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They heard from experts on issues such as the global economy, international diplomacy, energy, and the environment. In addition to meeting regularly as a class, they worked on individual projects with Council experts to examine key global challenges.

This cohort of leaders from around Chicago was chosen by an independent selection committee from a highly competitive pool of applicants.

Learn more about the Emerging Leaders Program.

Class of 2010
Founder & CEO, FARO Advisory
Headshot for Olga Camargo
With 20 years in financial services, Olga Camargo excels in advising diverse industries on operations, retirement plans, and innovative payroll solutions. Recognized nationally for her leadership in diversity, she's a trusted advisor to growing businesses and policymakers.
Headshot for Olga Camargo
CEO, Salsify
Piyush Chaudhari headshot
Piyush Chaudhari is the CEO at Salsify, after previously working at Aon Consulting, IBM, Motorola, and McKinsey and Company. He has been awarded two U.S. patents in the area of microelectronics. He earned his BS and MS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Piyush Chaudhari headshot
Founder, Anthropocene Capital Management
Headshot for Zach Egan
Previously, Zach Egan was president, CIO, and fund manager at Columbia Wanger Asset Management, a globally recognized leader in small and mid-cap equities with peak assets under management exceeding $40 billion.
Headshot for Zach Egan
Principal & Founder, Bare Hill
Headshot for Stephen Haggerty
Stephen Haggerty is currently a principal and founder at Bare Hill, an advisory platform focused on hospitality and wellness-related assets. He previously held roles at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Devotio Capital Management, and Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, among others.
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Executive Director, Big Shoulders Fund
Joshua Hale is the executive director of Big Shoulders, which is an organization providing scholarships and programmatic support for ninety-three inner-city Catholic schools and more than 25,000 children. Previously, he worked at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School as a management consultant with The Hale Group, Ltd.
Partner, Oliver Wyman
Minoo Javanmardian headshot
Minoo Javanmardian joined Oliver Wyman's health and life sciences practice with over 25 years of experience as a strategy consultant, executive coach, and business leader in the healthcare industry. She's focused on developing strategy-based transformation in the healthcare industry, including the payors (health plans) and providers (e.g., hospitals and clinics) sectors.
Minoo Javanmardian headshot
United States Congressman for Illinois’ 8th District
Black and white headshot of Raja Krishnamoorthi
Raja Krishnamoorthi represents the 8th District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs. He is the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and is also a member of the Emerging Leaders Class of 2010.
Black and white headshot of Raja Krishnamoorthi
Executive Director and CEO, Greater Chicago Food Depository
Kate Maehr
Kate Maehr has led the Greater Chicago Food Depository in its mission to provide food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community since 2006. In this role, she has guided a number of strategic initiatives and accomplishments to distribute nutritious food across Cook County while addressing the root causes of hunger.
Kate Maehr
Lead Director, Chicago Scenic Studios
Prior to joining Chicago Scenic Studios, Lisa McClung worked at Lismore International, W.M. Wrigley Jr. Company, and has over 15 years of global marketing and product development experience throughout Africa, Europe, and the US. In Chicago, McClung is a member of several boards, including the Women's Board of the Field Museum, among others.
Partner, A.T. Kearney
Sean Ryan has over ten years of consulting experience with U.S. and European clients. He specializes in growth-related issues in consumer products and healthcare and leads the North America practice area. He has published articles on Europe, the global economy, and finance.
Partner, Juniper Advisory
Headshot for Jordan Shields
J. Jordan Shields joined Juniper Advisory, a specialized investment banking firm that provides government-owned, non-profit, and faith-based hospitals strategic transaction support, in 2011, in part due to the work his class of Emerging Leaders did exploring the opportunities and risks of privatizing public infrastructure, specifically hospitals.
Headshot for Jordan Shields
Founder, Life 4.0
Roger Shores founded Life 4.0, a consulting endeavor focused on his passion for spreading his proven business philosophies across various well-established start-up and non-profit organizations. He's a leader in Chicago civic and charitable affairs, including as an active member and past board chairman for the Chicago Youth Centers organization.
Clinical Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Photo of Juliet Sorensen
Juliet Sorensen is a clinical professor of law and the director of Loyola's Rule of Law Institute and Program in Rule of Law for Development. She was previously on the faculty of Northwestern and served as the executive director of Injustice Watch, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization focused on systemic inequities in the courts.
Photo of Juliet Sorensen
Professor and Department Head, University of Illinois at Chicago
Nik Theodore teaches, writes, lectures, and consults on urban planning and labor markets in the United States and Britain. He was an Atlantic Fellow in Public Policy at Manchester University in England and was recognized by Crain's "40 Under 40."
Senior Lecturer and Policy Fellow, Dartmouth College
Charles Wheelan is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College. He's the author of "Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science," a monthly columnist on Yahoo! Finance, and a correspondent for WBEZ Radio. Previously, he worked for Chicago Metropolis 2020 and The Economist.
Director of Spinal Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Reza Yassari headshot
Reza Yassari directs the spinal oncology unit at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, in addition to being a professor of neurosurgery and the director of the residency program. He was a fellow at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and previously taught at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, as faculty in the spine division.
Reza Yassari headshot
Principal Partner, enSanity Productions
Tracey Yearwood joined enSanity Productions after previously working with the Chicago Urban League, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and various national cable news networks. She produced segments for the Oprah Winfrey Show and was an Ethel Payne Fellow in South Africa in 1998. She has studied in Italy and earned her BS in communications from Northwestern University.