The Honorable Mick Mulvaney is the current director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the acting director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP). He was nominated to be the OMB Director by President Donald J. Trump in December 2016 and confirmed by the Senate in February, 2017. He was named acting director of the BCFP on November 24, 2017.
Prior to his time in the Executive Branch, he served as the Congressman for the 5th District of South Carolina, where he was first elected in 2010. While in Congress, he served on the Budget Committee, Joint Economic Committee, Small Business Committee, Financial Services Committee, and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Director Mulvaney attended Georgetown University’s School Of Foreign Service, the University of North Carolina School of Law, and Harvard Business School.
Before running for Congress, Director Mulvaney operated his own law firm, ran his family real estate business, started a small homebuilding company, and was both a franchisor and a franchisee in a fast-casual restaurant chain. He is a lifelong resident of the Carolinas. He and his wife Pam have been married 20 years and are the proud parents of triplets and two Great Danes.
Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pace, the largest independently owned custom content agency in the nation, serving Fortune 500 and leading companies including Southwest Airlines, Walmart, Wells Fargo, Verizon, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
She was appointed as the first woman National Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross in 2004. In 2007, she co-founded The Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders, which has grown to include 63 Chapters nationwide. To date, all Tiffany Circle Chapters combined have raised nearly $90 million dollars for the American Red Cross.
From 2001-2003, McElveen-Hunter served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland. As Ambassador, she initiated the Stop Child Trafficking: End Modern-Day Slavery and Children of Karelia program, as well as founded the Women Business Leaders Summit®, a model for business entrepreneurship partnering women business leaders which continues around the world. She was awarded one of Finland’s highest honors – The Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion.
As a long-time philanthropist and charitable-cause activist, she has served as a member of the International Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity, chaired the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, served on the United Way of America Board as a member of its National Leadership Council, and founded the United Way Billion Dollar National Women’s Leadership Initiative which to date has raised over $1 billion dollars.
Erin is a nationally-recognized speaker, executive coach, and consultant in the areas of leadership development, organizational change, and organizational strategy. She has more than 25 years of experience and has worked for elite firms such as Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs, and Accenture. Erin is currently the Managing Partner of SuiteTrack, a firm dedicated to helping companies advance their professionals in the workplace. She is also the Executive Director of The Coles College of Business Women's Leadership Center at Kennesaw State University and a professor in the MBA program. Erin has held many board seats including the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard University's Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta. She is a graduate of Duke University, where she was a scholarship athlete, and Harvard Business School. Her publications include two books,Lessons From the Trenches: A Woman's Guide to Winning the Corporate Game and If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Secrets to Success from Top Women Leaders.
Antonio Ortiz is the first lay President of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Founded by the Jesuits in 1996, Cristo Rey pioneered the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) model for inner city education that has since inspired a national network of 34 schools serving low-income communities across the country.
Mr. Ortiz joined Cristo Rey in 2000, first as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and then as Associate Principal, before becoming President in June 2012. From 2010 to 2012, Tony worked as a Senior Director at the Big Shoulders Fund.
Mr. Ortiz earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Public Policy and a Master of Education degree through the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program, both from the University of Notre Dame. He also earned an MBA from Loyola University Chicago and graduated from the Jesuit Schools Network (JSN) Seminars in Ignatian Leadership.
Tony is a graduate of Leadership Greater Chicago, a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and sits on several boards including the Archdiocese of Chicago School Board, Dominican University, and The Resurrection Project and previously served as a Trustee for the University of Notre Dame and Roosevelt University. Tony lives in Oak Park, IL with his wife, Brenda, and their four children.
Mark Feinour serves as the Executive Director of the Support Services group at Bank of America. Housed in Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Support Services employs over 300 associates with intellectual challenges, providing data entry, digital printing, wide format printing, and kitting/assembly functions to support bank businesses with cost-effective and quality service. Mr. Feinour began his career at Bank of America in 1992, and worked in a number of roles before moving to the Support Services division in 1999. Within Support Services, Mark acted as the Administration Manager, and later developed, created, and managed the Inventory Management department. In early 2005, Mark was named the Business Support Executive for the group, taking on responsibilities of managing all aspects of the division including developing innovative ways for associates to achieve their potential and promoting the group internally as a valued resource for services. Mr. Feinour holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Goldey Beacom College and is Chairman of the Delaware Business Leadership Network. He is married with two children and enjoys golf and spending time with his family.
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Kim Borchers serves as the director of executive leadership development for the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). Prior to joining FGA, Kim worked for Kansas Governor Sam Brownback serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Appointments for Boards and Commissions. Earlier in her career Kim worked for TAP Pharmaceuticals and also part-time in the radio business, hosting a local news radio talk show.
Kim serves on the boards of Cair Paravel Latin School, Sunrise Optimist, the Eisenhower Public Service Series, and Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas. Kim, is a graduate of University of Kansas. She and her husband have three children and reside in Topeka, Kansas.
Staci Sullivan is President of TD Ameritrade Clearing and Managing Director of Brokerage Operations. In this role she oversees all operational functions for TD Ameritrade. Through its many subsidiaries, TD Ameritrade offers investing and trading services for more than eleven million funded client accounts totaling more than $1.2 trillion in Client assets, investor education services boasting hundreds of thousands of graduates, and custodial services for 6,000 independent registered investment advisors (RIAs). Staci has the benefit of 20 years of financial services experience at TD Ameritrade with expertise in brokerage operations, retail, compliance, risk, and regulatory matters. Throughout her tenure she has led a host of Operational aspects of mergers and acquisitions including the recent Scottrade integration. Currently she is leading a transformation focused on increasing automation of TD Ameritrade Clearing systems as well as evolving Brokerage Operations standards to improve the Client Experience. Staci holds the FINRA Series 7, 63, 24, 4, 3 and 99 licenses and earned her Bachelor Degree in Business Finance from the University of Northern Iowa.
Allison Grealis is founder and president of Women in Manufacturing (WiM), a national trade association focused on supporting, promoting and inspiring women in the manufacturing sector. She is also the vice president of association services of the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), a full-service trade association representing the metalforming industry.
Since joining PMA in 2001, Grealis has held a variety of positions that included district, committee and division management; affinity partner relations; sponsorship sales; new product and service development; and member services.
Grealis earned her bachelor of arts in english with a certificate in Women’s Studies from Ohio University and a masters in public administration from the University of Akron.
Designer Marie Whitney is the creative force behind Two Penny Blue. She founded the company in 2010 with the dream of using fashion to educate and empower girls around the world. As the Creative Director, she is inspired by the juxtaposition of traditional and modern elements to create timeless designs with a fresh twist. On any given day you might find marie jetting off to paris to source fabric , casting models for next shoot, styling the looks for a photo shoot, or sketching the next collection. Marie has been featured in many major publications including Time Out Chicago, SPLASH, Michigan Avenue Magazine, CS Magazine, and Crain’s Business; was named one of the Most Stylish Chicagoans by CS Magazine and recently graced the cover of SPLASH Magazine.
Marie received a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a Master’s degree from Harvard University. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband, two sons and two pups.
Julianna Zobrist has many titles to her name: author, speaker, music artist, fashion muse, and social media influencer, to name a few. She has appeared at numerous charity/professional events and venues around the nation that include her work with Gucci, Burberry, and Celine at NY Fashion Week, performing during the World Series, and special guest appearances at the White House. She has been featured in Forbes, PARADE, People, Fox News, CBS, and Sports Illustrated, among others. She divides her time between Nashville and Chicago, traveling through life with husband Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs World Series MVP) and their three kids.
Jennifer, Minnesota Executive Director of American Majority, is currently serving her second term as an elected Commissioner of the Three Rivers Park District representing 174,000 residents.
As a well-known political operative in the State of Minnesota, Jennifer has been a political analyst on local and national political program as well as a contributor to numerous local and state legislative campaigns offering data-driven advice regarding campaign strategy and micro-targeting, volunteer recruitment, fundraising best practices and efficient and effective campaign operations. Jennifer served as the MN Deputy State Director for Newt Gingrich for President. In 2016, Jennifer was Minnesota State Director for CARLY for America,the Super PAC supporting Carly Fiorina. She is also the co-founder of Voices of Conservative Women, a non-profit Super PAC supporting the women running for office. Jennifer lives in Maple Grove with her husband and four children.
Krissy DeAlejandro is the Executive Director of tnAchieves, a scholarship and mentoring program that supports students as they transition from high school through post-secondary. Launched in 2008, tnAchieves currently serves as the partnering organization for Governor Haslam’s Tennessee Promise. As the leader of the largest college access and success nonprofit in the country, Krissy is deeply committed to increasing the number of Tennessee students with a degree.
Prior to her work with tnAchieves, Krissy served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Knox County Mayor where she focused on workforce development and higher education initiatives.
Raised in a small town in rural Tennessee, Krissy is first in her family to attend college. She received her bachelor’s degree from Sewanee: University of the South. She pursued her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Tennessee.
Krissy and her husband, Jeffrey, have three children, Oliver, Beatrice and Henry.
As a mentor in the art of persuasion, Melanie Sturm teaches how to inspire an audience to follow your lead.Enticing people out of thought silos, Melanie’s column – “Think Again: you might change your mind” seeks to expose readers to unconsidered ideas, leading them to conclusions that unite. Though she hopes to change minds, her goal is to open them, for a free and civil society depends on an informed and thoughtful citizenry.
Melanie launched Engage to Win in 2013 to teach and craft persuasive communications, collaborating at first with AEI President Arthur Brooks, whose mantra is: the winning side always fights for people, not things. She hopes to address polarization by creating disciples who can help uncover and fortify the common ground we instinctively share.
Melanie has 21 years of investment and finance experience at the International Finance Corporation,Morgan Stanley, and Drexel Burnham Lambert. Melanie has an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France and undergraduate degrees in international relations and economics from Tufts University.
Lissa Druss is with Serafin & Associates, a public affairs and communication strategy firm based in Chicago. Her firm is currently involved in issues spanning 19 states and Europe.
Druss spent 21 years as a television journalist in Tucson, Los Angeles and Chicago and is a nine-time Emmy award winner.
At Serafin, she works with clients in crisis communications, public affairs, lobbying, media relations/training, corporate communications, internal/external communications strategy and social media. Druss is known to react quickly and work tirelessly at any time, day or night, to protect and enhance her clients' reputation.
Her clients span across the country and internationally with large and small corporations, celebrities and various law-enforcement agencies.
She is the recipient of the 2016 Filipo Mazzei Award for Excellence in Public Affairs given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans.
Druss guest lectures and is a regular contributor on television and radio stations, offering perspective on crisis events and public affairs issues.
Mario joined GACC Midwest in October 2014 to build and lead the Skills Initiative, an effort to promote apprenticeships in the US. Before coming to GACC Midwest, Mario was a training consultant for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry East Thuringia for industrial and technical professions, and later became head of the international business division, responsible for international projects on Know-How Transfer in the Balkans as well as in Central Asia. Mario was elected Vice President of GACC Midwest by the board of GACC Midwest in September 2017.
Mario also manages the Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT) Apprenticeship Program, developed in accordance with the German standard, making it accessible to interested companies throughout the Midwest of the USA. He is oversees the certification of training programs and qualifications, as well as consulting services for companies wishing to introduce vocational training according to German standards in the USA.
John is a co-founder and principal of Delos Communications, a public affairs firm providing research, strategy and crisis communications. John is a seasoned attorney, lobbyist and skilled researcher and strategist. He was formerly Deputy Chief of Staff for Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and has managed numerous successful political campaigns on both statewide and local levels. John also served as Chief of Staff at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He has more than 25 years’ experience providing legal, public affairs and reputation management advice to leading companies, associations, individuals and political candidates and committees.
acey is a Policy Circle Leader in Indianapolis. Lacy lent her strategic leadership skills to The Policy Circle to establish its first internship program and to put in place the model for State Leadership Councils. Lacey is the senior director and global excellence leader for CBRE, responsible for helping to create a culture around a safe and well experience for CBRE’s people in the workplace. She works with health, safety & environmental subject matter experts across the world. Lacey has over eighteen years of experience in the commercial real estate industry.
Prior to joining CBRE, she was a senior manager and contracting officer for the General Services Administration. She has a bachelor's degree from Purdue and a JD/MBA from Stetson University.
Heather is the manager of government and community relations for the
Chicago Cubs acting as an advocate to achieve community outreach goals
for one of baseball's oldest and most beloved franchises. In this capacity,
she works navigating and communicating intricate governmental and
legislative initiatives, and managing relationships in a complicated landscape of economic development, public affairs, media relations, tourism, and community relations. Prior to the Cubs, Heather served as the executive director of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, a position she held for nearly 13 years. Heather attended the University of Missouri where she studied art history and journalism. She lives in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood with her husband David and their two children. She recently announced she is running for alderman in the Chicago's 47th Ward.
Helen Lesser currently owns Mat and Steel, LLC, a wellness and fitness company providing private individuals and companies with unique and specific wellness programs. Helen also acts on a consultancy basis for Nexum, Inc., a cybersecurity company focused on providing comprehensive IT security solutions for Global 1000 companies. Helen served as Executive Vice President and COO of Nexum, Inc. from 2002 until recently starting new endeavors to help people peak performance through healthy, balanced lifestyles. In her role as EVP and COO, she ran operations and marketing for one of the fastest growing companies in Chicago. Helen received her MS from Northwestern University in Medicinal chemistry and a BS in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico.
Educated as an attorney, Kim practiced nationally as a litigator. Kim sought to serve the people in the most needed communities, opting for a life outside of the courtroom she sought to draw from her experiences and share them with others who were less fortunate. Kim identified that most community development was created in silos and she sought to break the mold by creating public and private partnerships to help elevate the standards for the residents in the most significantly impacted neighborhoods. One of her impactful projects was working as the Midwest director of a diversity program which took more than 150 inner city minority women in Chicago, trained them in information technology careers and placed them at Fortune 500 companies. Now Kim leads the Chicago Community ToolBank where she provides high quality hand and power tools to neighborhoods and organizations so that they can do good deeds around the Chicagoland area. Kim has equipped more than 30,000 volunteers to complete over 500 community projects city wide saving organizations more than $300,000 in tool rental/purchase fees. Never one who is happy with what is, Kim always sees the possibilities of what can be. Kim has been, and continues to be, a resource for big business and community organizations.
As Vice President of Marketing for the Chicago Cubs, Lauren is accountable for fan engagement which is inclusive of branding, activation, multi-platform advertising, promotions, game-day entertainment, content and Cubs Productions.
Lauren most recently served as Director of Consumer Engagement for The Gatorade Company. In this role she drove creative and media go-to-market strategies as a model for markets globally. Her team also had accountability for brand-owned experiential activations, influencer marketing and sports culture driving platforms. Under her leadership, Gatorade creative assets, events and media partnerships were consistently awarded top industry honors. Lauren was previously accountable for Gatorade’s international sports marketing partnerships in the sport of global football, and she also served as the brand’s first head of branded content. Prior to joining Gatorade, Lauren spent time in lobbying & public affairs working with sports team owners. She is married to Tim, a commercial pilot, and mother to Caroline (6) and Will (4), and enjoys traveling, country music, and remaining active through fitness. Lauren is a graduate of St. Louis University and originally from the Kansas City area.
Jaye “RINGSIDE” Maddon is an Esquire turned entrepreneur. She looks like a beauty but trains like a beast. Yes, she’s married to Joe. Yes, that Joe. No, she can’t get you Cubs tickets but her team can make you into a champion. She’ll be happy to demonstrate what “hit like a girl” really means. Heels off. Gloves on.
Jaye was also instrumental in forming her and Joe’s Respect 90 Foundation. A growing non-profit, Respect 90 provides children and families opportunities to develop championship attitudes through sports, academics, and community involvement in all the places they call home: Chicago, IL, Tampa, FL, Mesa, AZ, and Joe’s hometown of Hazleton, PA. Jaye and Joe believe that “Respect Begins at Home” and continue their quest to make an impact in these communities and beyond.
