With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Alaina Hampton is a Democratic political consultant and strategist with more than a decade of experience working in political and advocacy campaigns. Hampton’s career focuses on government reform in Cook County–supporting reform-minded and ethical leaders. Her job responsibilities include building and leading campaign strategies and oversight of operations.
Before joining Vote Solar, MeLena Hessel was associate director of policy at Elevate, a nonprofit organization that designs and implements programs that reduce costs, protect people and the environment, and ensure the benefits of clean and efficient energy use reach those who need them most.
A proud native of Chicago’s South Side, Adrienne Irmer has been a passionate champion of social causes for over 16 years. Her professional work has crossed all sectors, including electoral campaign work at all levels of government. Irmer previously served on the legislative staff of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and with the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management.
Before her role at the Chicago Quantum Exchange, Andrea Jett Fletcher managed the civic engagement, participatory democracy, and public policy initiatives of the McCormick Foundation. Previously, she worked with the University of Chicago Cultural Policy Center, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Brookings Institution, and the African Development Bank.
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.
In her current role, Tina Kotrych leverages broad networks on both sides of the border to help Midwest-based firms navigate all aspects of setting up and expanding operations in Canada. In addition to her foreign direct investment (FDI) expertise, Kotrych also has a keen sense for policy analysis built over a decade of advocacy efforts promoting Canada's trade priorities.
Raja Krishnamoorthi represents the 8th District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs. He is the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and is also a member of the Emerging Leaders Class of 2010.
Abin Kuriakose is the first-ever chief strategy and innovation officer for World Business Chicago (WBC), the city's economic development organization, chaired by the mayor. In this role, Kuriakose and his team manage a portfolio of high-impact economic development programs to grow the region’s tech, innovation, and startup economy.
At Resolute Consulting, John McGovern focused on strategic communications in the public policy arena and provided expertise in navigating complex decision-making processes in Illinois and Washington, D.C. He previously worked for US House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and served as the executive director of Keep Our Majority PAC.
Previously, Rebecca Neale Hampson was a senior advisor to the Paulson Institute’s chairman, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, on his efforts to strengthen the US-China relationship. She also oversaw Paulson’s strategic priorities and special projects and served as a chief advisor on his initiatives to tackle US economic challenges and global environmental protection.
