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.

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.

 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.

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.

Hugh is semi-retired after 30 years in training and education. He founded October Interactive,
a pioneer in interactive learning systems, in Washington DC. He also worked with a number of
e-learning companies in design, development, and management. He has a Masters degree and received doctoral candidacy in education from Indiana University. Prior to that he was a stockbroker and financial advisor. He was a professional musician as a singer and guitarist in a nine-piece blues/rock band – Blue Hugh and the Colourtones – which was on the road for several years. As a multi-instrumentalist, he composed and recorded soundtracks for over 60 documentary and educational films, and continues to do multitrack recording as a hobby.

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.

Dr. Marilyn Pearson is a board-certified internist and medical oncologist who is now a primary
care provider and she has dedicated her career to caring for adults with compassion and
respect. She earned her medical degree from Boston University, completed her internal
medicine residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, and went on to
a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the University of Chicago. Before joining Northwestern Medical Group in 2015, Dr. Pearson practiced at Weiss Memorial Hospital, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and Marine Drive Medical Group, and taught as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. Alongside her medical practice, she has been active with the Wright Foundation for the
Realization of Human Potential, coaching and leading programs focused on personal growth
and leadership. She believes in building lasting relationships with her patients and helping
them live healthier, more fulfilling lives. Marilyn is also a die-hard Sox fan – she changed the color of her socks after being in Chicago for 25 years.

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.