Leadership Greater Chicago Announces Departure of CEO

For Immediate Release
Candice Warltier
Founding Partner, CS-Effect
cwarltier@cs-effect.com

Leadership Greater Chicago Announces Departure of CEO
Celebrates Nearly a Decade of Transformational Leadership

CHICAGO, IL (March 1, 2023) – Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC), the region’s premier civic leadership development organization, has announced that after nine years of leadership, Chief Executive Officer Maria Wynne plans to leave the organization at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2023. Wynne has driven significant growth in program offerings, brand reach and financial stability in the role of CEO and will leave a lasting legacy on the organization and its more than 1,300 Fellows.

“On behalf of the Leadership Greater Chicago board, I thank and recognize Maria for being an outstanding leader for LGC during an important time in the organization’s nearly 40-year history,” said Michelle Stohlmeyer Russell, LGC board chair and managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group. “Maria has worked collaboratively with the board to deliver strong programming for our cornerstone Signature Fellows Program and successfully launch The Daniel Burnham Fellowship, an accelerated civic onboarding experience for senior executives to frame their important roles in helping to shape the future of Chicago. In short, Maria’s leadership has elevated the organization and positioned LGC to continue to catalyze bold, transformative change,” she added.

Connie Lindsey, longest serving board chair in LGC history and former executive vice president at Northern Trust, commented, “At the helm, Maria has led LGC through the most comprehensive strategic planning process in the organization’s history, yielding significant expansion of our program portfolio, a strengthened culture of engagement and collaboration, and a solid financial position.” Lindsey continued, “Her favorite quote reveals her brand of leadership, ‘The best way to predict the future is to create it.’ It’s undeniable that she has created a brilliant future for LGC.”

Highlights of Wynne’s tenure in leading LGC and its Fellows, employees, donors, and partners include:

• Solidifying the financial position by doubling revenues to $2.5 million, allowing LGC to continue the long-held value of inclusivity in the Signature Fellows Program and of investment in building civic leadership capacity in all sectors. As program participation has grown, this commitment is equivalent to $1 million over just the last three years.
• Securing the first ever endowment for LGC of nearly $800,000 to support the development of community leaders on the West Side of Chicago and to fund a yearly leadership conference to further build capacity in the same area, growing total assets four-fold to $4 million.
• Strengthening the LGC Signature Fellows Program by incorporating human-centered design principles and ensuring through lines of equity, race, identity, community, and economic inclusion are central to civic thought leadership. 
• Creating and delivering The Daniel Burnham Fellowship, a strategic partnership accelerator designed for C-level executives to urgently impact Chicago’s workforce and the region’s economic progress in their roles as change leaders and decision makers. In its fifth year, the Fellowship has welcomed 120 senior executives and resulted in collaborations for COVID-19 relief efforts (funding, public policy, food distribution), community investments, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• Creating a cross-class, cross-sector culture among 1,300+ Fellows to leverage the strength and partnership potential of the organization.
• Adding an AI assessment to the LGC Signature Fellows Program application to bring strong objectivity and data into the selection process.

"Chicago's DNA is rooted in civic leadership and a deep commitment to its progress. It is a duty and a calling to its citizens, and it has been an honor to serve the powerful mission of LGC, an organization that answers that call by building and strengthening the civic leadership pipeline for our entire region," said LGC Chief Executive Officer Maria Wynne. "Leading the transformation of LGC with our dedicated staff, Board of Directors and the Leadership Fellows Association, and collaborating with Fellows and funders who recognize the important role of civic engagement, has been an utmost privilege. I am so proud of and grateful for our collective accomplishments and our shared commitment to making Chicago a city and a region with opportunity for all. I look forward to cheering on LGC's continued growth and success."

Maria will continue to serve as an Independent Director for Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Board President for the Goodman Theatre and Board Treasurer for P33. She also serves on the board of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Trustee of North Central College, an Advisory Board Member of Chicago Innovation, and co-chairs the Advisory Council for Civic Consulting Alliance, and is an active civic leader as a member of The Commercial Club of Chicago, the Economic Club of Chicago, International Women's Forum, and The Chicago Network.

LGC has an outstanding board comprised of business and civic leaders and is well positioned to continue to thrive as the region’s premier convener, connector and mobilizer of bold leaders to drive transformative change across the Greater Chicago Region. As part of its succession planning process, the LGC board of directors has exclusively retained Koya Partners, a national search firm that specializes in the recruitment of CEOs for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, to lead the search for LGC’s next leader. Marissa Delgado and Steve Edwards will lead the Koya team responsible for this engagement. Koya will partner with the board of directors to conduct a national search and ensure a smooth transition for fellows, donors, partners, and employees. 

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