Chicago Council on Global Affairs Announces the 2026 Class of Emerging Leaders

December 3, 2025
headshots of emerging leaders participants in squares on a blue background

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is excited to announce its 2026 class of the Emerging Leaders program. Chosen from a pool of highly competitive applicants, the class includes 23 of Chicago’s brightest professionals representing some of its most prominent institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the MacArthur Foundation, P33 and the Illinois Attorney General's Office, among others. 

Over the next year, the 2026 Emerging Leaders will engage in a rigorous program to deepen their understanding of global affairs and US foreign policy while strengthening their leadership skills. Grounded in that experience, they will join a circle of globally fluent Chicago leaders for a lifetime of connection and impact. 

"As America navigates the new multipolar world order, our leaders across every sector must examine what this shift means for their work—and how they intend to advance progress,” said Ariel Schwartz, executive director of the Council’s global leadership programs. “The Emerging Leaders Class of 2026 will build the geopolitical competencies and interpersonal relationships necessary to meet this moment and the challenges ahead."   

The 2026 class will participate in briefings with Council experts and Emerging Leaders alumni to explore global trade, food insecurity, emerging technologies, health inequity, weaponized interdependence and other topical global issues defining US engagement abroad and affecting communities at home. They will meet with policymakers in Washington, DC, attend Council events, and train in facilitation, collaborative problem-solving, policy analysis and media skills.  

This year's class participants are:      

  • Michelle Adeniyi, Program Officer, Global Health, Crown Family Philanthropies
  • Vanessa Flores Andersen, Sustainability Manager, Ferrara
  • Chime Asonye, Founder, Nigerian Mental Health
  • Sarah Boyle, Deputy Director, Chicago Police Department
  • Kemena Brooks, Chief of Staff, Chicago Housing Authority
  • Abbie Castiglione, President, DT Institute
  • Andrew Cockroft, Senior Associate, King & Spalding LLP
  • Vikas Didwania, Complex Litigation Counsel, Illinois Attorney General's Office
  • Joe Frost, Assistant Vice President & Team Leader, Cyber Solutions Group, Aon
  • Brian Gill, Senior Director, Government Affairs & Policy, Shedd Aquarium
  • Veronica Glick, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
  • Matthew T. Halek, Strategic Advisor, P33 Chicago
  • Tony Hayes, Vice President of Engineering, Industrial & Clean Technologies, US Midwest & South, IDA Ireland
  • Melissa Kessler, Global Director of Regulatory Affairs, ADM
  • Loukas Kozonis, Managing Partner, Kozonis Law, Ltd
  • Marc Lacher, Managing Director, Wealth Advisor, William Blair
  • Flavia Lorenzon, Hart Fellow, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
  • Paulina Muñoz, Senior Assistant General Counsel, Chicago Public Schools
  • Lauren Ostrowski, Associate Vice President for Global Academic Administration, IES Abroad
  • Brian Peckrill, Executive Director, William G. McGowan Charitable Fund
  • Maryiam Saifuddin, Senior Manager, Centene
  • Jacques Schuhmacher, Executive Director, Provenance Research, Art Institute of Chicago
  • Jamie Waters, Senior Communications Associate, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Emerging Leaders program alumni include Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Sean Casten (D-IL); architect and 2019 TIME 100 honoree Jeanne Gang; Eric Weinheimer, senior vice president and philanthropic strategist at Bank of America; Bria Scudder, first assistant deputy governor for public safety, infrastructure, environment, and energy in Illinois; Bridget Gainer, vice president of global public affairs and policy at Aon; Katherine Maehr, CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository; Illinois House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore Kam Buckner; and Paul Mower, assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Emerging Leaders program was established in 2008 and has graduated more than 300 participants to date. The application for the class of 2027 will open in summer 2026. More information about the Emerging Leaders program is available at globalaffairs.org/EL. 

About the Council

A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, the Council was founded in 1922 and is dedicated to increasing knowledge and engagement in global affairs. Our in-depth analysis and expert-led research influence policy conversations and inform the insights we share with our growing community. Through accessible content and open dialogue of diverse, fact-based perspectives, we empower more people to help shape our global future. Learn more at globalaffairs.org.