With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Sarah Boyle currently serves as the deputy director of strategic planning in the Office of the Superintendent at the Chicago Police Department. She is responsible for managing and implementing high-profile projects that include organizational development, increased technology capacity, and strengthening city-wide partnerships.
Joel Braunold is the managing director of The Center Project, having consulted for leading organizations, funds, and foundations on public policy and the financing of violence prevention and peacebuilding. Previously, he served as the executive director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, where he built its global footprint, impact, and brand, leveraging more than $50 million for peacebuilding.
Ashley Bromagen develops and implements government relations and public affairs strategies in the U.S. and Mexico for Beam Suntory, a global spirits manufacturer. She also advises company leadership and cross-functional teams about the potential impact of policy and political developments. Before joining the corporate sector, Bromagen was a legislative staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Kemena Brooks serves as Chief of Staff at the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). In this role, she supports executive leadership in advancing agency-wide priorities and managing cross-departmental initiatives. She also oversees CHA’s real estate development department, leading efforts to plan, preserve, and deliver affordable and mixed-income housing across the city.
Euler Bropleh is the founder and managing director of VestedWorld, a venture capital fund focused on spurring sustainable economic growth in underserved regions around the world. In this role, he is responsible for sourcing, vetting, and structuring transactions with early-stage companies poised to achieve significant growth and impact.
Zachary Brown previously served as a supervisory financial analyst at the US Department of the Treasury, and before that as a principal at Milliman, where he led a team implementing risk management overlay strategies for banks, asset managers, insurance companies, and pension plans. In this role, he was a named portfolio manager on over a dozen mutual funds with over $20 billion in assets.
Daniel Bryant is the former founder and chief executive officer of Sheridan Road Financial, an investment consulting and management company that services middle-market companies and their executives. Before founding Sheridan Road, he was a senior investment banker at several investment banks, including Robertson Stephens in San Francisco and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in Chicago.
Representative Kam Buckner represents the 26th Legislative District in the Illinois House of Representatives, a district completely situated in the City of Chicago. Previously, he served as executive director of World Sport Chicago, an organization that uses sports as a tool to provide life-skill training and opportunities to youth in Chicago's most under-resourced communities.
In her current role, Meredith Burlew is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of Rotary’s grant programs in over 140 countries. She is committed to developing a diverse team supporting Rotary grantees in designing locally-driven, results-oriented projects that value learning and continuous improvement. Burlew also volunteers with Nourishing Hope (formerly Lakeview Pantry).
William Burns was elected alderman of Chicago's 4th Ward in 2011. He previously served as an Illinois Representative and vice president of Conlon Public Strategies. Before that, he worked for the Office of the Senate President, the Chicago Urban League, and the Metropolitan Planning Council.
