With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Seema Kumbhat's experience includes directing medical device innovation, in addition to performing due diligence for strategic alliances and risk management activities, for the global pharmaceutical and medical device company Hospira. She's licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the state of Illinois and has traveled the world to examine healthcare disparities in other countries.
Adolfo Laurenti has extensive experience analyzing global financial markets and economic trends for a variety of industries and is a frequent speaker to diverse audiences in the United States and abroad. Before working at VISA, he was the global economist for a private bank in Zurich, Switzerland, and chief international economist and managing director for Mesirow Financial in Chicago.
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.
L. Heather Mitchell has over a decade of leadership experience in operations, investor relations, fundraising, asset management, and investment strategy. At Capri, she manages pension fund client relationships for US commercial real estate and leads marketing for the firm’s emerging market platform in Africa, India, and the Middle East.
Justin P. Oberman is a recognized expert and industry leader in aviation/aerospace, homeland security, and identity management. His 27-year career includes service in government, founding a tech company, and advising investors and management teams. After 9/11, he helped set up the TSA and later served as an assistant administrator and senior executive at the Department of Homeland Security.
Girish Rishi is the former CEO of Blue Yonder, where he launched a cloud-based portfolio powered by machine learning and edge intelligence to help companies better forecast supply and demand. Before that, he led Tyco International’s global retail solutions and North American building automation businesses.
Christopher Roth directs a nationwide federal real estate team representing the US General Services Administration (GSA) and has testified about the GSA’s national broker contracts before the US Congress. He's also a registered architect, having studied vernacular housing in Guatemala and urban design in Italy.
Joseph Seliga practices in state and local government law with a focus on major infrastructure public-private partnership transactions. He's advised on the leases of the Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge and the Indiana Toll Road, which received the Project Finance North American Transport Deal of the Year Award, as well as many other projects in the United States and abroad.
Noah J. Toly is currently the Provost at Calvin University. Previously, he was a professor of urban studies and politics and international relations at Wheaton College. He has previous experience as a senior fellow at the University of Chicago's Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion and as a lecturer at the Free University of Berlin’s Center for Global Politics.
Jamie Wildman became one of the youngest managing directors at William Blair, where he now leads business development efforts with private equity and venture capital firms. His earlier experience includes investment banking roles at Bear Stearns and Cowen and Company in New York. He is also actively involved with the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, serving on multiple committees.
