Board of directors

Marc J. Lane, a nationally recognized business and tax attorney and financial adviser, practices law at The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane, P.C. in Chicago (www.MarcJLane.com). An innovator in helping social enterprises, foundations, corporations, investors, lenders, and philanthropists leverage capital to maximize financial results while driving positive social change, he is the author of 35 books including Social Enterprise: Empowering Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs (American Bar Association) and The Mission-Driven Venture: Business Solutions to the World’s Most Vexing Social Problems (John Wiley and Sons).

Dr. Miles’ primary passion is to help leaders and communities, fulfill their vision for positive transformations and collaborative empowerment that drives social, cultural, and economic development for all. Dr. Miles currently works with Veterans throughout the Greater Chicago area, public health organizations across northern Illinois, faith-based institutions, universities, community health, and engagement initiatives, which includes providing trauma-informed training focused on resilience capacity building for individuals, teams, and businesses/organizations.

A 25-year career in banking with a major U.S. bank with a focus on global financial issues, country risk analysis, and currency and emerging markets advisory. Banking career followed by 10 years in academia in the fields of economics and finance, with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Published research in the fields of banking and international finance. A 10-year career in economic consulting on the United States and global economy and markets. Academic background includes a Master's degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Mark Mulroe is Vice President of A Safe Haven LLC. Mark holds positions on several industry and professional associations and committees and is an active member of several committees that address the needs of the homeless, including veterans and correctional populations.

Maija Renko is a Professor and Coleman Chair of Entrepreneurship at DePaul University, Driehaus College of Business, in Chicago. She holds a D. Sc. in Business Administration degree from Turku School of Economics (Finland), and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Florida International University (USA). Maija teaches entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship classes in the undergraduate business and graduate programs of DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business. Her research and teaching interests are focused on the early stages of the entrepreneurial process (entrepreneurial motivation, opportunities, and nascent entrepreneurship), social entrepreneurship, and technology entrepreneurship. Her research has been published in leading management and entrepreneurship journals, and she serves on the editorial and review boards for six of the top journals in entrepreneurship and management.

Mike is a consultant, artist and strategic leader with demonstrated success in product management, design, business development, data intelligence, marketing, and organizational design. Mike started out in the non-profit sector, writing grants and acting as a business analyst.  He went on to develop two social enterprises, work as an international product manager, and is currently a product development and management consultant.

He drives new and existing product development through research, innovation workshops, prototyping, emerging trends in engineering, and strategic planning. Mike also works with companies to develop an organizational strategy through design thinking and change enablement. Mike has utilized his experience in media to work with marketing teams to create captivating stories around product releases and organizational advancements.

Valerie is the founder of Nonprofit Utopia, LLC, where she facilitates an online community and provides leadership coaching, courses and consulting services. Valerie is the host and producer of the Nonprofit Utopia Podcast, and Nonprofit Utopia Livestream, inviting nonprofit thought leaders to share lessons learned and the latest developments in the nonprofit sector.   Valerie has been working with nonprofit organizations for over 20 years, in some form or fashion. In one life, she was a financial analyst, helping the CFO of a major hospital system arrange nearly $120 million in bond financings to cover major building expansion projects. In another life she was the founding executive director of a neighborhood grantmaking organization, using small grants to help residents develop the leadership skills they needed to take control of their economic environment. Valerie has leveraged those experiences and lessons learned to launch her own consulting practice, where she helps nonprofit leaders to improve their own skills while guiding their organizations to sustainability. 

Mark Yates is a Continuing Education Lecturer for the City Colleges of Chicago Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. He is also a National Facilitator for the Babson College location in Wellesley Massachusetts. He has taught over 1,200 Entrepreneurs and Small Businesspersons in the area of Accounting. He is currently serving as Adjunct Faculty in the Harold Washington Business Department. Mark Yates is also a Vice President at the Safer Foundation located in Chicago. Mr. Yates is also the General Manager of Reconstruction Technology Partners (RTP), a social enterprise created to further the mission of the Safer Foundation. Mr. Yates received his MBA from DePaul University and his BSBA from Roosevelt University.

Joel Cox is a marketing specialist and an emerging thought leader in the conscious capitalism movement–a passion that stems from his studies as a political science major. Following graduation, he co-founded a coding bootcamp under the guidance of a 100-day business accelerator program. Since moving to Chicago, Joel has acquired five years of digital marketing experience at several of the city’s most cutting-edge agencies. He recently completed a UIC course on social entrepreneurship and aspires to one day start a social impact consulting agency.

Jeremy is a passionate and creative thought leader in the data and analytics realm. He has a history of creating change through critical insights in healthcare, finance, operations, and food and beverage industries. Through his time as a member of Loyola University’s basketball team and high school basketball coach, Jeremy has developed a keen sensibility of the value of cross-collaboration, teamwork, and effective leadership. Jeremy has a desire to uplift the community by leveraging technology and addressing community issues through data. Jeremy sits on the Council of Regents for Loyola University and is the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion co-chair at his consulting firm.

David Feinberg joined CCLF in 2021 as the Director of Coaching and Knowledge Transfer. In this role, David is responsible for the strategic implementation of CCLF’s technical expertise and special programs to build community development capacity and support Chicagoland’s thriving communities. He brings a deep knowledge of nonprofit real estate development and consulting with a specialty in educational facilities, community centers and social enterprises.  Over the course of his career, David has led the development of more than $250M and 1,000,000 sq. ft. of  non-profit and community centered real estate projects with a specialization in educational facilities, community centers and social enterprises. He offers familiarity and expertise with a variety of financing structures, including tax-credit programs, tax-exempt bonds, PRIs and TIFs. 

Adam Engle is the Director of the Fund for Equitable Business Growth, a multi-funder collaborative housed at the Chicago Community Trust that invests in a marketplace of services and products to support the ecosystem of Black and Latinx entrepreneurs in Chicago. His career began in financial services and consulting at Arthur Andersen & Co. and Salomon Bros. Prior to joining the Trust, Adam was a consultant to non-profit organizations across the country focusing on board development. In addition, he serves as a mentor to entrepreneurs of color throughout the Chicagoland area. Adam holds an MBA in Finance from Hofstra University and a Masters in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Alberto Rincon, a native of Chicago’s south side, works to solve problems that have a long lasting positive social impact. He is a policy and business consultant with diverse experience in local government, small business, clean energy, real estate, nonprofit finance, community organizing, and engineering. He is currently the Principal Consultant for Rincon Consulting Group and the Vice President of Community Impact for The Invert Chicago. Alberto holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard, a Master of Business Administration from MIT, and is a licensed realtor in the State of Illinois.

Paul Hunter is the Global Sustainability Manager at Kin + Carta. Paul began his career in sustainability in 2016 as an entrepreneur producing up-cycled fashion accessories. He then became an independent digital product consultant working with a Series A tech startup to reduce the environmental footprint of purified water distribution using a network of IoT-connected smart water stations. It was at this intersection of digital innovation, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability where Paul found his passion. This enthusiasm led him to Kin + Carta where Paul moved from Product Management into a role he crafted in partnership with the executive team.

The Male Mogul Initiative was founded and established by the visionary leader, Walter Mendenhall. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Mendenhall has always felt a sense of obligation and responsibility to empower and strengthen his community. Through personal circumstances, Walter would learn as a young adolescent, the substantial and overwhelming burden of defeating and conquering adversity. At the tender age of 5, Walter would be diagnosed with a learning disability. Through mere determination and tenacity, Walter would
eventually graduate from the University of Illinois with a 3.2 GPA, where he earned academic All-Big Ten honors, while also balancing the demanding responsibilities of being a student-athlete on the University of Illinois football team. While finishing his collegiate career at Illinois State University, Walter secured the amazing opportunity of playing in the National Football League, (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals.