Chicago Architecture Center Announces New Members to Board of Trustees

(CHICAGO) March 23, 2023 —The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is pleased to announce today the addition of eight new trustees to the organization’s board. Coming from architecture, construction, design and business, the new board members bring years of experience and leadership to inspire, educate and mentor Chicagoans of all ages and tourists from around the world on the way design impacts the world around us.

The CAC was founded in 1966 as the Chicago Architecture Foundation to save the historic
Glessner House. Since that time, the CAC has grown to become one of the largest cultural
organizations in Chicago and a national leader in the promotion of architecture and design. For
more than 50 years, CAC educators, volunteer docents and guest services volunteers have
shared the stories of Chicago’s architecture and history with millions of Chicagoans and visitors.
The CAC serves more than 500,000 guests and audience members annually.

The new Board of Trustees members are:

● Kate Van Zeyl, DBIA, AIA, Vice President, General Manager, Turner Construction Company

● Lisa Pickell, President, Orren Pickell Building Group

● Danielle Tillman, Managing Principal, bKL Architecture

● Melissa Harmening, Regional Sales Manager, MillerKnoll

● Damona Strautmanis, Senior Vice President, Projects, JLL, Project and Development Services

● Ross Wirth, Head of Client Engagement & Technology, Cybercube, (Ex-Officio, Docent Council President)

● Constance Rajala (Ex-Officio, Docent-at-Large)

● Lynda Dossey, Director, JAHN (Ex-Officio, AIA Representative)

“We’re excited to welcome these new board members for their expertise, depth of knowledge and commitment to the work of the Chicago Architecture Center,” said Eleanor Esser Gorski, AIA, President and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center. “Each of these individuals will help us to deliver on our mission, champion the role that design plays in our city, and inspire people to discover the way architecture, engineering and design shape our experience of the world we live in.”

“These individuals bring a wealth of talent and wisdom to the Chicago Architecture Center
Board of Trustees,” said Ann Thompson, AIA, Chair of the Board and Executive Vice
President of Architecture and Design at Related Midwest. “We are thrilled to have them join
us and help guide the future of the CAC as we further our vision of a world in which design
powers the growth of vibrant, equitable communities.”

The eight new board members join existing board members Kelly Powers Baria (Vice
President, Powers & Sons Construction), Andreason Brown (Chief Financial Officer &
Treasurer, Spencer Foundation), Andre Brumfield (Principal, Design Director & Global Director
for Cities + Urban Design, Gensler), Joseph G. Burns (Managing Principal, Thornton
Tomasetti), Stephen Cruise (Managing Director I Global Co-Head of Industrial Corporate
Advisory, Greenhill & Co., LLC), Ann Drake (Founder and President, Lincoln Road
Enterprises), Graham Grady (Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister), Sandra Helton, Kapil
Khanna (President, Lamar Johnson Collaborative), Ursula Moncau (President, Schaumburg
Bank & Trust Company, N.A.), Juan Gabriel Moreno (President, Juan Gabriel Moreno
Architects), David Nelson (Partner, Head of Global Investments & Real Estate, DRW Holdings),
Michael Newman (President & CEO, Golub & Company LLC), Jenny Niemann (President,
CEO and Owner, Forward Space), Catherine Odelbo (Morningstar, Inc. - Retired), James D.
Parsons (Retired President, The Brinson Foundation), Brandi Pitts (Global Head of Digital
Marketing and Media, Meta), Robert S. Rivkin (Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer,
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.), John W. Rutledge (Founder, President & CEO, Oxford Capital
Group LLC/Oxford Hotels & Resorts, LLC), Adam Semel (Managing Partner, Skidmore, Owings
& Merrill), Clifford J. Shapiro (Owner, Shapiro Dispute Resolution LLC), Katie Spring
(Managing Director, Edelman), Robin Loewenberg Tebbe (President, LIFT Office LLC), Ann
Thompson, AIA (Executive Vice President, Architecture and Design, Related Midwest), Edna
Uribe (President & General Manager, TelevisaUnivision, Inc.), Bill Williams (Principal and
Managing Member, KMW Communities LLC), Theodore I. Yi (Partner, Quarles & Brady, LLP)
and Weifang Zhou (EVP & President of Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC), UL Inc.).

For more information, visit the CAC Board of Trustees page.

About the Chicago Architecture Center

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1966, dedicated
to inspiring people to discover why design matters. A national leader in architecture and design
education, the CAC offers tours, programs, exhibitions, and more that are part of a dynamic
journey of lifelong learning.

Opened to the public in 2018, its riverfront location is in the heart of the city, where Michigan
Avenue meets the Chicago River, featuring nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibition space with
views of a century of iconic skyscrapers.

Through partnerships with schools and youth-serving organizations, the CAC reaches
approximately 5,000 K-12 students annually, while teacher workshops provide educators with
tools and resources they need to advance STEM curricula in their classrooms. Committed to
serving under-represented communities in construction, engineering, and design professions,
the CAC offers many of its education programs—and all its programs for teens—at no cost to
participants. CAC programs for adults and members include talks with acclaimed authors and
practicing architects, in-depth presentations on issues and trends in urbanism, and classes
unlocking subjects related to the built environment.

Proceeds from programs, tours, and the CAC Design Store, as well as from grants,
sponsorships, and donations, support its educational mission. Visit architecture.org to learn
more and follow @chiarchitecture and #chiarchitecture on social media.

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