With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Michael Scudder Jr. is a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He earned his BBA as co-valedictorian from Saint Joseph's College and his JD magna cum laude from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Before law school, Scudder worked as an auditor for Ernst and Young and is a certified public accountant.
Before joining the CDC, Dr. Nirav Shah was in the global life sciences practice of the law firm Sidley Austin, LLP, and a lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, where he taught courses in global public health and mathematical epidemiology. Shah also served as the chief economist of the Ministry of Health of Cambodia during his tenure as a Henry Luce Scholar.
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.
Nathan Uldricks is a nationally recognized tech and operations executive and policymaker and was elected to serve as the chair of Pine Township in his native Porter County, Indiana. He is deeply involved in serving his local community as a volunteer firefighter, Porter County Parks Foundation board of directors member, local Boy Scout leader, and more.
Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner and researcher focused on preventing violence through strengthening human networks. Windisch began her career with the US Department of Homeland Security in 2008 and currently serves as the Regional Prevention Coordinator in Chicago for the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3).
Abizer Zanzi is the chief of the general crimes unit of the US Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Indiana. He leads investigations and criminal prosecutions involving public corruption, human trafficking, terrorism, cybercrime, health care fraud, and child exploitation, and serves on the district’s public corruption task force and as the human trafficking coordinator.