With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Tony Davis serves as the president and managing partner of Linden Capital Partners and has more than fifteen years of principal investing and consulting experience. He is a member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), president of Americans United in Support of Democracy, and a member and former President of CityPAC.
Dion Dawson is the founder and chief dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream, a nonprofit social enterprise combating food insecurity through logistics and last-mile delivery in the Midwest. His system has provided millions of pounds of fresh produce annually to food-insecure recipients in the Chicago region, with numerous community jobs created through one powerful movement.
John P. DeBlasio is chairman of DT Global and DT Institute, founder of the Global Peace and Development (GPD) Charitable Trust, and managing director of Bootstrap Capital. He also founded Sallyport Global Holdings to support reconstruction efforts in Iraq, later expanding its operations across the Middle East and Africa.
Now at Rivian, Rebecca Delaney was the youngest engineering team leader for the design firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill’s (SOM) sustainable engineering studio. She led multidisciplinary sustainable-engineering teams for projects including the design competition for the world's tallest office tower, a LEED Gold high school for CPS, and a boutique high-rise art museum in New York.
Erin Delawalla leads regional sales and business development in the Upper Midwest for Resource Environmental Solutions, LLC, the nation’s largest operational ecological restoration company. She works to develop new markets and innovative funding strategies for environmental restoration and conservation of sensitive natural resources, particularly through the development of ecosystem credit markets.
In addition to managing regional staff at the Federal Executive Boards, Edgar Delgado is responsible for uniting top federal executives within the region, providing platforms for leaders to unite under a shared vision of government service that's efficient, collaborative, and community-focused. He's a United States Air Force (USAF) veteran where he deployed numerous times.
Lauren Densham supports public sector, higher education, and nonprofit clients in evolving their organizational strategy and processes to more effectively achieve their mission and better serve constituents. She has experience supporting leading public and private sector organizations with strategy development, organizational transformation, and sustainability initiatives.
As former president of Heartland Alliance, Evelyn Diaz—a member of the Council's Emerging Leader Program class of 2011—was responsible for directing domestic and global strategy for Heartland Alliance's five nonprofit corporate entities. Previously, she was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to lead the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services.
Chad Doobay is a partner in the government and public finance practice group of the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where he advises governmental entities and nonprofit organizations on financing projects that benefit the public good. Doobay works with hospitals, schools, museums, cultural institutions, and other nonprofit organizations to help them grow and advance their respective missions.
In her role at the UNA-USA, Farah Eck oversees national programs, chapter support, communications strategy, and member engagement. She brings with her 7+ years of experience as a UNA-USA volunteer, serving as a chapter president (UNA Chicago) and board member, and as a UNA-USA National Council Member for the Great Lakes Region.
