Still Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Women in Nonprofit Leadership Today
Meet our Panelists:
Susan Abrams, CEO, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Susan was appointed CEO of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in April 2014, with over 20 years of nonprofit, museum, business building and financial management experience. She previously served as the COO for JCC Chicago where she oversaw the $34 million organization’s businesses, executed at over 30 Chicagoland locations. She also held leadership positions at Northwestern University and Chicago Children’s Museum, in addition to working as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and an analyst at Goldman Sachs. Ms. Abrams holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a BSE from the Wharton School and a BA from the College of Arts & Sciences at The University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of The New Success Rules for Women: 10 Surefire Strategies for Reaching Your Career Goals (Random House, 2000).
Evelyn Diaz, President, Heartland Alliance
As President of Heartland Alliance, Evelyn leads a global anti-poverty and human rights organization based in Chicago that provides a comprehensive array of services to nearly half a million people annually in the areas of healthcare, housing, human services and justice. She is responsible for directing domestic and global strategy and operations for Heartland Alliance’s five nonprofit corporate entities, with a combined budget of $120 million and 1,400 employees in 12 countries. Previously, Ms. Diaz was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to lead the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services where she was responsible for administering an annual budget of $330 million to deliver social service programs to over 300,000 Chicagoans in the areas of children, youth, homelessness, domestic violence, aging, workforce development and human services. Before joining Mayor Emanuel’s cabinet, Ms. Diaz was Deputy Chief of Staff to former Mayor Richard M. Daley, and was later appointed by Mayor Daley as Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Workforce Investment Council. She has also worked as a direct practitioner and received her graduate degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. Ms. Diaz was named Social Worker of the Year in 2014 by the National Association of Social Workers’ Illinois and Chicago chapters. She was a Chicago Council on Global Affairs Emerging Leader and serves on the governing boards of the National Skills Coalition, Rebuilding Exchange, Forefront, Thrive Chicago and Chicago Tech Academy.
Karyn Reif, AVP & COO of Alumni Relations and Development, Northwestern University
Karyn joined Northwestern University’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development in 2012 as Associate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. She is a member of the department’s senior management team and oversees strategies and programs for human, financial and technology resources; one of her primary charges was to build and oversee the department’s talent management program at the onset of the University’s $3.75 billion fundraising campaign. In 2015, Karyn’s portfolio expanded to include Alumni Engagement and Participation; she provides strategic leadership for the Northwestern Alumni Association, Reunions and Annual Giving teams. Karyn has over 25 years of experience in alumni relations and development as a front-line fundraiser, a manager of front-line staff and as a leader of administrative services and operations. Prior to joining Northwestern, Karyn served as Associate Vice President of Philanthropy for Rush University Medical Center where she was an integral member of the leadership team during Rush’s highly successful fundraising campaign that ended in 2012. Earlier in her career, Karyn was Director of Development at Rush, managing a team of development officers during Rush’s previous campaign; she also worked at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and for the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago. Karyn earned her BA from Grinnell College and MA from the University of Chicago.
Nicole Robinson, Vice President of Community Impact, Greater Chicago Food Depository
Nicole has spent her career building bridges between communities, individuals and corporations. Today Nicole proudly serves as VP of Community Impact for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. She leads the Food Depository’s partnerships with community organizations to address the root causes of hunger and provide nutritious food for people in need across Cook County. Prior to joining the Food Depository, Nicole served as head of the Mondelēz International Foundation funding community programs designed to promote good nutrition and healthy lifestyles. These award-winning programs spanned the globe, touching five continents, while reaching underserved and underrepresented neighborhoods. She has worked with the United Nations World Food Programme and a variety of multinational NGOs, including CARE, Save the Children and INMED Partnerships for Children. Nicole personally serves communities in a variety of ways and is currently completing an Emerging Leader Fellowship with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She is an alumnus of the Chicago Foundation for Women, Deborah’s Place and Forefront’s board of directors.
Caren Croland Yanis, Philanthropic Advisor, Croland Consulting
Caren has been advising high net worth families and institutions on best practices for meaningful giving for over twenty years. Caren served as President of Crown Family Philanthropies (CFP) for eight years as the first professional, non-family leader. While there, she managed organizational redesign and growth, engaged family members in philanthropic activities, planned and facilitated meetings and guided strategic initiatives in education, environment, human needs and global health. Prior to joining CFP, Caren spent nine years building and running Oprah Winfrey’s philanthropies including Oprah’s Angel Network (a public charity), the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation and the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. Outside of work, Caren enjoys facilitating meetings, speaking at universities and association meetings, mentoring and working with people who believe they can change the world. She has also served on a number of nonprofit boards, as a committee member, and is a Founding Director of Leading Edge, a group formed to build organizational strength in nonprofit agencies. Caren has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Emerson College and studied strategic leadership at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
