With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel is the founder and executive director of the Academy for Global Citizenship, a Chicago Public Elementary School on a global mission that serves 96% minority children and families. AGC is developing the next generation of critical thinkers and mindful leaders to positively impact their communities and the world beyond.
Working with the Big Shoulders Fund, Rebecca Lindsay-Ryan uses her education background and nonprofit management experience to help improve communities and prepare students for lifelong success. For over a decade, she has overseen significant growth of the fund’s academic programs in order to increase access to high-quality education.
John Lucas has two decades of experience in higher education and student mobility. He has served as provost of the School for International Training and associate vice president of IES Abroad. He also spent 12 years working in Spain, directing international programs for IES, CIEE, and the Institute for Social and International Studies at Portland State University.
Matt Meltzer is the founder and CEO of Sage Corps, an international internship program that sends college students to work abroad with entrepreneurs at tech startups. Before Sage Corps, he was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP where he represented primarily Latin American clients in international litigations and internal investigations.
Outside of the US, Tanya Menon has taught in France, India, Singapore, Italy, and Spain. She has won multiple teaching awards and has incorporated her nonprofit consulting experience into her classes. Additionally, Menon is the associate editor of the Journal of Management Science and was an American Marshall Memorial Fellow.
Previously, Bela Moté led the department at YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago responsible for developing and managing cross-functional learning, evaluation, and innovation. She also served as interim senior vice president of Mission Advancement. In this role, she oversaw all fundraising efforts, including annual campaigns, major gifts, and sponsorship, among others.
Yasmeen Muhammad has passionately served Chicago Public Schools for over 17 years. She works to cultivate inclusive learning environments where students are empowered to embrace their identities and express themselves critically, artistically, and emotionally. Her firm belief is that we must use our positionality to lift our communities to impact every child in every neighborhood.
Luis Narváez, born and raised in Mexico City, is the former director of strategic projects for Chicago Public Schools' Office of Language and Cultural Education. He worked to support the city's 70,000+ English language learners and focuses on expanding postsecondary access for Chicago’s immigrant and Latino communities.
Before his role as president and CEO of Acero Schools, Richard Rodriguez worked for Res Publica Group and served as commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environment and deputy chief operations officer for the City of Chicago. He previously served as president of the Chicago Transit Authority and commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Aviation.
Meredith Stricker is also a senior fellow at The Soufan Center, a think tank focused on global security and emerging threats. She previously served as the founding executive director and led the organization’s research team and speaker series, building on years of experience with counter-terrorism and other security matters.
