With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Mark Palchak started his career growing proprietary trading groups in Chicago at Infinium Capital Management. In time, he assumed leadership of Infinium in a distressed situation, immediately taking the company through a successful sale process and returning the successor company, V3 Markets, to profitability.
Alison Ranney is currently managing director at Russel Reynolds Associates, and formerly led the nonprofit and education practice in the Midwest for the global executive search firm. She recruits senior leaders to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education in the United States and internationally.
Alexander Ross is a certified financial planner and a principal at Main Street Investment Advisors, LLC, as well as the owner of Pallas Investments, LLC. Daily, he works closely with a wide variety of multi-generational families to manage their wealth, and is actively involved in his local community through his service on Winnetka's Caucus Council and as a member of the Vestry of Christ Church.
Ross Shelleman is the CEO of Aisle Rocket, after previously serving as president and CEO of Target Data, a venture-backed "Big Data" and analytics company focused on the life event of moving. Before founding Target Data, Shelleman held various senior business development positions across a multitude of industries, including technology, healthcare, and managed services.
Linhard Stepf, a 10-plus-year veteran in foreign direct investments and economic development marketing, is currently the vice president of VISTRA. Previously, he was president of FrankfurtRhineMain Corp., where his responsibilities included promoting the Frankfurt region (Germany) in North America and Brazil to recruit and attract companies for relocation or expansion.
Lisa G. Thomas has extensive experience in venture capital and private equity investing, governance, and operations in emerging markets. She is the founder and managing director of Samata Capital, a fund management company dedicated to making private sector investments in small and growing businesses in sub-Saharan Africa that advance opportunities for women and promote gender diversity.
Shalini Unnikrishnan is a core member of Boston Consulting Group's healthcare and social impact practices. In healthcare, she advises clients in the biopharma, medtech, and payer space on a broad range of strategic issues. In social impact, Unnikrishnan serves as BCG Chicago's office node and works across public education, global health, and economic development teams globally.
In his current role, Eric Weinheimer offers tailored consulting and advisory services to the boards of directors and senior leaders of nonprofit clients. His expertise spans strategic planning, board governance, revenue diversification, and social enterprise. He also has significant experience working with high-net-worth individuals to identify and achieve their philanthropic goals.
Kuliva Wilburn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Drexel University, a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is currently a doctoral candidate in the DrPH division at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. She's a 2021 Eisenhower Fellow and serves on the board of several Chicago institutions.
Endy Zemenides is the executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), a national Greek-American advocacy organization dedicated to promoting human rights and the rule of law internationally, in addition to building bridges between communities in the United States. Before joining HALC, Zemenides practiced law in Chicago, specializing in municipal law and government relations.
