Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel have appointed eight board members for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), the agency that owns McCormick Place and Navy Pier. The Governor and Mayor are each allotted four board appointments under State law.
Last month, it was announced that Jack M. Greenberg would serve as the Chairman of the MPEA Board. Greenberg is Chairman of the Western Union Company and also serves as Chairman of Chicago-based InnerWorkings Inc., in addition to being a director of Allstate Corporation and other major corporations. He is a trustee at the Field Museum, the Institute of International Education, and DePaul University, where he previously served as Chairman. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust.
“I thank the Mayor and Governor for the opportunity to serve, and look forward to working with the Board and Management to build on the solid platform for success that has been created,” said Greenberg. “I hope to provide significant assistance in attracting visitors to McCormick Place and Chicago in order to grow the region’s economy.”
Jim Reilly, who has served as MPEA Trustee for the past 21 months, will stay on as CEO of MPEA.
“I am pleased to welcome the MPEA Board and thank the Mayor and Governor for the opportunity to continue to serve the Authority,” said Jim Reilly, MPEA CEO. “I am proud of the many milestones that we accomplished during my tenure as Trustee. I’m excited to work with the MPEA Board to advance the mission of the Authority to attract more conventions and visitors to Chicago.”
Governor Quinn’s Appointments:
Carmen H. Lonstein is a partner in the Chicago office of Baker and McKenzie and Chair of the Financial Restructuring, Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy Practice Group in North America. She is a member of the board of the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Lonstein lives in Chicago and has been named an Illinois Leading Lawyer and ranked in Top 50 Leading Women Business Lawyers in Illinois. Lonstein was a member of the MPEA Interim Board.
Ronald E. Powell serves as the international vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union. He has led the UFCW Local 881 as president since 1983. Powell was a member of the MPEA Interim Board.
Robert G. Reiter Jr., serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor. He is a third-generation member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 who also sits on the Metropolitan Planning Council’s Resource Board and is Treasurer of the Cook County Workforce Investment Board. Reiter earned his law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Eastern Illinois University.
Becky Strzechowski serves as secretary-treasurer and assistant trustee of Teamsters Local #700 in Park Ridge, where she has worked on behalf of 13,000 public employees. She previously worked for 22 years at Teamsters #727 in Chicago, first as an assistant and eventually to become the first woman to serve as its vice president and business manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a juris doctor from DePaul, the latter of which she earned through night school while working full-time. She sits on the Teamster’s National and Joint Council 25 Women’s committees, and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association.
Mayor Emanuel’s Appointments:
Julie Chavez is the Senior Vice President and Community Relations Manager for Bank of America in Chicago. She has worked with Bank of America since 1994, and currently is responsible for leading the bank’s efforts in philanthropy, community and civic engagement, and business development. In her time in Chicago, she has worked with a number of organizations, including the National Museum of Mexican Art, of which she is the chair of the board, Metropolitan Family Services, and Chicago United, among others.
Frank M. Clark Jr. is the retired Chairman and CEO of ComEd, where he oversaw the organization that delivers power to 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois. He joined ComEd in 1966. During his time in Chicago, he has been a civic leader in many regards, sitting on the board of many organizations including the Museum of Science and Industry, DePaul University, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.
Dan Hynes is a Senior Vice President at Ariel Investments. He served three terms as State Comptroller from 1999 through 2011. In addition to his tenure as the state’s Chief Fiscal Officer, he has also served as Chairman of the State Employees’ Retirement System and has been a trustee of the Illinois State Board of Investment.
Roger J. Kiley, Jr. is an attorney whose primary practice includes public law and government. He has been a consistent figure throughout Chicago, having served as Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley in the 1990s. In his lengthy career, he has served in a number of civic and philanthropic roles, including as a judge of the Circuit Court of Illinois and a representative to the 6th Illinois Constitutional Convention. Kiley was a member of the MPEA Interim Board.
