With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Anna Maitland works alongside marginalized communities to support locally-owned and -led struggles toward progressive and sustainable change. She previously served as the inaugural Schuette Clinical Fellow in Health and Human Rights at the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Jeff McCarter is a media producer, director, cameraman, and editor who founded Free Spirit Media, a media education, production, and workforce development nonprofit organization.
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.
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.
Previously, Bela Moté led the department at YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago responsible for developing and managing cross-functional learning, evaluation, and innovation. She also served as interim senior vice president of Mission Advancement. In this role, she oversaw all fundraising efforts, including annual campaigns, major gifts, and sponsorship, among others.
Previously, Rebecca Neale Hampson was a senior advisor to the Paulson Institute’s chairman, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, on his efforts to strengthen the US-China relationship. She also oversaw Paulson’s strategic priorities and special projects and served as a chief advisor on his initiatives to tackle US economic challenges and global environmental protection.
Karla Ruth Orozco Toledano has over a decade of experience in trade, investment, business development, and international affairs. At WBC, she advocates for Chicago as an inclusive economic hub. She's focused on assisting foreign companies in setting up offices within Chicagoland and integrating them into diverse ecosystems, including food and agriculture, fintech, transportation, and more.
Lauren Ostrowski is a global nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience in international programs, higher education administration, and organizational strategy. As Associate Vice President for Global Academic Administration at IES Abroad—one of the world’s leading nonprofit study abroad organizations—she oversees academic programs across a portfolio of international centers.
Before his role as executive director, Brian Peckrill served as the fellows’ program director, where he was responsible for designing and implementing forward-thinking, ethics-focused experiences for top MBA students, as well as fostering an active and engaged alumni community of young business leaders as they embark on and manage their careers.
In her previous role as executive director of Heartland Alliance International (HAI), Elizabeth Powley oversaw HAI’s work in a dozen countries, which aims to secure the rights and well-being of marginalized people and communities. She's an expert in gender and post-conflict reconstruction, with over 15 years of experience in non-profit leadership and program development.
