With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Khadine Bennett is Associate Legislative Director with the ACLU of Illinois. She drafts, testifies, and lobbies on a wide variety of legislative issues.
Before her role at Databricks, Kate Besser was a manager on the business transformation team at LinkedIn, leading strategic initiatives that drive global sales and business performance by scaling technology, analytics, and processes. Before that, she served as an insights lead supporting LinkedIn's largest and most strategic partnerships in the professional services industry.
Before joining the Diocese of Rockford, Ryan Blackney was an associate in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group and the Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Group, and was a member of the Fraud and Internal Investigations Team at Freeborn and Peters LLP. He specializes in commercial and bankruptcy litigation, especially commercial fraud and fraudulent transfers.
Sonia Bobra is an assistant professor of Neuroradiology at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. Bobra serves as education director for radiology residents and medical students and as a mentor to international medical students and women in medicine. As an active physician educator, she regularly leads interactive case-based conferences and lectures.
Brandon Bodor serves as a business development manager with Parker Hannifin Corporation, a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies. Prior to this role, he held a variety of cross-sector roles focused on national security and national service. From 2012 to 2014, Bodor was appointed by former Governor Pat Quinn to serve as executive director of the Serve Illinois Commission.
In his current role, Vamsi Bonthala leads all corporate efforts at Arbor Lodging Partners, including investor relations, strategic relationships, acquisitions, dispositions, and asset management. He's also the principal of Arbor Lodging Management, the management affiliate of Arbor Lodging Partners, recently named one of the nation’s top hotel companies by Hotel Management magazine.
At Trident DMG, Logan Booth provides multi-disciplinary counsel on business-critical issues at the intersection of law, policy, and commerce. In addition to his civilian career, he's an officer in the US Navy Reserve serving in the intelligence and public affairs communities, and he's licensed to practice law in both Illinois and New York.
Constance Bowen's workplace, Northern Trust, is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, and asset management. In her role, activating a differentiated and human-centered experience is central to her practice. She delivers solutions for a global portfolio that support corporate objectives with impactful results. Previously, she served in a variety of capacities at Bank of America.
Before his role at the S. Daniel Abraham Center, Joel Braunold was the executive director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. He works regularly with the US State Department, USAID, the National Security Council, and Congress on the needs of the peacebuilding community. Outside the US, he has worked with national governments and multilateral institutions across Europe and the Middle East.
Ashley Bromagen develops and implements government relations and public affairs strategies in the U.S. and Mexico for Beam Suntory, a global spirits manufacturer. She also advises company leadership and cross-functional teams about the potential impact of policy and political developments. Before joining the corporate sector, Bromagen was a legislative staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives.
