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Civic Leadership Steering the Trust

Executive Committee

The Trust is guided by a diverse, dedicated Executive Committee of our region’s most committed civic leaders. This governing body is responsible for all grant allocations made from Trust funds, for overseeing asset development and for guiding our general operations.

John A. Canning, Jr., Chairman

John A. Canning, Jr. is chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, which specializes in management buyout and special equity investing. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Exelon Corporation, Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Children's Inner City Educational Fund; and the boards of trustees of the Big Shoulders Fund, the Museum of Science and Industry and Northwestern University. Canning is a trustee and chairman of The Field Museum and former director and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Appointed in 2003 by the President of Northwestern University

María C. Bechily

María C. Bechily created one of the first public relations and marketing agencies to identify and reach Hispanic consumers in Chicago. Previously, she hosted Spanish language television shows on WSNS-TV and Channel 44 (now Univision). Two of her shows received Emmy nominations. Bechily has significant government and public policy experience, having worked for a former U.S. Senator from Illinois. Among her civic activities, she has served by mayoral appointment on the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, the Chicago Tourism Council and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. By presidential appointment, she served on the National Advisory Council on Women's Educational Programs and the White House Advisory Committee on Personnel.

Appointed in 2004 by the Trustees Committee

John H. Catlin

John H. Catlin is one of the nation’s leading authorities in accessibility and Universal Design. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Catlin is the first practicing architect to serve as chair of the federal U.S. Access Board. He has also provided training and accessibility consulting for the Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Public Schools, Walgreen's Co., McDonald's Corporation, Four Seasons Hotels, Hyatt Regency Hotels, Westin Hotels, Bank of America and Sears Roebuck Co.

Appointed in 2007 by the Mayor of the City of Chicago

Adela Cepeda

Adela Cepeda is president of A.C. Advisory, a top financial advisor for municipal bond offerings in Illinois with clients including the City of New York, O'Hare Airport and the States of Connecticut and Illinois. She is a board member of various families of mutual funds and previously chaired the audit committee of the board of Wyndham International, Inc., which owned and operated hotels and resorts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Cepeda has extensive community involvement and currently serves on the boards of WTTW11 and the Ravinia Festival Association. She has also served as a commissioner for the Public Building Commission of Chicago since 1992.

Appointed in 2001 by the Presiding Judge of the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Frank M. Clark

Frank M. Clark joined ComEd in 1966 and rose through the company to become chairman and CEO. Today he also serves on the boards of the Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Metropolitan Family Services, DePaul University, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, University of Chicago Medical Center, Big Shoulders Fund, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and Illinois Manufacturers Association. Clark is co-founder of the Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy, and he also serves on the boards of Waste Management, Inc., Aetna Inc. and Harris Financial Corporation.

Appointed in 2006 by the Trustees Committee

Paula H. Crown

Paula H. Crown is a principal of Henry Crown and Company, a private investment firm. She serves on the boards of trustees of the Museum of Modern Art, Duke University, Conservation International, Children’s Memorial Medical Center, The Latin School of Chicago and High Jump. Crown also serves on the National Council of the Aspen Music Festival and School, the board of advisors of the Nasher Museum of Art and the women’s boards of both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and University of Chicago. She is also a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and chairs the Committee on Environment for Crown Family Philanthropies.

Appointed in 2006 by the Trustees Committee

Judy Erwin

Judy Erwin is executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the State of Illinois' coordinating agency for post-secondary education. She was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives (1992-2002) where she served as chair of the Higher Education Committee. Her legislative career focused on increasing access and support for education, health care (particularly for individuals with mental illnesses), and the arts. She also sponsored initiatives to improve the environment and expand open space. Erwin serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the City Club of Chicago.

Appointed in 2003 by the Mayor of the City of Chicago

Michael W. Ferro, Jr.

Michael W. Ferro, Jr. is chairman and CEO of Merrick Ventures, LLC, and Chairman of Merge Healthcare. As the founder of Click Commerce, Ferro was an early pioneer of enabling business to business commerce over the Internet. He is a director on the board of trustees of The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, The Field Museum, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Northwestern University and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Ferro also serves on the boards of Children's Memorial Hospital and The Northwestern Memorial Foundation. He is vice chairman of the World Health Imaging Alliance, a board member of the Economics Club of Chicago and a member of YPO and The Commercial Club of Chicago.

Appointed in 2008 by the Trustees Committee

Denise B. Gardner

Denise B. Gardner is president of Insights & Opportunities, a research-based marketing and strategic planning firm. She has served as chair of The Art Institute of Chicago's Leadership Advisory Committee and is currently a member of several boards, including the Chicago Humanities Festival and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Appointed in 2008 by the Presiding Judge of the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Jack M. Greenberg

Chairman of The Western Union Company, Jack M. Greenberg is also the retired chairman and chief executive officer of McDonald's Corporation. He serves on the boards of The Allstate Corporation, Hasbro, Inc., InnerWorkings and Manpower Inc. His civic involvement includes service on the boards of DePaul University, the Institute of International Education, The Field Museum and The Partnership for New Communities. He has also chaired the Chicago Bar Foundation's board of trustees.

Appointed in 2003 by the Trustees Committee

King W. Harris

In addition to running his family's investment company, Harris Holdings, King W. Harris is a senior executive at Chicago Metropolis 2020. He serves on the boards of New York Stock Exchange companies AptarGroup, Inc. and Alberto-Culver. He is also board chair of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Foundation, a vice chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Council, a trustee of the University of Chicago, where he chairs its Visiting Committee on Public Policy Studies, and a vice chairman of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Appointed in 2005 by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Audrey R. Peeples

Audrey R. Peeples is the retired president and chief executive of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Metropolitan Chicago and the past president of the national board of the YWCA. She previously served as the executive director of the Girl Scouts of Chicago and as the trust manager of the Continental Bank. Peeples has been named to the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois.

Appointed in 2007 by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Quintin E. Primo III

Quintin E. Primo III is co-founder, chairman and CEO of Capri Capital, a real estate investment management firm with $3.8 billion in total real estate assets headquartered in Chicago. A former member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Seventh District Advisory Council, Primo serves on the State of Illinois Economic Recovery Council and as a trustee of the (Episcopal) Church Pension Group. He is currently chairman of the Primo Center for Women and Children, a transitional shelter serving the homeless. Primo was appointed chairman of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness by Mayor Richard M. Daley and is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

Appointed in 2001 by the Presiding Officer of the United Way/Crusade of Mercy of Chicago

Jesse H. Ruiz

Jesse H. Ruiz is a corporate and securities partner at the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. He also serves as the general counsel of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation. Ruiz is the chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education and chairman of the Illinois State Council on Re-enrolling Students Who Dropped out of School. He has also served as a commissioner on the Chicago Public Schools Desegregation Monitoring Commission and the Illinois Supreme Court Character and Fitness Committee for the First Judicial District. Ruiz is a past president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and past chairman of the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois.

Appointed in 2009 by the Trustees Committee

Michael Tang

Michael Tang is the vice chairman of Tang Industries and chief executive officer of National Material L.P. He previously practiced law in a private firm in Phoenix, Arizona, and with the Navajo Tribe. Tang is currently a member of the boards of trustees of the University of Chicago Medical Center and The Field Museum, the board of visitors of the College of William and Mary, and the advisory board for RAND’s Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP). He previously has served on the boards of the Endowment Association of the College of William and Mary, the Graduate School of Business of the College of William and Mary, and WBEZ Chicago Public Radio.

Appointed in 2009 by the President of The University of Chicago

Trustees Committee

Six financial institutions manage a large portion of the Trust’s assets. The Trustees Committee, comprising five chief executives of these banks, appoints up to five members of the Executive Committee, approves other appointments to the committee, and consults and advises on the development of the Trust.

Wiliam M. Daley, Chairman

Wiliam M. Daley is chairman, Midwest region for trustee bank JP Morgan Chase and Company. He has been president of SBC Communications Inc. since 2001. Daley served as special counsel to President Clinton, becoming U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1997 to 2000. He sits on the boards of directors of Abbott Laboratories, Boeing, Merck & Co. and Loyola University, and on the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ellen Costello

Ellen Costello is president and chief executive officer of trustee bank Harris Financial Corp. Prior to this role she was with BMO Financial Group, holding a broad range of leadership positions, most recently vice chair and head of BMO Capital Markets. Costello serves on nonprofit boards including the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, After School Matters, the Economic Club of Chicago and the Executives’ Club of Chicago.

Tim Maloney

Tim Maloney is llinois state and Chicago market president of trustee bank Bank of America. He also serves as central division executive for wealth management unit, U.S. Trust. Maloney joined Bank of America in 2001, after holding regional and executive director positions at Morgan Stanley as well as a number of leadership roles with Dean Witter Reynolds.

Lynn Rosinsky

Lynn Rosinsky is market president for trustee bank U.S. Bank in Chicago. Rosinsky brings over 20 years of experience in Chicago’s banking industry, with positions including head of National City Bank’s Midwest commercial banking at National City Bank and commercial lender at J.P. Morgan Chase. She is also the founder of Athena Powerlink of Chicago, a business mentoring program designed to increase the growth and profitability of women-owned businesses. Rosinsky serves on the boards of The Lyric Opera, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and The Partnership for New Communities.

Rick Waddell

Rick Waddell is chairman and chief executive officer of trustee bank The Northern Trust Company. Since joining Northern Trust, he has held leadership positions in commercial banking, strategic planning and personal financial services, becoming head of the corporate and institutional services business unit in 2003. Waddell is chairman of the board of the Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago, and serves on the boards of The Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Executives' Club of Chicago.