Board of Directors

Xochitl Flores — Bureau Chief – Cook County Economic Development

Xochitl Flores is the Bureau Chief of Economic Development for Cook County. In this role, Flores oversees the activities of the three departments within the Bureau, which include the Department of Planning and Development, Building and Zoning, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.  She is responsible for leading the work of the Bureau, collaborating with the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago to develop and implement initiatives to grow the regional economy. READ MORE

Diane Limas, Board President – Communities United

Diane Limas servcies as the Leader and Board President for Communities United, a non-profit social justice organization located on the northwest side of Chicago.  Communities United strives to be a “learning organization,” continually developing our analysis of economic, racial, gender, LGBTQ and disability justice as critical lenses through which we approach our work.   READ MORE

Peter M. Friedman, Partner – Elrod Friedman LLP

Peter has an accomplished and broad real estate practice and is the founding partner of Elrod Friedman LLP, a law firm specializing in representing exclusively public sector clients.  Mr. Friedman previously was a partner at Holland & Knight, and represented private and public sector clients in all phases of real estate finance, acquisition, development, zoning and land use matters. He counsels property owners, pension funds, tenants and developers in a variety of real estate and transactional projects.  READ MORE

Thurman “Tony” Smith, Senior Vice President – PNC Bank

Tony Smith is the Senior Vice President and Community Development Market Manager for PNC Community Development Banking. In this capacity, Mr. Smith leads PNC’s efforts in strategic investments, lending, public service, technical assistance and financial education. Read more

James Planey, Founding Principal — Lee & Associates of Illinois, LLC

James Planey, an industrial real estate professional, is the founding principal of Lee & Associates of Illinois, LLC where he has worked since 2002. Prior to founding Lee & Assoc., Mr. Planey spent ten years (1992-2002) working for Collier Bennett & Kahnweiler, a premier Chicago-area commercial and industrial development firm. Read more

Lyneir Richardson, Executive Director — Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, Rutgers Business School

Lyneir Richardson is a faculty member and Executive Director of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers Business School. Lyneir is also a lead consultant on Chicago TREND, an initiative aiming to stimulate retail development to accelerate neighborhood transformation in Chicago. Read more

Sarah L. Ware, Principal & Managing Broker — The Carter Ware Group

Sarah L. Ware is a principal and managing broker at The Carter Ware Group, Inc., a real estate firm that specializes in property sales, purchases and management; market research; and management consulting for investors or real estate assets, in Chicago where she has worked since 2007. Read more

Richard Monocchio — Executive Director, Cook County Housing Authority

Richard J. Monocchio has dedicated his professional career to public service for nearly 30 years.  In 2011, Mr. Monocchio was appointed Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Cook County, where he continues to be an advocate for safe, affordable housing.

Under Mr. Monocchio’s leadership, dozens of recreational, academic and vocational programs have been implemented to connect people, opportunities, and communities, ultimately helping residents become self-sufficient and achieve a better quality of life.  Monocchio is affiliated with numerous civic and community organizations. He is a board member to the non-profit Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), and serves on the Cook County Workforce Board.  READ MORE

Joy Aruguete — Chief Executive Officer, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation

Ms. Aruguete has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation for 26 years. In this capacity, she supervises operations for this 54-year-old award-winning nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to community controlled development, the preservation and management of affordable housing, economic development centered on job creation, comprehensive community planning and engagement, and the development of community leaders. Ms. Aruguete manages corporate, subsidiary and affiliate business operations of over $25 million annually and oversees the work of 80 staff members who carry out Bickerdike’s mission.  READ MORE

Katrina Thompson — Mayor, Village of Broadview, Illinois

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Michelle Carr — Illinois Director, The Nature Conservancy

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Sheila Chalmers-Currin — Village President, Village of Matteson, Illinois

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O. Victoria Lakes-Battle — Executive Director, Chicago Region, IFF

O. Victoria “Vickie” Lakes-Battle has been at the forefront of commercial and mission-based lending for over 30 years and has developed a recipe for equitably serving communities: time + proximity + authentic partnerships. When you think of Vickie, you think of a master connector who is acutely aware of the nuances in building strategic alliances and partnerships that bolster relationships, systems, and equity within communities and organizations.

With a never-ending reserve of expertise in community development, finance, and executive leadership Vickie Lakes-Battle leads with equity, purpose and strategy in everything she does.

On a mission to invest, redevelop and empower low-income communities to activate their visions, Vickie became IFF’s first-ever Executive Director for the Chicago Metro region. She oversees IFF’s full-range of services including lending, real estate consulting, and the community strategies program where she is adept at targeting and cultivating opportunities that support IFF goals and objectives. In this role, Vickie understands the necessity of cooperative engagement and active partnerships that expand the resources available to serve low- and moderate-income individuals and communities. She is a trusted thought partner to community-based organizations, the broader community development sector, and philanthropy.

Vickie’s ability to innovate at every turn–economically, socially, and organizationally–has been recognized throughout the Chicagoland area and nationally. Vickie challenges others to look at community development finance through an equity lens and is willing to ask and wrestle with the tough questions.

She currently serves on the board of the Greater Chatham Initiative, Arts Alliance Illinois, AMPT:  Advancing Nonprofits and is on the Steering Committees of Elevated Chicago and Together We Rise.  Vickie’s track record positions her as a success benchmark for leaders in the commercial and mission lending and equitable community development space.

Vickie holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Chicago State University.  READ MORE

Dr. William S. McClinton Ed.D. MBA — South Suburban Representative

Dr. William S. McClinton is a 20-year veteran of the United States Navy. He is the President and CEO of McClinton life Sciences Inc. (MLS) a company specializing in distribution and supply chain logistics of packaging components and medical laboratory supplies. MLS also specializes in the distribution of chemicals used in the development and manufacturing of medical supplies, personal care products, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

William holds a Doctoral degree in Social Entrepreneurship and a Master’s in Business Administration, with minors in Organizational Leadership and Human Resources from Governors State University. He also holds a Master’s and Bachelorette degree in Education from Southern Illinois University with minors in Workforce Education and Curriculum Development. READ MORE