia - Chief Operating Officer, The Chicago Community Trust

Veronica Herrero - Executive Vice Chancellor, Chief of Staff and Chief Institutional Advancement Officer, City Colleges of Chicago; and President, City Colleges of Chicago Foundation

Erin Inman, P.E. - President & CEO, Primera Engineers Ltd.

Arielle Johnson, MPA - CEO, Business Leadership Council

Tiffany Hamel Johnson - President and CEO, Chicago United

Lucy C. Kim - Chief Advancement Officer, Chicago Public Media

Jill Koski - President and CEO, The Morton Arboretum

Joshua S. Levin - Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, ComEd

Kenya K. Merritt - Deputy Mayor of Business, Economic and Neighborhood Development, City of Chicago

Sandeep Nain - President & CEO, SNtial Technologies, Inc.

Rahul Nalgirkar - CFO of BMO US and Group CFO of BMO North American Commercial Banking, BMO Financial Group

Linda Nolan - Group Managing Director, Northern Trust

Stephanie Piccirilli- President and CEO, Ignite

Mark C. Reed, EdD, MBA - President, Loyola University Chicago

Mariana Souto-Manning, PhD - President, Erikson Institute

Carole C. Wood, CFRE - President and CEO, Northwestern University Settlement House