With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
At the University of Chicago, Eileen McCarthy, now retired, facilitated and oversaw global initiatives, including the development and management of university centers in China and India. Before this role, she served as the director of strategic initiatives and planning in the office of the president and directed the Center for Policy Practice at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies.
Prior to joining Chicago Scenic Studios, Lisa McClung worked at Lismore International, W.M. Wrigley Jr. Company, and has over 15 years of global marketing and product development experience throughout Africa, Europe, and the US. In Chicago, McClung is a member of several boards, including the Women's Board of the Field Museum, among others.
Joe McCluskey is currently a founder and principal at JTM Advisory. He brings experience from previous roles at E & R Industrial, a specialty brand of Grainger and Grainger. He holds an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
Beth McCostlin partners with philanthropists, their families, and UNICEF colleagues to pursue a better world for every child. Based in Chicago, she leads engagement across the Midwest to connect supporters with global impact. Before UNICEF USA, she worked in development at the Joffrey Ballet and served as a US Army Reserve Public Affairs Officer, including a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq.
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.
In her previous role, Absera Melaku provided overall direction for the University of Chicago's Center for Global Health by managing its long-term strategy, developing numerous educational programs, and overseeing the operational infrastructure. She developed collaborative relationships to further the mission to broaden global health education, training, research, advocacy, and engagement.
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.
Matt Meltzer is a co-founder and partner at Meltzer Hellrung, a business immigration law firm. In his capacity as an attorney, he advises corporate clients, ranging from individual entrepreneurs to large multinational corporations, on securing visas for foreign employees. He helps companies devise immigration programs to efficiently and effectively attract and retain foreign talent.
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.
At US Bank, Joyce Merkel is responsible for driving the strategic growth of electronic platform trading for her company and mitigating the ever-changing risks present in the global currency market. She executes quotes for over 400 domestic and international corporate clients, collaborating with the sales team to trade twenty-four hours a day.
