With more than 300 members, the Emerging Leaders community is a dynamic cross-sector network of Chicago’s visionary, globally minded, locally committed leaders.
Before joining GoodCitizen, Jailan Adly led strategy for Amplifier’s philanthropic partnerships and planned and executed internal strategic initiatives to build the agency’s capabilities. She is a social impact strategist who believes in the power of business to tackle and solve complex global challenges and brings over a decade of experience building impact-driven initiatives around the world.
Prior to Embark Strategies, Sonya Anderson supported the development of early childhood education programs and policies for the Ounce of Prevention Fund. She previously worked for the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, overseeing their domestic and international work in education.
Kaberi Banerjee-Murthy is a philanthropic leader committed to transforming philanthropy by shifting power to historically underserved communities. Her experience includes leading the education, arts & culture, and civic affairs work at Crown Family Philanthropies. She's also worked with the Picower Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, and Hemenway & Barnes.
Lauren Bean Buitta is founder and CEO of Girl Security, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization closing the gender gap in national security through learning, training, and mentoring support.
Emma Belcher is the president of the Ploughshares Fund, a public grantmaking foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons. Before this position, she was the director of nuclear challenges at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and published research on nuclear weapons at the Council on Foreign Relations as a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow.
Khadine Bennett is Associate Legislative Director with the ACLU of Illinois. She drafts, testifies, and lobbies on a wide variety of legislative issues.
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.
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).
Gillian Darlow is CEO of the Polk Bros. Foundation, leading work to address Chicago’s most urgent challenges—such as the life-expectancy gap, community wealth-building, and the health of local democracy—to ensure all residents can reach their full potential. Previously, she led economic growth, education, government effectiveness, and tourism initiatives at the Civic Consulting Alliance.
John P. DeBlasio is chairman of DT Global and DT Institute, founder of the Global Peace and Development (GPD) Charitable Trust, and managing director of Bootstrap Capital. He also founded Sallyport Global Holdings to support reconstruction efforts in Iraq, later expanding its operations across the Middle East and Africa.
