Who we are
Board
Mae P. Hong, Chair
Director
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
David Woolwine, Vice Chair
Co-founder and Partner
Impact Squared Group
Mea Konopasek, Treasurer
Vice President, Commercial Banking
BMO Harris Bank
Jai L. Winston, Secretary
Program Director, St. Paul
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Danielle S. Allen [ex officio]
Director
Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
John S. Bracken
Executive Director of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
H.O. Brownback
Vice President Emeritus
Southwestern Illinois College
Dale T. Chapman
President
Lewis and Clark Community College
Teresa L. Córdova
Director, Great Cities Institute and
Professor, Urban Planning and Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
Susan Eleuterio
Independent folklorist and educator
Deborah Epstein [Life Director]
Consultant to
Foundations and Not-for-Profit Organizations
Maria L. Finitzo
Filmmaker
Kartemquin Films
Virginia C. Gerst
Civic Leader and Writer
Juana Guzmán
Consultant
I Juana Know, Inc.
Alton B. Harris [Life Director]
Partner, Nixon Peabody
Jane A. Hays
Managing Director
The Downey Group, Inc.
Joyce Higgins*
Executive Director
African American Resource Center at Booker Washington Community Center
J. Paul Hunter [Life Director]
Professor Emeritus
The University of Chicago
Lowell Jaffe*
President
Lowell Jaffe & Associates
Susan Manning
Professor of English, Theatre, and Performance Studies
Northwestern University
Verett A. Mims
Assistant Treasurer
The Boeing Company
William M. Patterson
Adjunct Assistant Professor
African American Cultural Center
Rikeesha Phelon*
Director of Marketing and Communications
SIU School of Medicine
Alyssa Rapp*
CEO
Surgical Solutions
Gail H. Shiel-Mahoney
Interior Designer and Civic Leader
Adjunct Professor, Indiana University
Adjunct Professor, Purdue University
Stacy Ellen Baygood Streur*
Director of Legal Services
Lawyers for the Creative Arts
Jennifer Wirtz
Civic Leader
Debra Yepa-Pappan*
Community Engagement Coordinator
Field Museum
Gabrielle Lyon
Executive Director
Illinois Humanities
*Gubernatorial Appointee
Staff & Project Contacts
Staff
Rebecca Amato
Director of Teaching and Learning
rebecca.amato@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1550
Jane Beachy
Artistic Director
jane.beachy@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5587
Michael Foley
Operations Manager
michael.foley@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5589
Chris Guzaitis
Senior Director
chris.guzaitis@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5583
Mark Hallett
Director of Grant Programs
mark.hallett@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5586
Karen Loda
Development Coordinator
karen.loda@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1556
Gabrielle Lyon
Executive Director
gabrielle.lyon@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5581
Matt Meacham
Program Manager, Statewide Engagement
matt.meacham@ilhumanities.org
(618) 468-5580
Meredith Nnoka
Envisioning Justice Fellow
meredith.nnoka@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1554
Paul O’Brien
Chief Financial Officer
accounting@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5582
Audrey Petty
Director, The Odyssey Project
audrey.petty@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1557
Ned Schaub
Director of Marketing and Communications
ned.schaub@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1552
Magda Slowik
Director of Development
magdalena.slowik@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5584
Zerline Thompson
Operations Coordinator
zerline.thompson@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5580
Tia K. Williams
Digital Communications and Technology Systems Manager
tia.williams@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1549
Tyreece Williams
Program Manager, Envisioning Justice
tyreece.williams@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1565
Jenn Yoo
Program Operations Manager
jennifer.yoo@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5585
Project Contacts
Jacqueline Andrews
West Side and South Side Coordinator, The Odyssey Project
jacqueline.andrews@ilhumanities.org
(708) 966-9476
Ruben Quesada
Coordinator, El Proyecto Odisea
ruben.quesada@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5580
LaToya ‘Toy’ Robinson
2nd Year Coordinator, The Odyssey Project
latoya.robinson@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5580
Eric Wilson
North Side and Alumni Coordinator, The Odyssey Project
eric.wilson@ilhumanities.org
(312) 894-9072
Interns & Volunteers
Anisha Bhat
Education and Grants Intern
anisha.bhat@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5580
Toussaint Egan
Content Manager
toussaint.egan@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1551
Julia Rossi
Intern, The Odyssey Project
julia.rossi@ilhumanities.org
(312) 422-5580