Cohort, 2015, Industry, Food & Agriculture, Sector, Private Sector, 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. From...

Cohort, 2022, Industry, Law, Sector, Public Sector, Esther Joy King began her legal career as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago and later had the opportunity to serve the State of Illinois in the office of entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology. Her entrepreneurial spirit also...

Cohort, 2013, Industry, Banking & Finance, Sector, Private Sector, Adolfo Laurenti has extensive experience analyzing global financial markets and economic trends for a variety of industries and is a frequent speaker to diverse audiences in the United States and abroad. Before working at VISA, he...

Cohort, 2012, Industry, Law, Sector, Private Sector, Lisa Pattis is president of Next Chapter Holdings, where she manages investments for the Pattis family and the Pattis Family Foundation, investing globally in a diversified range of assets. Previously, she was general counsel of Wintrust Financ...

Cohort, 2012, Industry, Business & Consulting, Sector, Private Sector, Social Media, Jason Schmitt is a global CEO with a track record of unlocking growth across Fortune 500 and private equity-backed companies in retail and consumer goods, most recently as interim CEO of a $100M Southern Californ...

Cohort, 2011, Industry, Education, Sector, Academia, Outside of the US, Tanya Menon has taught in France, India, Singapore, Italy, and Spain. She has won multiple teaching awards and has incorporated her nonprofit consulting experience into her classes. Additionally, Menon is the associate editor...

Cohort, 2016, Industry, Business & Consulting, Sector, Private Sector, Steve Babitch’s work lies at the intersection of the social sciences, business strategy, and design. As a consultant who has worked with leading-edge innovation and design consultancies Doblin, now part of Deloitte, and IA C...

Cohort, 2026, Industry, Government, Policy, & Public Affairs, Sector, Public Sector, Social Media, 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 hig...

Cohort, 2026, Industry, Law, Sector, Public Sector, Social Media, Vikas K. Didwania serves as complex litigation counsel at the Illinois Attorney General's Office. He helps lead Illinois's efforts to protect Illinoisians from federal overreach. Previously, Vikas served as a Senior Policy Adviser ...

Cohort, 2026, Industry, Business & Consulting, Sector, Public Sector, Social Media, Tony Hayes serves as vice president at IDA Ireland, the Irish Government's inward economic development agency. Based in Chicago, he works across the Midwestern and Southern regions to identify and secure industria...