Princeton Club of Chicago

Brigitte Anderson '02 - Co-Chair, Programs; Co-Chair, Entrepreneurship

Brigitte Anderson is a Principal at Orange Vista LLC, a boutique consultancy focused on growing enterprises.  She began her career in the financial services industry and spent nearly a decade with JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Barclays in a variety of strategic and operational roles in Chicago, New York, London, Johannesburg, and Nairobi. In addition to her Princeton degree in Anthropology, Brigitte holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In her free time, Brigitte enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and going to comedy shows.

Stephen Avsec '06 - Chair, Technology

Stephen Avsec '06 is the lead data scientist at DefenseStorm, a startup which aims to help banks and financial institutions manage cybersecurity and fraud risks. He majored in mathematics at Princeton and received a PhD in mathematics from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2012. He spent three years as an assistant professor at Texas A&M University before moving to Chicago to pursue a career in technology.

John Balfe *90 - Director

Mr. Balfe is Senior Advisor to XMS, a boutique investment bank.  He is also an Adjunct Fellow at the Hudson Institute, where he consults primarily to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.  Previously, he started and headed Lazard Frères’ Anglo-American defense and aerospace practice.  Prior to that, he headed the investment banking operations of Troika Dialog and UFG in Russia.  He began his investment banking career at Robert Fleming, a leading UK investment bank focused on emerging markets.  He received an A.M. from Princeton University and his A.B. with high honors from the University of California, Berkeley.

Elizabeth Balthrop '01 - Co-Liaison, Princeton Women's Network (PWN)

Stephen Ban '84 S88 P23*24 - Chair, Scholarship

Stephen Ban is semi-retired, but plenty occupied.  He is a Senior Advisor to the Corporate Coalition of Chicago, a group of companies working together in new ways to try to address economic inequities in our region. He is also an adjunct professor of Corporate Finance and Sustainability and an Advisory Board member at the Baumhart Center of Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business.  While his degree says that he majored in Economics, he claims it should really have been awarded in the Princeton Nassoons (Princeton's oldest and foremost men's a cappella group) and the Princeton Triangle Club (Princeton's signature musical-comedy troupe)...and he serves on the graduate boards of both. He is a Princeton spouse and parent, a long time member of of the Princeton Club of Chicago's Leadership Group, Secretary of the Class of 1984 (of which he is a past President), and has served on the Princeton's Committee to Nominate Alumni Trustees. Stephen is also recent past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the USA Triathlon Foundation, a Trustee of the Village of Glenview's Firefighter's Pension Fund, and is a Trustee of the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Lisa Distelheim Barron '84 - Director

Peter Baugher '70 - Director

Peter Baugher ’70 (School of Public and International Affairs) is a past President of the Club. He is a lawyer and arbitrator concentrating in business lawsuits and arbitrations (www.baugherlegal.com). Peter is President of the Chicago International Dispute Resolution Association and principal author of the Illinois International Commercial Arbitration Act. Peter is a director of the Grant Park Orchestral Association, which produces the summer classical concerts in Millennium Park. He and his wife Robin live in Chicago.

Bob Bernat '75 - Director

Samone Blair '18 - Co-Chair, Communications; Liaison, Native Alumni of Princeton (NAP)

Samone is an Internal Audit Manager for Compliance Risk Management at Discover Financial Services after previous work experience in Journalism and Software as a Service. At Princeton, Samone concentrated in Near Eastern Studies and received certificates in African Studies and the History and Practice of Diplomacy.  She dedicated most of her time on campus to the Princeton Wildcats A Cappella, the Princeton Chapel Choir and Community House - Princeton Nursery School. In her free time, Samone loves exploring Chicago neighborhoods and spends her summers improving at golf and sailing. She also serves as an active member of the Junior League of Chicago. Samone received a Master’s of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University in 2020.

Janice Block Chaddock '84 P22 - Co-Chair, Parents

Janice is the Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer for Kaplan Inc., a global education company owned by Graham Holdings. Janice has been with Kaplan for over 10 years and has practiced law in Chicago for nearly 30 years.  A member of Princeton's Class of 1984, Janice also earned a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and her law degree from Columbia University. Janice is active with the Center for Women in Law and Global Leaders in Law, and serves on the board of directors of the Respiratory Health Association, the Oxford University Center for Buddhist Studies, and numerous Kaplan educational entities in the U.S. and overseas. Janice is married to Ron Chaddock and is the mother of Sara, Alex, and Francesca '22. She spends the majority of her free time in ice rinks, enthusiastically watching Ron play hockey and Francesca figure skate, and rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Ben Bornstein '92 - Co-Chair, Entrepreneurship

As Managing Director of Arctaris, Ben focuses on fund structuring, investment evaluation, and investor development, leveraging his more than 25 years of financial services experience, in senior investment roles both domestically and internationally. He previously served as President of Prospero Capital Management, an investment adviser based in Chicago.  Prior to Arctaris, Ben served as CEO of Imerman Angels, the world’s largest support network for cancer fighters, survivors, and caregivers.  He previously worked as a partner and portfolio manager at Omega Advisors in New York and covered the US portfolio for the global fund products of Orbis Investment Management in London and Bermuda.  He has a strong background in evaluating management teams, financials, and strategies for developing products.

Ben graduated from Harvard Business School with high distinction as a Baker Scholar (top 5% of class), Harvard Law School as part of the JD/MBA program, and magna cum laude from Princeton majoring in Economics. He received the John Loeb Award (awarded to the top four students in finance) and Sheridan Logan Fellowship (awarded to one Baker Scholar) at Harvard Business School.

Ben’s philanthropic interests and Board involvement include Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE), Lurie Cancer Center (Board 39), Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center, H Foundation, and Pets are Worth Saving (PAWS Chicago).

Kimberly Bragg '97 - Director

Kim graduated from Princeton with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a certificate in Environmental Studies.  She served as Princeton University Chapter President of the National Society of Black Engineers and earned the Joseph Clifton Elgin Prize for playing an instrumental role in advancing the interests of the School of Engineering throughout the community.  Kim was also a member of the Gospel Ensemble and Hallelujah! Worship Service at Princeton.  She has had a dynamic career spanning oil refining, integrated supply and trading, risk management, commercial development, and now regulatory affairs, and has a proven track record with BP p.l.c. for over 25 years.  Kim was hired permanently after interning four consecutive summers and has been promoted through a series of progressively responsible engineering, operations, supply, internal audit, pipeline asset and commercial management, and regulatory affairs positions.  She is part of the BP US Women’s Network business resource group and serves as co-lead of the professional development workstream.  Kim assists with the Princeton Prize in Race Relations Committee.  She is a member of the University Club of Chicago and sits on the Membership Development Committee.  Kim is a graduate of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and has an MBA from Northwestern University.  She is a lifetime member of the Association of Black Princeton Alumni, the National Society of Black Engineers and the National Black MBA Association and is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Lynnley Browning '87 - Co-Chair, Communications

Lynnley is the managing editor of Financial Planning magazine, the leading trade publication (digital and print) for U.S. wealth advisors and financial planners. A lifelong journalist and editor, she has worked at Bloomberg, The New York Times, Newsweek, and Reuters, in New York and Moscow. Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she received her A.B. with honors in Slavic Languages and Literatures, and she began her career in Russia in the 1990s, where she stayed seven years and ran Reuters’ CIS Energy and Commodities coverage in Moscow. A recent Chicago transplant from New Haven, Connecticut, she enjoys experiencing everything the Windy City has to offer and reading fiction and non-fiction.

Albert K. Chan '91 - Chair, Annual Dinner

Al has pursued his passion for education, environment, and service, both in the U.S. and overseas, since graduating from Princeton with a BSE in Aerospace Engineering. He spent nine years in Sweden, working in the fields of ecological engineering (at Stensunds Vattenbruk) and pursuing graduate degrees in environmental science/engineering. His research on aging factors in automotive catalysts at Chalmers University of Technology (Gothenburg, Sweden) culminated in a licentiate of engineering degree. Since returning to the U.S., his work at the intersection of business and education has ranged from leading K-12 tutoring at a SCORE! Educational Center to positions in enrollment management, institutional research, and analytics at Kaplan Higher Education. With the support of his family, Al earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame as part of his own continuing education. His most recent higher education role managed the growth and operations of three professional graduate programs at the University of Chicago, including the planning for its first online graduate program. His contributions to the Princeton community since graduation include: Alumni Schools Committee interviewer, Asian American Alumni Association of Princeton liaison, Reunions Class of ’91 Alumni-Faculty Forum organizer, and past Treasurer of the Princeton Club of Chicago.

Felicia Chiu '06 - Chair, Family Events

Felicia is the Director of U.S. Market Access at Ultragenyx, a biopharmaceutical company focused on treating rare and ultra-rare diseases. She earned her AB in Economics from Princeton and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.  Prior to joining Ultragenyx, Felicia advised medical device and pharmaceutical companies as a management consultant, and she worked across a breadth of commercial and marketing functions at J&J, Gilead Sciences, and AbbVie. She lives in Lincoln Park with her husband, Amran Gowani, two young children, Isabella and Barrett, and loves music, food, and sports.

Jakee Miller Cohen P16 P22 - Co-Chair, Parents

Jakee graduated from Indiana University with degrees in history and political science and Northwestern University School of Law. Jakee served on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Hospital and as a Commissioner for the Human Relations Commission for the City of Highland Park. With her husband, Brad Cohen, Jakee splits her time living in Highland Park, Illinois, and Palmas Del Mar, Puerto Rico. Jakee looks forward to visiting her children, Azza, Jonny, and Daniella in their various endeavors around the globe!

John Comfort '12 - Director

John Comfort works in Institutional Equity Sales at UBS, helping to cover mutual fund and hedge fund clients across the Midwest. Before UBS, John worked on the syndicate and trading desk for UITs at Invesco. John is also currently working on his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. John received a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University and was a member of the Men's Varsity basketball team. 

Bianca DiGiovanni '15 - Liaison, Queer Princeton Alumni (QPA)

Bianca DiGiovanni graduated from Princeton University in 2015 with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. A New Jersey native, but, after a quick Texas detour, Bianca found herself in Chicago in 2017. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Chicago, where she studies racial inequality in the criminal justice system. Bianca's motivation to study race and ethnic politics stems from a Princeton seminar she took in her junior year, forever changing her life trajectory. Outside of school, Bianca volunteers as a medical advocate at Resilience, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault. Bianca can often be found in Andersonville going on a walk with her fiancée, Sarah, and their fur-baby, Sadie.

Kathryn "Ryndy" Ditmars '87 P22 - Co-Chair, Parents

Ryndy is a 1987 Princeton alum, graduating with a BA in Spanish Literature. She currently works with Cresa Global, Inc. in Chicago. Ryndy joined Cresa in March 2021 as its first General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer. She also serves on the Board of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and supports that organization on its Finance, M&A, and By-laws committees.   Ryndy has worked in commercial real estate since she joined JLL in 2000 as Chief Employment and Litigation Counsel. In her career there, she held several legal and business roles, including Americas General Counsel, Global Litigation Director, and Managing Director. Before joining JLL, Ryndy worked as a litigation attorney with McDermott, Will & Emery and Jackson Lewis.  In her national practice, she concentrated in commercial litigation and employment areas, and she presented employment discrimination seminars throughout the United States.  Before moving to Chicago, and after graduating from law school, Ryndy worked as a law clerk to Justice Dorothy Comstock Riley of the Michigan Supreme Court.  She graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan.

Tim Dondanville '13 - Co-Chair, Membership

Tim is currently an associate attorney in the real estate group at Mayer Brown LLP. He previously practiced at Kirkland and Ellis and Burke Warren here in Chicago. Tim graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 2016, where he was the Student Bar Association President and received numerous leadership awards. A 2013 Princeton graduate, Tim played quarterback on the football team, was a member of Cottage Club and volunteered with the Aquinas Institute. Tim was born and raised in Springfield, IL, and attended Sacred Heart-Griffin HS. He currently lives in the Lake View neighborhood with his wife and two sons. 

Sarah Faris, MD '04 S04  - Director

Sarah graduated from Princeton with an AB in Art History and pre-med in 2004. At Princeton, she was on the Varsity Swimming team, where she set three school records and one Ivy League record and was 10-time All-Ivy, a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Division 1 championships, and Academic All-Ivy League. She went on to earn her M.D. from the University of Michigan and did her Urology residency at Vanderbilt and fellowship in Reconstructive Urology at the University of Iowa. She is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago. She additionally serves as the DCAM operating room Surgeon Director and Residency Program Director for Urology. She lives with her husband, Jamie Faris (’04 and former Princeton Varsity Rower), and their young children, Elle and William, in Lakeview.

Jessica Gonzalez '95 - Liaison, Diversity; Liaison, Association of Latino Princeton Alumni (ALPA)

Jess currently serves as the Liaison for Diversity and Liaison for the Association of Latino Princeton Alumni.  She has enjoyed contributing to Princeton and the Club through prospective student interviews with Alumni Schools Committee (ASC) and through Princeton Diversity Discussions events, among other Club activities.  When not doing PCC work, she is a Senior Counsel at BP America Inc., handling environmental, health, and safety issues for the company.  Jess was born and raised on the Northwest side of Chicago, was a graduate of the Chicago Public School elementary school system (before leaving home at 14 for Andover), and now lives in Old Town.

Udai Gupta *75 *78 - Chair, Graduate Alumni (APGA); Co-Chair, Programs

Udai graduated with a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in 1974 and came to Princeton, earning a PhD in Computer Science in 1978. He began his career as an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University, after which he worked at Bell Labs (originally part of AT&T, then Lucent Technologies, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nokia), managing research and development of highly fault-tolerant telecommunication infrastructure. He is now retired. As a long-time board member and former president of the India Classical Music Society, he has helped promote awareness and appreciation of Indian classical music. While he did a good bit of sailing on Lake Michigan in his younger days, he now enjoys more relaxed activities such as bridge, travel, and reading.  He lives with his wife, Shalini, in Naperville.

Dani Houchin '90 - Liaison, First-generation, Lower-income (FLi)

Dani graduated from Princeton with a degree in Public and International Affairs. She spent most of her career in management consulting, focusing on training and development, technology, and project management. She also ran a main street business in Glencoe for six years. In 2018, Dani started Origami Works Foundation, a nonprofit that executes and funds initiatives focused on workforce development and education-to-career connection for disadvantaged populations in Chicagoland. Dani has been a member of the Princeton Club of Chicago for most of the past 20 years. She has volunteered for the Alumni Schools Committee, and she served on the Chicago committee for Project 55. Dani raised two children in Glencoe prior to becoming an empty nester and moving to the Gold Coast in September 2021. 

Anna Huang '07 - Secretary; Co-Chair, Career Networking

Anna Huang ’07 currently serves as Co-Chair of Career Networking (PCNG) with Robert J. Khoury '90. Anna is currently VP of Strategy and Operations at Farmers Business Network (FBN), an agriculture technology (AgTech) late stage startup. She earned a BSE from Princeton, majoring in Operations Research and Financial Engineering, and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. Prior to joining FBN, she ran one of the quantitative businesses at Citadel and began her career at Morgan Stanley in Fixed Income. In her free time, Anna enjoys being with friends / family, traveling, exercising and trying to move beyond the Monday NYT crossword puzzle!

Kirsten Ekdahl Hull '99 - Liaison, Princeton Project 55/AlumniCorps

Kirsten is currently VP of Portfolio Management and Development at EQ Office, a Blackstone portfolio company, and she has spent the past five years working on the $500m+ redevelopment of the iconic Willis Tower. At EQ, Kirsten is a founding member of Women of Willis network and is on the leadership team for EQ’s ESG program. Kirsten’s prior experiences in real estate development were at McCaffery Interests, working on behalf of the University of Chicago’s commercial real estate group in Hyde Park, as well as Joseph Freed and Associates, where she worked on the redevelopment of the 1M sf national historic landmark Sullivan Center. Kirsten graduated from Princeton in 1999 and worked as a consultant in NYC for four years before completing a Project 55 fellowship in Chicago, after which she earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. Kirsten serves on the Advisory Boards for Urban Land Institute’s Chicago District Council and Women’s Leadership Initiative, is a Chicago Loop Alliance board member, a member of Commercial Real Estate Women of Chicago, on the Chicago Area Steering Committee for Princeton AlumniCorps, and a mentor for the Goldie Wolfe Miller Initiative, YouthBuild, and Princeton AlumniCorps. Kirsten grew up in Lincoln Park and lives with her husband, Kevin, and two kids in the Fulton River District.

Maiky Iberkleid '15 - Director

Maiky Iberkleid is the co-founder and President of RESILIFT, a climate adaptation company focusing on flood mitigation. Previously, he served as the Head of Solutions at Hologram, an Internet of Things startup based out of Chicago. At Princeton, Maiky earned a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering. He was the Culturally Cap Chair at Cap and Gown, a first aid coordinator for the Outdoor Action program, and an RCA in Butler. Maiky is the Midwest representative for the class of 2015, an ASC Chair for his home region of South America, and a member of the Recent Alumni Engagement committee. Recently, Maiky moved back to Chicago from Boston, where he obtained his MBA from Harvard Business School and served on the board of the Princeton Association of New England.

Niko Ivanisevic '22  - Director

Niko is an Investment Banking Analyst at William Blair, sitting within their Technology Team. Originally from the Chicagoland area, Niko graduated in 2022 from Princeton, where he studied Economics, and then moved back home to Chicago. While at Princeton, Niko was an active member of Cannon Dial Elm eating club, a Student Athlete Wellness Leader, and Captain of the Varsity Football Team. In his free time, he loves spending time outdoors at his family's cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, fishing, skiing, reading, and watching college sports.

Dana Iverson '22  - Co-Chair, Recent Alumni

Dana currently lives in the North Loop and is an Associate at Boston Consulting Group. She graduated from the School of Public and International Affairs with certificates in Entrepreneurship and Urban Studies. She also took a gap year before her senior year. At Princeton, Dana directed Princeton University Ballet, as well as danced with diSiac Dance Company. Dana grew up in the Chicago suburbs and is thrilled to be closer to her family (and dog), as well as join the PCC community!

Umar Javed '09 - Liaison, Asian American Alumni Association of Princeton (A4P)

Umar is a proud graduate of the great class of '09. At Princeton, he majored in Computer Science with a certificate in Applied Mathematics. He was also a member of the Religious Life Council and Pehchaan (the Pakistani Students Association), and an inaugural upperclassmen member of Whitman College. Since Princeton, he has worked in the software industry as an engineer for a number of companies. Umar also has an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Washington. In his free time he likes to spend time with his lovely wife, Mairah, reading to his 6-year-old nephew, Musa, on the phone, occasionally playing cricket, and working on a few passion projects.

Brian C. Johnson '99 - Chair, Nominating; Trustee Emeritus

Brian C. Johnson serves as the CEO of Equality Illinois, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. Brian’s passion for fighting for equity was catalyzed by having served as a first-grade teacher and a Teach For America corps member in Baton Rouge, LA. Since that transformative experience, he has served in a variety of leadership roles in public education justice. He has worked as the Vice President of Regional Impact for Leadership For Educational Equity (LEE), the Executive Director of the Larchmont Schools in Los Angeles, and the Executive Director of Teach For America – Los Angeles. Brian earned his AB, magna cum laude, from Princeton University, his JD from Stanford Law School, and his MBA, as an Arjay Miller Scholar, from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He lives with his husband, Toby, and their daughter, Josephine, in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago.

Robert J. Khoury '90 - Co-Chair, Career Networking

Rob is a past President of the Club and currently serves as Co-Chair of Career Networking (PCNG) with Anna Huang '07.  Rob has enjoyed contributing to Princeton and the Club through Annual Giving Phonathons and through prospective student interviews with Alumni Schools Committee (ASC), among other Club activities.  When not doing PCC work, he is the CEO of Agile Rainmakers, an advisory and consulting firm that finetunes business ecosystems for growth and profit.  Rob graduated from Princeton in 1990, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He earned his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 1997. He serves as a Trustee and Chair of the Development Committee at his high school, Providence Country Day School in RI.  In his free time, Rob enjoys connecting with friends, reading, writing, traveling, exercising, learning to play music, and contributing to others.  Rob is married with two children.

Mike Laidlaw '94 - Director

Mike ended his tenure as Princeton Club President in 2019.  Mike has served on the Princeton Club of Chicago Board for the past 24 years, contributing to our Club's Membership, Annual Dinner, Annual Giving, and Programs efforts. He is a Senior Vice President in Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management Group in Chicago, working with ultra-high net-worth executives, families and foundations. Mike and his wife, Tammy, live in the Streeterville area, where they enjoy traveling, yoga, dance, all varieties of food, as well as spending time with family and friends.

Yung Bong Lim '87 P24 P25 - President; Co-Liaison, Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS)

Yung Bong Lim is the (semi-retired) Managing Partner of RDG Funds LLC, a real estate investment company, which he co-founded in 2008. Previously, he was a Managing Director and the head of the Securitized Products Group at Citadel (1999-2007) and a Managing Director of the Proprietary Fixed Income Trading Group at Salomon Brothers (1987-1998). Yung Bong earned a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from Princeton, graduating summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Tau Beta Pi. He serves on the leadership groups of the Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) program (Vice Chair) and the Princeton Faith & Work Initiative (Vice Chair). In addition to Princeton's Alumni Council Executive Committee, Annual Giving Committee. and Dean's Advisory Council, he is a member of Tau Beta Pi's Trust Advisory Committee. He also serves on the boards of Invesco ETFs (Chair, Investment Oversight Committee) and Beacon Power Services.

Bob Loveman '69 - Chair, Audit; Co-Liaison, Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS)

Devon McCourt '16 S15 - Co-Chair, Recent Alumni; Co-Liaison, Ivy Pus; Co-Liaison, Princeton Women's Network

Devon McCourt '16 S15 is a Vice President at the merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners, where she is responsible for transaction analysis and execution of both investments and family office-focused advisory assignments. Prior to joining BDT & MSD in 2018, Devon worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley in New York City, where she focused on financial sponsors’ leveraged buyouts across industries. Devon earned an A.B in Politics from Princeton University, graduating cum laude.

Devon is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of The Preface Project for childhood literacy and serves on the Boards of the American Friends of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (AFRPO) and the Princeton Faith and Work Initiative (FWI). As a violinist and violist, Devon has received numerous awards for her solo and string quartet performances and has performed on tour in China, South Korea, Ireland, and Germany. She is a National YoungArts Foundation winner and has appeared as a soloist on NPR’s show From the Top. Devon currently lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two dogs.

Emelda Medrano '87 P27 - Director

Originally from Indiana, Emelda has made Chicago her home for over 20 years. As a member of the Class of ’87, she majored in Politics with a certificate in Latin American Studies. At Princeton, she was active in the Chicago Caucus and the Glee Club. After graduation, she worked in Washington DC for Latino civil rights organizations before attending Michigan Law. Before beginning her legal career, Emelda was a Peace Corp volunteer in Namibia, South West Africa. She taught high school English to over 155 students a year.

Emelda has been a trial attorney for the Federal Department of Labor since 2000. In this position, she enforces Mine Health and Safety, Occupational Health and Safety, as well as other labor employment laws. She and her husband, Jose Luis, are proud parents of Tatiana (Cornell ’24) and Isabella (Princeton ’27). She is very thankful for the opportunities Princeton has offered her through the years, and she looks forward to spending more time with Chicago Princetonians who bring so much kindness to the community and know how to host a great party!

Carol Obertubbesing '73 - Director

Carol Obertubbesing '73 w71 is a past President of the Club.  She also served as VP Communications for the Club, in which capacity she edited the newsletter for 25 years, and VP Programs, among many other activities. She has served as a mentor for an AlumniCorps/Princeton Project 55 fellow since 1993.  At the University, she chaired the Committee on Academic Programs for Alumni (CAPA) and served on the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council. She received the University’s Award for Service to Princeton in 2020.  Before moving to Chicago in December 1992, Carol served on the boards of the Princeton Association of New England and the Princeton Club of Washington. She has attended Reunions almost every year since graduation and has many fond memories with her late husband, Mike Epstein '71, her father-in-law, Herb Epstein '40, and her mother-in-law, Doris Epstein, as well as friends from many different classes. She has a B.A. in History, with a Certificate in American Civilization from Princeton and a M.A. in American Studies from Boston College. She taught American Studies courses at B.C. and humanities courses for senior citizens in Melrose, Massachusetts. Most of Carol's professional career was in outreach and education for public TV and radio. She currently serves as President of the Woodstock Folk Festival, a day-long Festival held each year on the 3rd Sunday of July on the historic Square in Woodstock, Illinois, 47 miles from Chicago. During the pandemic, she produced two virtual festivals, two virtual concerts, and a weekly online performance series.  When not involved in Princeton or Festival activities, Carol enjoys travel (she has now visited 50 states, 42 countries, and 6 continents), many kinds of music, theater, and film, and time with friends and her dog, Dickens. She has also restored two Victorian homes and served on many non-profit boards over the years. When Covid limited her activities, she started to write poetry, some of which has been published and broadcast.  She began life as a "Jersey girl" but has been greatly enriched by the people she has met in the states where she has lived and the many places she has been fortunate to visit. As the late Bill Staines, the folksinger who received a Festival Lifetime Achievement Award sings, "There's a song worth singing ... there's a friend worth knowing ... there's a day worth living down the road."

Charlene Huang Olson '88 P19 P21 - Co-Liaison, Princeton Women's Network (PWN)

Charlene serves as a Co-Liaison of the Princeton Women's Network. Charlene is a past President of the Princeton Club of Chicago and has held various roles in service to Princeton, including Class President, Chair of the Committee on Regional Associations, Reunions Registration Chair, and Chair of the Alumni Schools Committee.  She was a member of the Chicago steering committee of the Aspire Campaign and is a volunteer with Annual Giving.

Christine O'Neill '06 S05 - Chair, Alumni Schools

Christine serves as the Club’s Chair for Alumni Schools. The Alumni Schools Committee coordinates the interviews of applicants to Princeton from across northern Illinois, represents Princeton at local college fairs, and welcomes newly admitted students to the local Princeton community. Christine has interviewed applicants in New York, DC, Kentucky, and Chicago since graduating from Princeton, and is an Annual Giving volunteer. Christine is an attorney in Chicago.

Marquis Parker '99 S02 - Vice President; Co-Chair, Distinguished Service Awards

Marquis Parker graduated from Princeton in 1999, with a degree in Computer Science and also holds an M.B.A. and an M.A. in Education from Stanford University (2006) and an M.S. in Management of IT from the University of Virginia (2003). He currently serves as a Senior Director of Global Product Commercialization for Indeed, an HR technology firm that strives to connect millions of job seekers to new opportunities. He previously worked as a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company and a strategy and operations executive at Aon plc and Relativity (a Chicago-based software company). Outside of work, he spends his time helping his wife Traci Burch '02 chase around their son, Thomas, and participating in a range of other activities, including mentoring students and young professionals, travel, sports (huge Bulls fan), and advising people on careers and graduate education. He has been a member of the Princeton Club of Chicago Leadership Group since 2011 and has worked on several activities, including spending eight years as Chair of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations for Chicago.  

Rebecca Peigh '15 S13 - Director

Manny Perez '11 S12 - Director

Manuel (Manny) Pérez serves as Senior Vice President at Cabrera Capital Markets, a leading Latino-owned investment bank and institutional brokerage, where he focuses on real estate and public finance. Prior to joining Cabrera, Pérez served as Deputy Mayor at the City of Chicago, leading Mayor Lightfoot’s legislative agenda at the local, state, and federal level. During his tenure, Pérez shepherded thousands of legislative items at the city, including Chicago’s first-ever casino, civilian oversight of police, and operating budgets totaling over $40 billion. Before joining City Hall, Pérez was the campaign manager for Mayor Lightfoot and served as the Intergovernmental Affairs Director for the transition. He has led a variety of campaigns at the local, state, and federal level, including Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García’s first successful run for Congress in 2018 and his run for Mayor in 2015. In Cook County government, Pérez has served as Special Assistant to the President of the County Board, Chief of Staff to the County Clerk, and Chief of Staff to then-Commissioner García. He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and resides in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.​

Renee Perez ‘91 – Co-Chair, Distinguished Service Awards; Co-Chair, Princeton Prize in Race Relations (PPRR)

Renee has built her career in financial services risk management and compliance, with roles in industry, consulting, and as a regulator. She is currently in Supervision & Regulation at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In addition to earning her AB in Politics from Princeton, she holds a Master of Public Policy & Administration from the School of International & Public Affairs at Columbia University, and a MS in Accountancy from DePaul University. She enjoys volunteering and serves in leadership for Udumbara Zen Center, Evanston. A native Texan and a former New Yorker, she has lived in Chicago for 22 years.

​Marvin Pollack '73 P25 - Co-Chair, Parents

Reggie Ponder '84 - Co-Chair, Princeton Prize in Race Relations (PPRR)

Reggie graduated from Princeton with an A.B. in Sociology. Reggie serves on the Princeton Prize and Race Relations committee, is a member of Princeton Diversity Discussion, and has served on the Alumni Schools Committee as well as PCC Awards Committee. He is a film critic and can be heard weekly on 91.1 FM/Vocalo.org. Reggie is the Executive Marketing Lead for The Kaleidoscope Group, a diversity, equity, and inclusion company based in Chicago. Additionally, he is an adjunct marketing professor at North Park University. Reggie is a native Chicagoan and currently resides in North Lawndale with his wife, Donna, and two children, Bobbi and Carri.

Ronnie Raviv '95 - Co-Chair, Programs

Ronnie is currently COO of Vobal Technologies, LLC, a two-person commercial-maritime telecommunications company. Prior to that, he worked in medical devices, digital management consulting, transportation consulting and software, and was briefly an actor. He has an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg business school. At Princeton Ronnie received his BSE in EMS (now known as ORFE), was a founding member of Quipfire!, the improv group, and performed in several plays at Theater Intime. Go Quad!

Steve Reed '96 h71 - Liaison, Triangle

Steve is a Clinical Professor of Law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he focuses on business law generally, and, in particular, the law as it impacts entrepreneurs.  While at Princeton, Steve went on four Triangle tours, served as President of Triangle in his junior year, was a founding member of the improv group Quipfire!, and was in Tower Club.  After Princeton, Steve went to Columbia Law School, worked at Proskauer Rose in Los Angeles for six years, and then moved to Chicago to teach at Northwestern.  He served as his alumni class president for a decade, has been reunions chair for a similar period, and has attended Reunions every year since graduating.  In his free time, Steve occasionally performs improv comedy at iO Chicago, interviews Princeton applicants through ASC, and plays pinball.  Steve has two kids and lives in Evanston, in a neighborhood reminiscent of his hometown, Toronto, Canada.

Bruce Rosenberg '69 - Director

Bruce Rosenberg has been a member of the Princeton Club of Chicago for over 45 years.  He has been a volunteer tutoring math at Roosevelt High School for the past 20 years and for the past seven has been a leader of PICS.  He is a self-employed CPA in Chicago.  He and his wife, Debbie, enjoy traveling and have visited all 50 states, all seven continents, and all 59 United States National Parks.

Benjamin "Benne" Rosner '11 - Co-Chair, Membership

Benne is a Vice President on the domestic research team at Ariel Investments, covering the media and advertising sectors. Before joining Ariel, Benne spent five years on the equity research team at the sell-side research firm MoffettNathanson. Prior to that, he served as a data analyst at Lyft and as a corporate financial analyst at The Walt Disney Company. Benne earned a B.A. in Economics from Princeton, graduating summa cum laude, and earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Ryan Ruskin '90 - Co-Liaison, Ivy Plus

Ryan is president & COO of The Ruskin Group, a global paper and packaging company. Prior to joining his family business, Ryan was a management consultant with A.T. Kearney. Ryan graduated from Princeton in 1990 with a degree in history and American Studies. He attended Northwestern University, where he received an MBA from The Kellogg School and an MEM from the McCormick School of Engineering, both in 1994. Ryan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council, where he chairs the Awards for Service to Princeton Committee, and has been involved with Princeton in a variety of activities: as a member of the Alumni Schools Committees in Pittsburgh and Chicago, as the producer of the Triangle Show, and as a member of the Princeton Club of Chicago’s leadership group since 2005, serving as both Triangle Chair and Annual Dinner Co-Chair. He serves on the boards of Heartland Alliance, Chicago Humanities Festival, Field Museum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Goodman Theatre, and Shady Side Academy. Ryan is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and the 2013 Class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute.

Douglas Schmidt '81 - Director

Doug is a Financial Advisor at Robert W. Baird & Company, where he specializes in addressing the complex financial planning and investment needs of affluent families.  Before joining Baird in 2008, he served at William Blair & Company as an Investment Banker and Financial Advisor; prior to that he led a team at Westpac Banking Corporation overseeing global banking relationships with Fortune 500 corporations throughout the Midwest.

He received his A.B. in Economics in 1981 and his M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago in 1991.  He was a member of Dial Lodge and, from time to time, of the wrestling team.  Doug is a Past President of the Princeton Club of Chicago and has served three terms on the Alumni Council, chairing two committees there.

A resident of the Chicago area since 1985, Doug has been involved with the Golden Apple Foundation, the Field Museum, the CSO, and the Art Institute.  Having moved from Streeterville to Glenview in 2020, he is enjoying his garden very much but also finds that he is missing the Downtown vibe.

Mike Showak '13 S13 - Director

Mike Showak manages corporate strategy and acquisition activities at Koch Engineered Solutions, a global equipment and service provider for the energy and manufacturing sectors. Prior to joining Koch Engineered Solutions, Mike worked as a consultant at McKinsey in their Chicago and as an engineer and investment planner at ExxonMobil in Louisiana and Texas. He lives in Wicker Park with his wife, Sarah, and son.

Morgan Smith '21 h02 - Co-Chair, Recent Alumni

Morgan is an AlumniCorp Project 55 Fellow as a coordinator for the Child Representative and Minor Guardian ad Litem Programs at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. She was an avid member of and the first Black President of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, founded on Princeton's campus in 1765. She graduated from the School of Public and International Affairs with a certificate in African American Studies. Morgan currently serves as a Young Alumni Trustee.

Cheryl Stevens '10 - Director

Cheryl is a Vice President at Koya Leadership Partners, the executive search firm specializing in mission-driven searches.  At Koya, she has been involved with CEO, President, Executive Director, and other senior-level searches for a broad range of clients, including foundations, cultural institutions, membership organizations, and other non-profits.  Representative clients include Feeding America, the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, the Museum of Science & Industry, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Indianapolis Public Media/WFYI, and Feed the Truth.  Cheryl joined Koya from PierceGray, a boutique retained executive search firm specializing in supply chain, operations, and commercial leadership roles within private equity portfolio companies. She began her career in finance at Ariel Investments as a member of the Institutional Sales and Client Services teams.  Cheryl has enjoyed staying connected to Princeton through prospective student interviews with the Alumni Schools Committee, involvement with the Friends of Princeton Basketball group, and by joining the leadership team for the Princeton Club of Chicago in 2014.

Louis Tambellini '18 - Chair, Community Service

Louis is an ETF Trader at Old Mission Capital, a growing quantitative market making firm. Louis, a Nashville native, graduated in 2018 with a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and a Certificate in Engineering and Management Systems. The day after graduation at Princeton, he moved to Chicago, where he worked at United Airlines as an Engineer for three years, working to improve the aircraft maintenance operations. At Princeton, Louis was a dedicated member of the Cap & Gown eating club and the Ultimate Frisbee team. In his free time, he loves skiing in Colorado and Utah, golfing around Chicago, attending Cubs games at Wrigley Field, and casually advising friends and family about personal finance. 

Amy Beth Treciokas '87 - Director

Amy graduated Princeton with an A.B in Molecular Biology in 1987.  At Princeton, she was on the sailing team, in the Glee Club, and in Tower Club.  She worked in actuarial consulting at Towers Perrin and William M. Mercer in the early 90’s, attaining the designation of a member of the Society of Actuaries in 1992. She went to India for 3 years to study yoga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 1996.   She founded Yoga Now Inc., a Yoga Studio in Chicago, in 2003.  In 2012, she won the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Award, and in 2014, she won the Enterprising Women Award.  Amy helped to bring Bhaktifest, a 3,000 person yoga and kirtan festival to the Midwest starting in 2012.  Amy is a past President of the Princeton Club of Chicago, and she is on the Alumni Council of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

Haley White '12 - Co-Chair, Distinguished Service Awards

Haley White is a Senior Vice President at Madison Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in the world. She has served as a "C" executive at various Madison subsidiaries. Prior to joining Madison, Ms. White served as the Mexico Country Manager for LINE, an Asian mobile tech startup expanding internationally in anticipation of an IPO with a multi-billion dollar valuation. Initially tasked with managing strategy and partnerships for the Mexican market, Ms. White went on to oversee all Mexican operations and support “C” leadership with the global launch of the company’s advertising business, projected to become its top source of revenue. She was also featured on Bloomberg’s Latin affiliate for the telecom deal she closed. Previously, Ms. White worked in Latin America as a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group. Before entering the private sector, Ms. White worked in international development. She served in Ecuador, Rwanda, and the Amazon Rainforest. Ms. White has an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Princeton. She is a Fulbright and Truman Scholar.

Jason White '96 - Treasurer

By day, Jason is a Director of Asset Management (oversees a portfolio of power plants in New York) for J-Power USA Development Co. The remainder of his time is managed by his wife around the activities of three young children.

Nathan Williams '98 - Co-Chair, Princeton Prize in Race Relations (PPRR), Co-Liaison, Association of Black Princeton Alumni (ABPA)

Nathan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Princeton in 1998 with an AB in Politics. After graduation, he began working for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston, Texas, and then for AT&T in Austin, Texas. In 2011, he moved to Chicago, where he currently works for Elementary School District 159. He is a member of the Legislative committee for the Illinois Education Association, and he has served on the Princeton Prize and Race Relations committee for the past two years.