LGC Honors Leaders for Transformative Impact on Region

If you missed Celebrate Leaders—The Catalyst Sessions: An Evening of Stories with Impact, check out the event videos featuring the work of our 2022 honorees HERE.

Leadership Greater Chicago Honors Leaders
for Transformative Impact on Region

Chicago, IL (April 5, 2022) — Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC), the region’s premier civic leadership incubator, hosted its annual Celebrate Leaders benefit on Monday, April 4 at Goodman Theatre. Themed The Catalyst Sessions: An Evening of Stories with Impact, the event celebrated the passion, commitment, accomplishments and impact of civic leadership from the stage. Proceeds from the evening support the LGC Signature Fellows Program, which sets the bar for civic leadership development and provides the knowledge and network to lead bold, transformative change. Among the 1,200 Fellows who continue to shape the future of Chicago include former First Lady Michelle Obama, John Rogers Jr., co-CEO and chief investment officer of Ariel Investments, Rachel Arfa, commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, and Juan Salgado, chancellor of Chicago City Colleges and MacArthur Genius.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. served as the 2022 Corporate Chair, represented by Curtis Reed, region manager and managing director of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a Daniel Burnham Fellow. LGC proudly presented awards to LGC Fellows, community leaders and organizations for making a significant and transformative impact on the region, including recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Fellow Award Dr. Ngozi Ezike who led the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for more than three years and became a household name for her daily communication with the people of Illinois throughout the pandemic. Dr. Ezike is only the second woman – and the first African American woman – to head the 145-year-old IDPH. Videos from the event featuring the work of all 2022 honorees can be found on the LGC YouTube channel. 

“Celebrate Leaders is a celebration of individuals and organizations leading the creation of a better, more equitable future for all who call our region home,” said LGC Chief Executive Officer Maria Wynne. “This is evidenced by the work of our honorees – from leading 12 million Illinoisans through an unprecedented health crisis and making significant gains in building long-term generational wealth by revitalizing low-income communities to building career pathways for minorities and women and transforming a nonprofit organization into a civic leadership incubator that is driving bold, transformative change in our communities.”

The event featured a unique, new format, starting with a 60-minute program on the main stage followed by a lively reception throughout the theatre with food stations, a karaoke room, a blues lounge with Iguana-Skoller-Wilson featuring Felicia Patton, and other fun surprises for guests.  

The 2022 honorees included the following:

• ComEd was honored with the 2022 Corporate Civic Leadership Award which recognizes organizations that demonstrate and support the value of civic leadership through service and impact in the Greater Chicago Region. ComEd was recognized for its excellence in workforce development, improving lives through these efforts, and strengthening the communities it serves. 
• Dr. Ngozi Ezike, former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and LGC Fellow since 2011, was honored with the 2022 Distinguished Fellow Award for her inspiring and significant leadership contributions to the community. Dr. Ezike was celebrated for her work as a guiding force at the forefront of Illinois’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading with equity, compassion and expertise.
• David Doig, president of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and LGC Fellow since 1994, was honored with the 2022 Civic Catalyst Award which recognizes those whose social innovations and actions transform the quality of life of our citizens and our community. David was celebrated for his work as a community developer and the success of his revitalization efforts in Pullman.
• Connie L. Lindsey, former executive vice president and head of corporate social responsibility at Northern Trust, LGC Fellow since 2001 and outgoing LGC Board Chair, was recognized with the inaugural Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who, through extraordinary leadership and service, have made significant and lasting contributions to Leadership Greater Chicago. Connie was celebrated for her leadership as LGC Board Chair that spanned four years – the first LGC Board Chair to serve two two-year terms – and for successfully guiding the organization through an era of growth, transition and a new strategic plan.

This year’s Celebrate Leaders sponsors included: Advocate Aurora Health, Allstate, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Aon, Ariel Investments, AT&T, Beam Suntory, BlueCross BlueShield/HCSC, BMO Harris Bank, Boston Consulting Group, CBRE, Inc., CIBC, Clayco, Inc., ComEd, The Crown Family, Deloitte, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, First Midwest Bank, W.W. Grainger, Inc., John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., K4 Mobility, LGC Fellows Class of 2011, Mayer Brown, McDonald’s, Nicor Gas, Northern Trust, Peoples Gas, PNC, PwC, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Steans Family Foundation, The Sidley Austin Foundation, Slalom, Transwestern, UChicago Medicine, United and William Blair.

To view or listen to videos featuring the work of the 2022 honorees on the LGC YouTube channel, click here.

About Leadership Greater Chicago
Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) is the region’s premier civic leadership incubator, delivering the knowledge and network to lead bold, transformative change. LGC convenes, connects, and mobilizes the area’s most promising leaders around key socioeconomic issues through dynamic education and experiential activities. These diverse individuals represent the most prominent corporate, nonprofit, government and education organizations.

The LGC Signature Fellows Program equips participants with the resources they need to understand how decisions are made, how complex policies are shaped, and how to influence meaningful change. Using the city as a classroom, LGC Fellows learn through interactions with private, public and nonprofit decision makers, and work as a group to develop critical thinking, analytical, governance and leadership skills.

The Daniel Burnham Fellowship© is an accelerated civic onboarding experience for senior executives who, in their role as change leaders and decision makers, are able to play an active part in shaping the future of Chicago. The Fellowship integrates participants into the civic fabric of the city —understanding its history and future trajectory and building relationships and networks across the Greater Chicago Region.

LGC creates connectivity among its Fellows to positively impact not only themselves but their employees, their constituents, their clients, their neighbors and their families. This connectivity is the backbone and strength of the LGC network, enabling leaders to leverage collective resources to make the Greater Chicago Region a more dynamic, inclusive and collaborative community.

LGC and Daniel Burnham Fellows are a distinguished group that includes former First Lady Michelle Obama, Managing Partner of Emerson Collective and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, former Executive Chairman of Urban Partnership Bank David Vitale, General Partner of Henry Crown & Company Steve Crown, Managing Partner, Cleveland Avenue, Andy Zopp, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, Chairman, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Rachel Arfa, Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Ariel Investments John Rogers Jr., President of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Brett Hart, Chancellor of Chicago City Colleges and MacArthur Genius Juan Salgado, President and CEO of Metropolitan Family Services Ric Estrada and President and CEO of Access Living Karen Tamley.

LGC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To learn more about Leadership Greater Chicago, please visit: lgcchicago.org