Board of Directors

David is currently President of Fremont St. Associates, a consulting firm specializing in the development of innovation spaces for tech start-ups. As Executive Director of America’s Urban Campus, David oversees the operations of a consortium of 22 of Chicago’s universities and colleges, whose mission is to promote Chicago as a global destination for higher education. From 1995 to 2016 David served as Vice President for External Affairs, Illinois Institute of Technology He was responsible for the University’s governmental relations, marketing and communications, and trustee relations. He managed all university strategic plans from 1993 through 2009. He also founded University Technology Park at IIT, to support start-ups and growth companies in life sciences and energy technologies.

Judith, a native Chicagoan, is a strong and passionate leader with an impressive combination of private and non-profit experience, specializing in building and stewarding successful start-up organizations. Most recently, she served as the founding Executive Director of Illinois Partners for Human Service. She became a powerful and trusted voice within the human service sector in Illinois and lent her expertise to numerous state government councils, commissions and work groups. Previously, she led international sales and marketing teams within the IT industry. To support her steadfast commitment to social justice, Judith was trained by the Industrial Areas Foundation in organizing and advocacy. She currently volunteers for the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, Menttium Corporation, SketchPad, Chicago Grand Neighbors Association and others.

 Liz is an occupational therapist and founder of OT-Liz PLLC. She sees older adults, primarily in their homes where she specializes in dementia and caregiver support. Liz has served on the Board for the Allen Cognitive Network since 2011, currently holding the position of treasurer and also serves on the Friends of Lincoln, the 501c3 that supports Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. Liz was the Village Chicago’s first intern in 2009 and has since had many roles including member of the Health and Wellness Committee; part of the internal team that created the framework for the Brain Health/Memory Loss program; and founding Whip of the Bridging Generations Board. 

Born and raised in the Old Town Triangle, Chicago. Husband of Victoria, father of TC, Teddy, and Katherine, Property Manager, walker of Cosmo and petter of Grey and White kitties. Son of Salli (Tom’s late mother, Salli, was one of the first members of the Village). Still learning.

Joan Goldstein holds degrees from Washington University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She was a professional fundraiser for more than 30 years for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, National Safety Council and Museum of Science and Industry and most recently was a senior consultant with the national fundraising consulting firm, Campbell & Company. In retirement, Joan has volunteered with the Glessner House, Field Museum, and the Old Town Art Fair. At The Village Chicago, Joan is chair of the Fund Development Committee and has served two previous terms on the Village Board’s Executive Committee, one as Secretary. Joan is a native of Nashville, TN, has lived in Chicago for nearly 50 years, and winters in Boca Raton, FL.

Kathleen Kolodgy is a partner at Maloney McHugh and Kolodgy, Ltd. For more than 25 years, she has regularly represented medical staffs in fair hearings, and represented integrated health systems, physicians, hospitals, and other providers and payers in matters involving regulatory compliance, medical staff issues, contracting, dispute resolution and litigation. She has worked with several nonprofit entities as a board member and consultant and currently serves on the board of The Retirement Research Foundation in Chicago. Kathleen and her husband Bob moved to Lincoln Park from Toledo, Ohio eight years ago. They have three grown children and two adorable granddaughters.

Formerly an award-winning scriptwriter and video producer, Karen redirected her career midlife to coaching and teaching. She is currently a lecturer in the School of Education & Social Policy at Northwestern University and a Coach Educator in Northwestern’s Executive Learning & Organizational Change (ELOC) program. She’s also a life coach with the Wright Foundation and adjunct faculty at Wright Graduate University. Karen is a graduate of the University of Michigan; she also has a master’s degree in Radio-TV-Film from Northwestern. She received a second master’s degree and her doctorate in Transformational Leadership and Coaching at Wright Graduate University.

Don is a native Chicagoan with a deep commitment to social justice. Don spent his professional career in higher education administration/student affairs at the University of Illinois,Governors State University, Joliet Junior College, and IIT. He is a founding member and past president of the Association of Campus Activities Administrators. Don provided serial long-term care for his two parents while raising two sons as a single custodial parent and now has six beautiful grandchildren. Don is a member of the first “out” generation of LGBT+ seniors and finds solidarity in the commitment of the Village to active aging and diversity.

Jacie Brandes is an award-winning business leader with over 20 years of experience building teams and developing strategies to drive sales and revenue growth in complex media environments. Most recently, Jacie was SVP of Business Development at Revolution, a Chicago-based sports marketing agency, focused on partnership strategy and revenue diversification. Prior to that she was at Penske Media where she was a member of the executive leadership team. She also led the launch of a proprietary analytical platform bringing together online and offline data enhancing targeting capabilities. She has also held several leadership positions at Time Inc, Meredith Corporation and DDB Omnicom. Jacie holds a BA degree in Communications from the University of Illinois and has completed a Digital Marketing Certificate Program at The George Washington School of Business. She is a member of CHIEF, a private network supporting female executives. She loves all things windy-city- sports, lake, food, architecture. She has one daughter Grace, a sophomore at the University of Illinois and an adored cavapoo, Hazel.

Stefanie Clark graduated from Seattle University with a degree in Commercial Science. She worked in accounting at Arthur Anderson before launching her own business as a corporate problem solver, catering to clients from around the world. After joining the Village in 2017 Stefanie has been very active in the LGBTQ+ community and has introduced many new friends to the organization. In her free time, she enjoys music, walking, social events, and fashion modeling.

Tom is the Vice President & Branch Manager at Wintrust Bank – Old Town. He has been with Wintrust for about eight years and previously worked at JPMorgan Chase for 15 years. Originally, he is from a small town in Iowa–Dyersville, “Home of the Field of Dreams.” Tom completed his BA at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He lived in Chicago for about 20 years and currently resides in Evanston. He is an involved member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce Illinois and Ambassador for the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce. He is excited to get more involved with The Village Chicago.

Lois has been involved with the Village since its inception in 2008. Before rejoining the Board in 2019, she served two terms and was instrumental in developing the Program Committee. She enjoys entertaining in her home with husband Rick, including the Annual Barbecue. During her career, Lois held management positions at Jays Potato Chips, Procter & Gamble, and International Paper Company. She now enjoys travel, theater, music, food, meditation, gardening, reading, and movies

Vamse Kumar was introduced to The Village Chicago through Board Lead, a national organization that selected the Village through a rigorous competition to participate in their board diversity program. Vamse Kumar currently manages a team of Data Scientists and Engineers as a part of Emerging Tech – an AI team at world-renowned consulting firm PwC (formerly PriceWaterhouse Coopers). He has built several AI enabled wellness tools, including an advanced Retirement Planning Simulator which has become a part of the Financial Wellness program at PwC and is also used by many major banks. Vamse Kumar has a master’s degree from W.P Carey School of Business (ASU) where he was also a Student Ambassador. Vamse Kumar lives in Lincoln Park with his wife Sivamalini.

Carlos Terrazas is the Disability Inclusion Manager for McDonald’s Corporation. His strong background in strategic planning, problem solving, and implementation–coupled with his convivial personality, makes him a powerful force in developing inclusive experiences for disabled people. Carlos is a member of many of Chicago’s disability focused organizations, including Disability: In Chicagoland. He also was a 2022 Fellow at Disability Lead, a leading local organization. Carlos lives in the Fulton Market area and in his spare time, he enjoys reading, dining out, and exploring Chicago.

Mel has been a member of the Village since it was founded. For the last 20+ of his working life he was a partner in the law firm Sidley & Austin. Prior to his law career, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and taught at various colleges in the Midwest. Mel previously served on the board and various committees. He hosts member pastime groups including the ever-popular Saturday at the Movies. His hobbies include books (history and fiction), movies, live theater, and discussion groups.