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.
Emanuel “Manny” Johnson joined the Robert R. McCormick Foundation in 2016, where he serves as the program officer for the Veterans Program, managing a $3 million portfolio of 35 grantees. Additionally, he serves on the foundation’s Racial Equity Committee, a group that works to pave the way forward to more equitable grant-making.
Previously, Amrith Kaur Aakre was the legal director of the Sikh Coalition, where she coordinated legal and policy initiatives to protect the civil rights of all Americans, create community empowerment, and continue efforts to engage communities for positive opportunities. Aakre was part of a group of student activists at George Washington University who cofounded the Sikh Coalition after 9/11.
Alongside his father and brother, Amer Abdullah launched the Cedars restaurant in 2001. Shortly thereafter, a fast-casual child of Cedars named Mezza Mediterranean Grill was born, where Abdullah heads the marketing strategy. Beyond business, he is a founding member of the Chicago Community Trust's Pillars Fund, a donor-advised fund that targets a better understanding of Muslim-American culture.
Ikbel Achour is passionate about translating cutting-edge science into patient care. She is the global head of translational medicine at AstraZeneca, and previously a senior research scientist at IO Bispecifics Franchise in genomics and molecular medicine, with a focus on innovation in precision medicine.
Before joining GoodCitizen, Jailan Adly led strategy for Amplifier’s philanthropic partnerships and planned and executed internal strategic initiatives to build the agency’s capabilities. She is a social impact strategist who believes in the power of business to tackle and solve complex global challenges and brings over a decade of experience building impact-driven initiatives around the world.
Garvin Ambrose is an alumnus of the Council’s Emerging Leaders Program (class of 2019) and leads union and non-union administrative professionals in operating the second largest Prosecutor's office in the country. Prior to this role, he served as both Chief of Staff to Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and Assistant State's Attorney.
Roseanna Ander serves as the founding executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, which was launched in partnership with the City of Chicago. In the years following, she was appointed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Advisory Committee and the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, and was named co-chair of Rahm Emanuel's Public Safety Transition Committee.
Prior to Embark Strategies, Sonya Anderson supported the development of early childhood education programs and policies for the Ounce of Prevention Fund. She previously worked for the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, overseeing their domestic and international work in education.
Sherene Awad Jodrey is senior counsel at Boeing, where her practice focuses on employee benefits and executive compensation matters. She represents Boeing on all matters relating to the company’s US retirement, health, and welfare programs, executive compensation programs, global equity plans, and employee-related aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
Steve Babitch’s work lies at the intersection of the social sciences, business strategy, and design. As a consultant who has worked with leading-edge innovation and design consultancies Doblin, now part of Deloitte, and IA Collaborative in Chicago, Babitch has worked with clients across many sectors, including computer hardware, automotive, consumer goods, and health care.
