Board of Directors
Our rockstar Board of Directors supports our growth in so many ways – solid governance, strategic guidance, fundraising, advocacy and ambassadorship.
Executive Committee
Steven Shaw
Steven has led on the People’s board since 2019, and most recently served as Vice Chair and chair of our Governance & Nominating Committee. He brings leadership expertise and great passion to the role, and we’re grateful to have him guiding us forward.
Steven has over 20 years of experience spanning the private, government and nonprofit sectors, particularly providing administration and advisory services. Steven leads Community Engagement efforts across the Midwest within the Public Policy & Government Affairs practice at Verizon. This Community Engagement role encompasses three primary areas: Education & Advocacy, Partnership (grantmaking), and Thought Leadership.
Prior to Verizon, Steven was the Interim Executive Director of the KLEO Center, a Southside community-based nonprofit organization. In his most recent government work, Steven served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle; this role included external responsibilities such as representing the President at government forums and community events, and internally advising the Bureau of Economic Development and the Office of the Chief Information Officer in executing a billion dollar project portfolio. Prior to working for the County, Steven was an Associate Principal at Civic Consulting Alliance, providing strategy and management advisory services for public sector clients; one of his Civic Consulting clients was Cook County and Steven’s consulting team created the County’s Economic Development strategy. Steven began his career as a Strategy & Operations Business Analyst at Deloitte Consulting.
In addition to his role at The People’s Music School, Steven is also on the board of Social Responsibility Chicago and the board of the African American Legacy Fund of the Chicago Community Trust. Steven is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in Economics from Morehouse College, and a Master in Public Administration degree, with a focus on nonprofits and social enterprise, from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Steven Shaw, Board Chair
Executive Committee Chair
Community Engagement Director, Verizon
Ellen Feldman
Ellen Feldman is retired from Northwestern University, where she worked for 15 years. Most recently she served as the Director of Administration for the University Research Centers.
A dedicated community volunteer, Ellen has been supporting The People’s Music School for fifteen years. Ellen is currently the Chair of the Donor Engagement Committee and the Co-Chair of TPMS’ annual gala, Big Night. Other philanthropic and community service commitments include chairing the Dean’s Visiting Committee for the College of Arts & Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.
Ellen earned her MBA from Columbia Business School and her BA from Case Western Reserve University.
Ellen Feldman, Vice Chair
Donor Relations Committee Chair
Civic leader
Adam Lucas
Adam is a Principal with Concentric Equity Partners and joined the firm in 2018. He is responsible for originating new investment opportunities, executing new investments and working with portfolio companies. Prior to joining Concentric, Adam was an Associate with Arbor Investments, a Chicago-based middle market private equity firm, where he focused on companies in the food, beverage, and related industries. Prior to joining Arbor, Adam was an Analyst with Livingstone Partners in the firm’s Chicago office focusing on companies in the consumer, healthcare and industrials industries. He received his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated cum laude, and his M.B.A from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he graduated with High Honors. Adam currently resides in Chicago with his wife Marie.
Adam Lucas, Treasurer
Finance Committee Chair
Vice President, Concentric Equity Partners
Kevin Dolan
Kevin Dolan
Kevin Dolan is a retired Senior Partner from McKinsey & Company, where he worked from 2003 to 2022. During his tenure, he advised CEOs and senior executives across a variety of industries, including consumer, retail, health care, and logistics. He led multiple initiatives that generated over $6 billion in revenue growth and delivered $12 billion in annual cost savings for his clients. Kevin also founded and grew McKinsey’s General and Administrative (G&A) Practice, which became the firm’s largest and fastest-growing service line, and was recognized as the top consultancy in corporate services consulting by ALM.
In addition to his role as a business leader, Kevin made significant contributions to McKinsey’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. He founded the firm’s DEI practice, focusing on gender, race, and ethnicity representation improvements. Under his leadership, McKinsey made strides in creating more inclusive environments through sponsorship, mentorship, and objective talent assessment practices. He was also instrumental in driving the firm’s MBA recruiting efforts, particularly increasing gender and diversity representation globally.
Before joining McKinsey, Kevin gained valuable experience as a project manager and chemical engineer at Procter & Gamble and Dow Corning Corporation. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.
Outside of his professional achievements, Kevin is dedicated to his family, music, and community, serving on the board of The People’s Music School as the Chair of the Governance & Nominating Committee, and performing as the lead guitarist in the rock band Model-J.
Kevin Dolan, Secretary
Governance Committee Chair
Civic leader, Senior Partner (retired), McKinsey & Company
Directors
Juanna Blackwell
Juanna Blackwell brings a wealth of experience in Finance and Operations, boasting an impressive career in various C-Suite roles, including Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) across both for-profit and non-profit sectors. Her journey led her to establish Latitude Consultants, LLC.
Previously, Juanna served as the COO and Interim CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center, where she steered the Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology functions. Her strategic acumen came to the forefront following the departure of the longstanding CEO. With over 25 years of expertise spanning civil and environmental engineering, commercial and residential real estate, finance, and operations, Juanna is recognized for her prowess in process improvement, change management, strategic planning, and financial management.
Prior to her pivotal role at the Chicago Architecture Center, Juanna spent nearly a decade at Ticketmaster, culminating in a position overseeing finance, operations, and providing strategic guidance for a $30-million segment. Her professional journey also includes stints at esteemed companies such as Kraft Foods, IBM, Northrop Grumman, and management of her family’s real estate business.
A devoted advocate of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Juanna holds a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and an MBA in Finance from Howard University. Her commitment to community engagement is evident through her past involvement with the YMCA of Metro Chicago’s Associate Board. Presently, she serves on The People’s Music School Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of the David Lynch Foundation Chicago, dedicated to introducing transcendental meditation to at-risk populations.
Juanna Blackwell
Director, Finance Committee
Principal, Latitude Consultants, LLC
Michael Buck
Mike Buck has been a devoted supporter of the organization since 2011 and is a Lifetime Trustee on our Board of Directors. His dedicated Board service spans nearly a decade, and he is the inaugural Chair of TPMS’s newly formed Program Committee. Over his many years of leadership working with the organization, Mr. Buck has served as a mentor to students and as a volunteer cello instructor at the Albany Park program. Through the generous support of the Buck Family Foundation, TPMS has built curriculum infrastructure to grow our presence on the leading edge of quality music instruction in historically underserved communities.
Mike is a portfolio manager and a senior analyst at Driehaus Capital Management on the US Growth Equities Team with a focus on the consumer discretionary, consumer staples and financials sectors. His in-depth fundamental research, idea generation and buy/sell recommendations are leveraged across the Micro Cap Growth, Small Cap Growth and Small/Mid Cap Growth strategies. As portfolio manager for these three strategies, he is also responsible for providing depth of leadership to the team.
Mike began his career at Deloitte Consulting, LLC as a business analyst until he joined Driehaus Capital Management in 2002. He received his B.A. and B.M. in economics and cello performance from Northwestern University in 2000.
Michael Buck
Lifetime Trustee, Program Committee Chair
Asst. Portfolio Mgr., Driehaus Capital Management LLC
Uma Chandrasekaran
Uma has more than 15 years of experience handling business and employment disputes, trials and appeals, arbitration and mediation, and internal and external investigations.
Uma’s litigation experience includes defense of employment discrimination claims (Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Family and Medical Leave Act), wage-and-hour, wrongful discharge, retaliation, sexual harassment, and whistleblower matters. She has significant trial and appellate experience, and has successfully tried several jury and non-jury cases.
Uma represents employers before administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and the Illinois Department of Labor, and other state and municipal fair employment agencies. She also counsels employers on ways to proactively avoid litigation. Uma has extensive experience drafting employer policies and handbooks, training employees and managers on anti-harassment policies, advising on independent contractor matters, reviewing employment contracts and noncompetition agreements, and conducting internal investigations.
Uma provides the highest levels of client service, using the firm’s technology and process resources to provide value and efficiency to her clients.
Uma chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Action Team in the Chicago office. She is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing strategic leadership to the diversity initiatives in the Chicago office. Uma loves that she has the opportunity to collaborate with firm leaders to implement the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategic goals, and to inspire the concepts of diversity and inclusion into firm culture.
Uma Chandrasekaran
Director, Governance Committee
Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Christie Crouch
Christie Crouch is a seasoned marketing executive with over 20 years of experience leading brands in Consumer Packaged Goods. Currently serving as Vice President and General Manager at Conagra, she has a history of transforming brands towards growth and profitability. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy (BS) and later attended Harvard Business School where she earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA). Passionate about community service, Christie has volunteered with various youth organizations as a head coach and troop leader. As a newly elected board member, she is thrilled to bring her skills and expertise to aid the mission of The People’s Music School. In her free time, Christie is a voracious reader, enjoys cooking and experiencing new foods, practicing yoga, and spending time with her family.
Christie Crouch
Director, Donor Engagement Committee
Vice President & GM, Conagra Brands
Gary Hart
Gary Hart, CPA is a Tax Partner at Mowery & Schoenfeld, LLC. His passion for his specialties is evident in his contributions to the profession. Gary was named one of “America’s Best Tax Practitioners” by Money Magazine. Gary has co-authored a course on Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates, lectured extensively for the AICPA and Illinois CPA Society, delivered the keynote address at the AICPA Financial Planning Conference and lectured before a wide variety of corporate and educational groups.
A fan of sunny days, Gary loves a good Sox game or a day on the golf course. He and his wife also enjoy evenings at the theatre or with their children and grandchildren. As a member of The People’s Music School Board of Directors, Gary is proud to be an advocate for accessible music education.
Gary Hart
Director, Finance Committee
Tax Partner, Mowery & Schoenfeld LLC
Emerald-Jane "EJ" Hunter
Emerald-Jane Hunter (EJ), founder and ringleader of myWHY Agency, is a master of all things media, storytelling, and integrated marketing. A four-time Emmy Award-winning former TV producer, EJ brings more than 25 years of experience—15 of those in the TV industry, and now to the world of integrated marketing, where she is committed to championing passionate and meaningful communications efforts for mission-led entrepreneurs and corporations.
Inspired by Simon Sinek’s book Start with WHY, EJ birthed myWHY in 2016. Here, she works with purpose-driven brands, businesses, and game-changing leaders to tell strategic, impactful stories with a specialized focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). myWHY’s integrated marketing campaigns are aimed at further elevating and amplifying brand voices in a way that’s aware, authentic, and accountable to generate long-term value that makes a difference.
Born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, EJ emigrated to the US in 1999. After developing a fearless business mentality, she now lives out her passions every day through her vision at myWHY Agency, including brand strategy, PR/Media relations, influencer marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Named the 2022 PRNEWS Top Women in PR (Innovator Category), she is also a graduate and cohort ambassador of the Goldman Sachs 1,000 Small Businesses program and was named by Ariel Investments’ as a 40 Under 40 Game Changer in 2016.
A pianist herself, EJ is a board member at The People’s Music School and Chair of the Marketing & PR Committee.
Emerald-Jane “EJ” Hunter
Marketing & PR Committee Chair
Ringleader, myWHY Agency
Joe Idaszak
Joseph Idaszak is a Portfolio Manager at Brookfield Public Securities Group LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd., where he co-manages a sustainably oriented investment strategy focused on Global Renewables & Sustainable Infrastructure equities. Prior to joining the firm in 2016, he was an Investment Associate at Silverpath Capital Management where he focused on Renewables, Utilities and MLPs. Prior to that, he was an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he focused on Renewables, Clean Technology, Industrials and Healthcare. Joseph earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Joe Idaszak
Director, Donor Engagement Committee
Dir. & Portfolio Mngr., Global Renewables & Infrastructure Securities, Brookfield Asset Management
Carolyn Jaw
Carolyn Jaw joined Federal Home Loan Bank’s Executive Team in January 2020, and became Senior Vice President and Group Head, Sales, Strategy, and Solutions. She became Executive Vice President in January 2021. From 2015 to 2019, Ms. Jaw was Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Institutional Sales, and most recently had responsibility over institutional sales, marketing, and events. Ms. Jaw has worked in various groups at the Bank since 2004, including the sales, capital markets, and mortgage groups. Previously, Ms. Jaw worked at Hillenbrand Capital Partners, a structured products investment fund, where she focused on pricing, funding, and hedging the residential and commercial mortgage loan and securities portfolios. Ms. Jaw serves on the board of The People’s Music School, the largest completely free music school serving Chicago metropolitan area children and is a Northwestern University Affinity Leaders and Learners (ALL) Mentor. Ms. Jaw holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University, a Master of Business Administration degree with concentrations in Finance, Economics, Accounting, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Education General Management Program.
Carolyn Jaw
Director, Donor Engagement Committee
Executive Vice President, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Nalini Kotamraju
Nalini P. Kotamraju, Ph.D. is a sociologist who has spent the past 25 years in academic and corporate settings, researching people’s use of technology in their professional and personal lives. She is currently Senior Vice President, Research & Insights for Salesforce, leading a cross-functional team driving product insights. She previously led research teams at Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and assorted, long defunct dot.com companies.
Born in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, Nalini grew up in the economically and ethnically diverse Uptown neighborhood of Chicago and attended Academy of the Sacred Heart for Girls. Nalini earned her B.A. cum laude in Social Studies and her B.A. cum laude in Women’s Studies from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley. Nalini’s interest in technology solidified when she worked in the organizing NGO office for the historic 1995 United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing and witnessed firsthand the Internet’s global influence. After completing her Ph.D., Nalini held positions of Associate Professor at IT University of Copenhagen in Denmark and University of Twente in the Netherlands, focusing on digital technologies, design practice, and research methods.
In addition to the Hamlin Board of Trustees, Nalini also co-chaired Hamlin’s Task Force on Financial Assistance and Economic Equity, and she serves on the Board of the People’s Music School of Chicago and as an Expert Review for the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change. Nalini lives in Oakland, California with her daughter, Anya (Class of 2025).
Nalini Kotamraju
Director, Program Committee
SVP, Research & Insights, Salesforce
Nancy Power
Nancy oversees all human resources functions, including talent acquisition, total rewards, employee relations, organizational development, and employee engagement. She is also a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and co-chairs the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee. Prior to joining the firm, Nancy spent over 25 years in human resources (HR), partnering with executive leadership teams to align human capital initiatives and strategies to business priorities, maximize talent, and foster cultures of collaboration and continuous improvement. Before Ariel, Nancy was the managing director and head of HR at Andersen, senior HR manager at PwC and HR operations manager at Arthur Andersen. Nancy serves as vice-chair of the board of trustees at Marymount High School, a private all-girls school in Los Angeles, where she chairs the audit and nominating committees, and serves on the DEI, as well as legal and reputational risk committees. She is also a trustee at Sierra Canyon, an independent school based in Los Angeles. Nancy earned a BS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California – Berkeley. Additionally, she holds a SHRM-SCP® certification.
Nancy Power
Director, Donor Engagement Committee
Chief Human Resources Officer, Ariel Investments
Anthony Salazar
Anthony Salazar is Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he serves the families of affluent business owners and corporate executives around the country. As a partner of the Chicago-based HLA Group at Merrill, he focuses on aligning clients’ financial strategies with their family values to help them achieve their objectives. Anthony holds CPWA®, CFP®, and CEPA® designations.
Anthony Salazar
Director, Donor Engagement Committee
Sr. Vice President, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Cecilia Torres VanGetson
Cecilia Torres VanGetson is a community volunteer who has been a dedicated supporter of The People’s Music School for six years. Most recently Cecilia served as Vice President – Futures & Securities with BMO Harris Bank’s Financial Institutions Group. For a decade Mrs. Torres VanGetson led commercial financing efforts in support of several of Chicago’s, and the nation’s, leading institutional investors.
A native Chicagoan, Mrs. Torres VanGetson’s love of music began at an early age with piano and mandolin instruction on the Southwest Side. As a mother of three boys, she has seen first hand the life changing impact of music instruction on her own children and that has helped guide her philanthropic efforts with The People’s Music School.
Mrs. Torres VanGetson is also an active elementary and middle school volunteer, and is committed to supporting Chicago and Northern Illinois food security, social assistance and higher education organizations.
Mrs. Torres VanGetson earned her Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Gies College of Business.
Cecilia Torres VanGetson
Director, Donor Engagement Committee
Civic leader
Rob Whiteman
Rob Whiteman is the owner of Better Future Advisors, a firm he founded upon retiring from his consulting career. Through this venture, he assists organizations in redesigning their operations to get the most out of automation and AI. Additionally, he lends his expertise to startups in the technology sector, mentoring them as they scale their organizations.
Before retiring at the end of 2022, Rob was a Partner at McKinsey & Company. There, he led Digital Service Operations in North America, working with over 200 private and public sector organizations on automation and AI topics. Rob documented his experiences and insights in the book Artificially Human: Making Sense of Automation and AI.
Before joining McKinsey, Rob was a Vice President at Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm based in New York. Prior to that, he worked for multiple divisions of General Electric, most recently as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt at GE Commercial Finance. Rob holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
Rob Whiteman
Director, Governance Committee
Better Future Advisors LLC, Partner (retired), McKinsey & Company
Cici Zheng
Cici Zheng
Director, Finance Committee
Managing Director, Corridor Capital
Interested in learning about Board Service?
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