Evanstonian Appointed Union League Boys and Girls Club Board President

The Union League Boys & Girls Clubs announced that Evanston resident Thomas E. Payne, a Board member since 1999 and frequent Committee leader, has been appointed President of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Payne succeeds former Board President Cynthia Doloughty, who concluded a successful two-year term earlier this spring.

“Tom is totally committed to Union League Boys & Girls Clubs and our mission of changing lives for the better, one child at a time. In particular, his recent role leading our Scholarship program – in which funds are raised to continue our Club members’ success beyond high school and through higher education – has been life changing for our youth, many among the first in their families to attend college,” said Mary Ann Mahon Huels, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs President & CEO. “I look forward to working closely with Tom and the Board to continue supporting Chicago youth in this most critical time.”

“As a father, I understand the importance of providing positive guidance and mentorship and am proud of the role that Union League Boys & Girls Clubs has played in thousands of young lives each year,” adds Payne. “I have big shoes to fill, following Cynthia’s passionate, hands-on leadership and hope to continue the Board’s valuable support of the Clubs’ work in Chicago’s underrepresented communities.”

Payne became involved with the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs as a member of the Union League Club, starting in 1997. Soon after, he took an active role in the Boys & Girls Clubs’ leadership, serving on multiple Committees – including Admissions, Member Events, and Finance; most recently, he served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Scholarship Committee.

Payne retired in June of 2015 as senior vice president with The Private Client Reserve of US Bank. Prior to joining The Private Client Reserve, Payne was a director with Citi Private Bank in Chicago, and formerly in senior management with Harris myCFO, the family office group of BMO Harris. In addition to Union League Boys & Girls Clubs, he has also served as a public trustee of the Illinois Insurance Exchange and was on the boards of Thresholds and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.

Payne hails from Des Moines, Iowa, and received a Bachelor of Arts from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He has a diploma of Management Studies from The University of Glasgow (Scotland) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa. He is also a graduate of The Pacific Coast Banking School (Seattle, WA). Payne and his family live in Evanston.

For over 100 years, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs have been serving youth in neighborhoods with the highest hardship index in Chicago; providing quality programming centered on academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. Today, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs serve over 15,000 youth members at 21 well-equipped and professionally staffed inner-city Clubs, that bring effective after-school programming to youth in the Humboldt Park, Pilsen, West Town, Bucktown, South Lawndale and Englewood communities as well as to youth in the Juvenile Detention Center and at an overnight camp in Kenosha County Wisconsin. For more information, please visit www.ulbgc.org.