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Emerging Leaders Directory

With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Results for:
Advocacy & International Development

Jailan Adly 

Managing Director, GoodCitizen
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.

Sonya Anderson 

Chief Executive Officer & President, Embark Strategies
Sonya Anderson headshot
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.

Kaberi Banerjee-Murthy 

Board Member, Ms. Foundation for Women
Kaberi Banerjee Murthy headshot
Kaberi Banerjee-Murthy is a philanthropic leader committed to transforming philanthropy by shifting power to historically underserved communities. Her experience includes leading the education, arts & culture, and civic affairs work at Crown Family Philanthropies. She's also worked with the Picower Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, and Hemenway & Barnes.

Lauren Bean Buitta 

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Girl Security
Headshot of Lauren Bean Buitta
Lauren Bean Buitta is founder and CEO of Girl Security, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization closing the gender gap in national security through learning, training, and mentoring support.

Emma Belcher 

President, Ploughshares Fund
Emma Belcher headshot
Emma Belcher is the president of the Ploughshares Fund, a public grantmaking foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons. Before this position, she was the director of nuclear challenges at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and published research on nuclear weapons at the Council on Foreign Relations as a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow.

Khadine Bennett 

Director, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs, ACLU of Illinois
Headshot of Khadine Bennet.
Khadine Bennett is Associate Legislative Director with the ACLU of Illinois. She drafts, testifies, and lobbies on a wide variety of legislative issues.

Joel Braunold 

Managing Director, S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
Headshot for Joel Braunold
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.

Meredith Burlew 

Director of Rotary Grants, Rotary International
Headshot for Meredith Burlew
In her current role, Meredith Burlew is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of Rotary’s grant programs in over 140 countries. She is committed to developing a diverse team supporting Rotary grantees in designing locally-driven, results-oriented projects that value learning and continuous improvement. Burlew also volunteers with Nourishing Hope (formerly Lakeview Pantry).

Gillian Darlow 

Chief Executive Officer, Polk Bros. Foundation
Gillian Darlow headshot
Gillian Darlow is the CEO of the Polk Bros. Foundation, which focuses its grantmaking on reducing the impact of poverty and expanding access to quality education, the arts, preventive health care, and essential human services for Chicago-area residents. She previously worked at the Civic Consulting Alliance, where she led numerous economic growth initiatives for the city, among other initiatives.

John DeBlasio 

Chairman, DT Global
John DeBlasio headshot
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.