With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Alongside his father and brother, Amer Abdullah launched the Cedars restaurant in 2001. Shortly thereafter, a fast-casual child of Cedars named Mezza Mediterranean Grill was born, where Abdullah heads the marketing strategy. Beyond business, he is a founding member of the Chicago Community Trust's Pillars Fund, a donor-advised fund that targets a better understanding of Muslim-American culture.
Ikbel Achour is passionate about translating cutting-edge science into patient care. She is the global head of translational medicine at AstraZeneca, and previously a senior research scientist at IO Bispecifics Franchise in genomics and molecular medicine, with a focus on innovation in precision medicine.
Roseanna Ander serves as the founding executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, which was launched in partnership with the City of Chicago. In the years following, she was appointed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Advisory Committee and the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, and was named co-chair of Rahm Emanuel's Public Safety Transition Committee.
After nearly 20 years in leadership roles at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), Benjamin Bader now leads the global workplace function for HERE Technologies, managing real estate across nearly 40 countries. Bader shapes and executes HERE's real estate strategy, working closely with key stakeholders to align business needs with financial goals, mitigate risks, and deliver data-driven solutions.
Mary Barnicle oversees regulatory policy development for Prime Air, Amazon's commercial drone delivery service. Previously, she held the position of managing director of regulatory affairs at United Airlines, where she advocated for the company’s interests before multiple government regulatory agencies, particularly regarding taxation and economic liberalization.
Brian T. Edwards is currently the dean of Tulane University's School of Liberal Arts, the largest of the university's nine schools, encompassing 35 departments and programs in the social sciences, humanities, fine and performing arts. Previously, he was the director of the Middle East and North African studies program at Northwestern University.
Sarah Herda is the executive director of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. Founded in 1956, Graham Foundation is the only private foundation in the United States committed to providing project-based grants to individuals and institutions working to address issues related to architecture and the built environment.
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel is the founder and executive director of the Academy for Global Citizenship, a Chicago Public Elementary School on a global mission that serves 96% minority children and families. AGC is developing the next generation of critical thinkers and mindful leaders to positively impact their communities and the world beyond.
Prior to his role at eRacing Association, Kevin Johnson was the senior manager of mergers and acquisitions and led federal market business development for Acciona Energy North America Corporation. Before joining Acciona, Johnson served as a captain in the United States Army and deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the 1st Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.
Ashish Lal is a vice president at BDT & Company, a Chicago-based merchant bank that combines a $3 billion investment fund with advisory services to address the strategic and financing needs of companies. He was involved in establishing BDT’s strategic joint venture with one of India’s most highly regarded conglomerates and continues to establish relationships with business owners outside of the US.
