With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Kendra Stead has extensive experience in every phase of litigation and typically represents companies and professional services firms in commercial disputes, securities litigation, and professional liability actions. She counsels corporate clients regarding their contractual rights and obligations and regularly pursues and defends large-scale contract disputes.
Based in Chicago, Julie Steffen-Layda leads the Midwest hub for the international desk for JLL. In this role, she is responsible for expanding the growth of the company's international business across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Before her move to Chicago, Steffen-Layda was part of the Palo Alto hub of the international desk.
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.
Scott Stern, now a senior manager at Meta, was previously the director of innovation and insights at the American Marketing Association (AMA). He led an interdisciplinary team responsible for AMA's national analytics program and for converting customer insights into innovative experiences for AMA's 30,000 members and 250,000 non-member customers worldwide.
Previously, while at the American Jewish Committee, Amy Stoken managed their largest regional office, which included overseeing advocacy efforts with diplomats and faith-based leaders visiting or stationed in Chicago. She was also responsible for all Chicago-based programming and for the coordination of lay leader participation and activism.
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.
Vidisha Suman is a partner with Kearney’s digital transformation practice in the Chicago office, with over 15 years of industry and consulting experience in the digital space. She regularly works with companies to help them become digitally enabled and position themselves for growth through digital business models, all while safeguarding their business from cyber exposure.
Stephanie Sutton is currently the chief of staff at the Office of the Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs. Previously, she was chief of staff in the Chicago office of Edelman, a leading global communications and marketing firm. She also served in the Obama administration as chief of staff of the Bureau of International Information Programs at the US Department of State.
With a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Christopher Swann's impactful journey at Feeding America began as an intern and ascended to the role of senior program manager. His pivotal work with the MealConnect platform has not only garnered millions in funding but has also been instrumental in rescuing billions of pounds of food for those facing hunger.
While at Northern Illinois University's College of Law, Morse Tan directed the international law certificate program. A US Supreme Court Fellowship finalist and a member of the US Supreme Court Bar, he previously worked at the University of Texas Law School as a visiting scholar and Senior Research Fellow.
