Skip to main content

Emerging Leaders Directory

More than 50 resident and nonresident fellows offer research, analysis, and commentary on US foreign policy and public opinion, global food security, and global cities.

Maggie Westdale 

Chief Financial Officer, Aon Business
Headshot for Maggie Westdale
Cohort
Maggie Westdale is the business chief financial officer for Aon, where she is responsible for managing the financial results across functions, regions, and solution lines. Previously, she served as chief financial officer for Aon’s reinsurance and retirement solutions. She also held roles at CNA Insurance and Price Waterhouse.

Charles Wheelan 

Senior Lecturer and Policy Fellow, Dartmouth College
Charles Wheelan is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College. He's the author of "Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science," a monthly columnist on Yahoo! Finance, and a correspondent for WBEZ Radio. Previously, he worked for Chicago Metropolis 2020 and The Economist.

Kuliva Wilburn 

Chief Executive Officer, Wilburn Strategic Solutions, Inc.
Kulivan Wilburn headshot
Cohort
Industry
Social Media
Kuliva Wilburn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Drexel University, a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is currently a doctoral candidate in the DrPH division at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. She's a 2021 Eisenhower Fellow and serves on the board of several Chicago institutions.

Jamie Wildman 

Partner, Merchant Banking, William Blair
Cohort
Jamie Wildman became one of the youngest managing directors at William Blair, where he now leads business development efforts with private equity and venture capital firms. His earlier experience includes investment banking roles at Bear Stearns and Cowen and Company in New York. He is also actively involved with the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, serving on multiple committees.

Kevin Willer 

Partner, Chicago Ventures
Kevin Willer headshot
Cohort
Kevin Willer is a partner at Chicago Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. He oversees all aspects of Chicago Ventures, including fund management, deal sourcing, investments, and working directly with portfolio companies. He's also a minority owner and vice chair of the board of the Chicago Red Stars, the city's professional women's soccer club.

Mark R. Williams 

Chief Executive Officer, Magna Legal Services
Cohort
Industry
Law
Social Media
Mark Williams is the CEO of Magna Legal Services, a nationally operating provider of legal support services and technology backed by private equity. He previously served as president and COO of PPL Group and Big Shoulders Capital, and before that, as president and CEO of Kroll Ontrack, a global legal technology company with over 1,200 employees in 35 offices across 20 countries.

Reza Yassari 

Director of Spinal Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Reza Yassari headshot
Cohort
Industry
sector
Reza Yassari directs the spinal oncology unit at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, in addition to being a professor of neurosurgery and the director of the residency program. He was a fellow at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and previously taught at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, as faculty in the spine division.

Tracey Yearwood 

Principal Partner, enSanity Productions
Tracey Yearwood joined enSanity Productions after previously working with the Chicago Urban League, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and various national cable news networks. She produced segments for the Oprah Winfrey Show and was an Ethel Payne Fellow in South Africa in 1998. She has studied in Italy and earned her BS in communications from Northwestern University.

Melissa Zaikos 

Chief Executive Officer, Intrinsic Schools
Cohort
Industry
sector
Melissa Zaikos co-founded Intrinsic Schools in 2013. Previously, as chief of elementary schools, Pershing Network for Chicago Public Schools, she oversaw the performance and management of over 100 autonomous schools within the school system. She was also a Broad resident, funded by the Broad Foundation, leading strategic projects at CPS, and a manager for Deloitte Consulting.

Endy Zemenides 

Executive Director, Hellenic American Leadership Council
Photo of Endy Zemenides
Endy Zemenides is the executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), a national Greek-American advocacy organization dedicated to promoting human rights and the rule of law internationally, in addition to building bridges between communities in the United States. Before joining HALC, Zemenides practiced law in Chicago, specializing in municipal law and government relations.