Board of Directors

High Jump’s Board of Directors is a diverse group dedicated to expanding the accessibility of our academic enrichment program to talented and motivated middle school students with limited family income.

Chair:

CINDY O’CONNOR

Chair Elect:

LENA JESSEN

Immediate Past Chair:

KATIE BARBER

Vice President:

NICK SHIELDS, Cohort 6
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Office of the President, Cook County

Treasurer:

GEORGY ANN PELUCHIWSKI
Partner
Greenwich Leadership Partners

Secretary:

SONYA MALUNDA 
President
Associated Colleges of the Midwest

Directors

JOHN AKALAONU, Cohort 4
Vice President, Customer Onboarding
Toast

SONIA ANTOLEC, Cohort 7
Judge, Illinois Court of Claims
General Counsel, The 1937 Group

OMID BAÑUELOS, Cohort 10
Corporate Counsel
Amazon.com Inc.

DAVID CHAZEN
Managing Director
Chazen Capital Partners

GINA CHEN, Cohort 13
Mergers and Acquisitions Associate
Mayer Brown

SARAH COBB

SARAH COGSWELL
Senior Vice President
Jones Lang LaSalle

VINCENT COZZI
Chief Operating Officer
NexCore Group

KAREN DUNCAN

MARY FIFIELD

TIM FRIEDMAN
Principal
Heracles LLC

WILKINGSON GERMAIN
Managing Partner
MCB Science + Health

ARLA GOMBERG

PAM GORDON

SHELLEY GREENWOOD

MARIANA INGERSOLL

KRISSAN JENNINGS

ERIK KING
Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

KAREN KREHBIEL
Masters Student/Psychotherapy Intern

SOPHIA LADOUCEUR
Vice President, Corporate Finance
Ventas, Inc.

KERRIE MALONEY LAYTIN

JOHN G. LEVI
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

DENEESE WALIA LEVIN
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis

KIM LYNCH
General Counsel
West Monroe Partners

NICOLE MANN

THOMAS MEYERS
SVP, Senior Director of Investments and Strategy Development
Franklin Templeton

ANNA MEYTINA-LURYE

DARA MILNER
Educational Consultant

PHILIP NEVELS, Cohort 5
Director of Corporate Strategy
AES

HEIDI ORTOLAZA-ALVEAR, Cohort 10
Vice President of Strategy and Business Development
Esperanza Health Centers

ABBY PHELPS
Owner
Club Pilates

JANET RAUSCHENBERGER

SCOTT B. ROSE
Investment Manager
Rose Investors, LLC

STEPHANIE ROSS
Assistant Clinical Professor
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

DIANE SALTOUN
Executive Inspector General
Office of the Illinois Attorney General

ERRETT VAN NICE
Managing Director
UBS Private Wealth Management

RAMON VILLALPANDO, Cohort 5

Directors Emeriti

Diana Aixalá

Richard J. Almeida

Bill Barker

Sally Carton

Paula H. Crown

Charles S. Gofen

Langdon D. Neal

Annmarie Neumeier

Eleanor Nicholson

Richard Rothkopf

Todd A. Smith

Tina Wardrop