Our Team

Delta Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization formed in 1998 that envisions a region in which all communities and landscapes thrive through an integrated approach to environmental, economic, and social challenges. Working with our partners, we identify opportunities for environmental solutions and design, test, and share solutions that yield social, environmental, and economic benefits for communities.

Delta is committed to full integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into all internal processes and structures for our board and staff, and external processes and structures for engaging with our partners, communities, stakeholders, and supporters. Learn more about our DEI commitment, DEI committee’s executive summary, and more by visiting the link below.

Mackenzie Manley Buchek

Specialist, Finance and Operations

Mélina Blanc

Lead, Nature-Based Climate Solutions

Mei F. Carter

Assistant, Development and Communications

Lucas Chamberlain

Associate, Programs

Kevin Dick, LEED AP O+M

Senior Advisor

Sidney (Sid) Freitag-Fey, CFRE

Senior Director, Development and Communications

Helen M. Hardy

Chief Financial Officer

Malcolm Mossman, AICP

Senior Specialist, Programs

Patrick T. Murphy

Senior Lead, Development and Communications

Jenny B. Par

Associate, Programs

Katherine Schultz

Senior Lead, Finance and Operations

Josh Zuckerman

Lead, Resilient Agriculture

Delta Institute’s governing Board of Directors provides oversight and management of Delta Institute. Board Directors serve up to two terms of three years each (for six years total) and participate in at least one of our three standing Committees: Development; Finance; and Governance and Nominating. Our Board adheres to best practices in nonprofit governance and signs an annual participation agreement outlining their roles and responsibilities to Delta Institute, as well as identifying any conflicts of interest that may impact their service.

Jaré Akchin

Vice President for Jewish Community Impact, Third Plateau

Karl Analo, J.D.

Counsel, Labor & Employment, Abbott Laboratories

ASHLEY BAKELMUN

Managing Director; RW Ventures, LLC

Jon Cheffings

Development Committee Co-Chair
EVP, Strategy, SCC&M

Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda

Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Jessie Deelo

Founder, Deelo Consulting Services

David Fording, CFA

Partner and Portfolio Manager – US All Cap Growth and US Equity Sustainability Strategies, William Blair

David Freed

Chief Information Officer, MSI Express, Inc.

Niharika Hanglem

Development Committee Co-Chair
Program Director, Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship at Illinois Institute of Technology

Allison Hannon Holly, MBA

Board Treasurer; Finance Committee Chair
Director of Strategy US East,Pattern Energy Group

Mike Harrington, LEED GA

Assistant Director at The Tishman Environment and Design Center, New School

Kevin Kalus

Market Executive – Illinois Middle Market, JPMorgan Chase

Ann McCabe

Commissioner, Illinois Commerce Commission

Vanessa Roanhorse

Board Vice Chair; Governance and Nominating Committee Chair
CEO, Roanhorse Consulting LLC

Sanjiv K. Sinha, PE, PHD

Board Chair
Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President, Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.

David South

Clean Energy/Sustainability Advisor, South Ventures, LLC

Lindsey Sullivan, JD

Board Secretary
Director – Legal Affairs and Financials Operations at 57 Stars, LLC

Ethelbert Williams

Head of eCommerce, US Customer Development, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health 

The Delta Emerging Leaders (DELs) serve as the official associate board of Delta Institute and advance Delta’s mission by expanding its network of supporters, donors, and partners through events and initiatives that engage new and diverse audiences. Every year, the DELs host a live, crowd-funding pitch competition called BOOST for sustainable start-up businesses that help make Chicago a thriving, environmentally conscientious city to live and work in.

LIZ ALEXANDER

DELs Co-Chair
Senior Consultant – Energy and Utilities, West Monroe Partners

NITESH BAJAJ

Asset Manager, Amp Americas

Chloe Bell

DELs Communications Committee Chair and DELs Liaison to the Development Committee
Law Student, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Law Clerk, U.S. EPA

Carol Brobeck, AICP

DELs Co-Chair
Senior Associate; Teska Associates, Inc.

Julia Buford

DELs Treasurer and DELs Liaison to the Finance Committee
Senior Financial Analyst, PFM

Maria Czerwonka

BOOST Event Co-Chair
ESG Solutions Architect

DIANA DE LA TORRE

Supervisor of Chicago Youth Service Corps, Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council

MADELINE DEMO

Green Soap Box Event Chair
NorthCentral In-Market Operations EHS Manager at PepsiCo
MEng student at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Cecile Dick-Calmes

Inbound Marketing Manager

Hunter Federle-McCabe

DELs Outreach Committee Chair and DELs Liaison to the Governance and Nomination Committee
Product Development Analyst, McMaster-Carr Supply Company

CLAIRE HOWARD, EIT

Partner Relations Associate, Arcadia

erin kenney

BOOST Event Co-Chair
Senior Associate, Mass Economics

Hyunjee Lee

Digital Marketing Account Manager, 3Q Digital

Kasia Machaj

DELs Secretary
Program Associate, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Ned McLean

Sustainability Analyst, ClimeCo

Zoe Morse

Professional Soccer Player, Chicago Red Stars

Conner Rettig

DELs Programming Committee Chair and DELs Liaison to the Development Committee
Vendor Manager, Illinois Solar for All

Peter Scruggs

Regional Sustainability Coordinator, Live Nation Entertainment

JEROME SMITH

Client Engagement Manager, Emissary

Grace Snider

Business Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

SARAH WALWEMA

Urban Planner at GRAEF

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