Board of Directors

MEET OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, & STAFF

Executive Officers

Hilary Ward
Role at CWIP
Secretary
Where She Works: 
McDonald's Corporation
What She Does:
Global Director, Community Impact & Philanthropy
Why Support Women & Girls? 
It's simple: I firmly believe that investing in women not only sustains communities but helps them thrive... and yields the greatest ROI.
Fun Fact: 
I am a HUGE fan of House music and always attend house music festivals throughout the city and a few in D.C.
Anya Maziak
Role at CWIP
Treasurer, Co-chair of the Annual Luncheon Committee
Where She Works: 
What She Does:
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Growing up surrounded by strong women in my big immigrant family, I learned early on that when you support a woman, you uplift not just her, but her entire community: all those who rely on her and all those who she in turn chooses to support. Investing in women and girls pays rich dividends for all, and the world would be transformed if each one of us had the means to reach our full potential.
Fun Fact: 
I am a Detroit-area transplant, and it took me about 15 years of living in Chicago before I stopped sharing that within the first five minutes of meeting someone new. I love reading fiction and am slowly getting back to that joy while raising two little ones with my spouse in Logan Square.
Jacki Davidoff
Role at CWIP
Past Board Co-Chair
Where She Works: 
Davidoff Mission-Driven Business Strategy
What She Does:
Principal and Senior Consultant
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I am invested in women and girls so I can give back. I am involved in CWIP because the organization reflects my values. I want to help women and girls grow and develop as leaders who see the gaps and inequities in our communities and the world and do something to address it. Women and girls lead in ways that are desperately needed in our world today. We must keep developing ourselves and our leadership so we can be more impactful, more willing to take risks, to step forward and follow our principles and our individual missions.
Fun Fact: 
(1) One of my favorite places to go in Chicago is the top floor of the Chicago Cultural Center and the Tiffany mosaic dome. (2) I speak fluent French and am actively gathering groups of women together to speak French. Send me an email if you want to come talk, listen, hang out with great women, or if you just want to eat croissants.
Diane Knoepke
Role at CWIP
Board Co-Chair, Co-chair of the Programs & Capacity Building Committee
Where She Works: 
Northwestern University MS in Learning and Organizational Change
What She Does:
Director of Program Engagement and Outreach
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I am committed to disrupting the status quo and building new ways of being in community that achieve real equity. As adrienne maree brown writes, "our smaller choices today will become our next norms." In CWIP, we make both small and big choices that shape the future for women and girls, and thus people of all genders, in and beyond Chicagoland.
Fun Fact: 
I am a devoted lover of books, and my love includes the (not always related) activities of reading, buying books, going to book talks and festivals, hanging out in libraries and independent bookstores, and trading book recommendations.
Margaret Jones
Role at CWIP
Board Co-Chair, Co-Chair of the Annual Luncheon Committee
Where She Works: 
Chicago Housing Authority
What She Does:
Program Officer - Chicago Housing Consulting Services (CHCS) an affiliate of Chicago Housing Authority
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Healthy, educated and empowered women and girls can further the changes needed to create empowered communities and, consequently, a more sustainable and peaceful future for all. “When women support each other, amazing things happen.” – Viola Davis
Fun Fact: 
Margaret enjoys traveling, cycling along lake shore drive and listening to all music genres.
Lindsey Moorman
Role at CWIP
Past Board Co-Chair
Where She Works: 
Feeding America
What She Does:
Director, Foundation Relations
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I believe deeply in CWIP's mission to build an inclusive community educating and empowering professional women to grow personally and professionally, speak up, and advocate boldly for themselves and their communities. We all have a role to play in leveraging our personal privilege, platforms, and resources to engage in this meaningful work and to empower each other at every opportunity.
Fun Fact: 
I'm a huge Pittsburgh sports fan!
Clare Butterfield
Role at CWIP
Past Board Co-Chair
Where She Works: 
Christopher Family Foundation
What She Does:
Executive Director
Why Support Women & Girls? 
At this point in my career, working with a lot of other women is one of my pleasures. Teaching girls to be fierce and fearless is the least we can do as we hand off responsibility for a troubled world to them. I think women are often less hesitant to bring their love for other humans into their work, and the world needs more of that.
Fun Fact: 
During my tenure at Faith in Place I helped to run a halal meat business. No one got hurt, but riotous complications ensued.

Directors & Staff

Jacki Davidoff
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Past Board Co-Chair, Programs Committee
Where She Works: 
Davidoff Mission-Driven Business Strategy
What She Does:
Principal and Senior Consultant
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I am invested in women and girls so I can give back. I am involved in CWIP because the organization reflects my values. I want to help women and girls grow and develop as leaders who see the gaps and inequities in our communities and the world and do something to address it. Women and girls lead in ways that are desperately needed in our world today. We must keep developing ourselves and our leadership so we can be more impactful, more willing to take risks, to step forward and follow our principles and our individual missions.
Fun Fact: 
(1) One of my favorite places to go in Chicago is the top floor of the Chicago Cultural Center and the Tiffany mosaic dome. (2) I speak fluent French and am actively gathering groups of women together to speak French. Send me an email if you want to come talk, listen, hang out with great women, or if you just want to eat croissants.
Monica Thorns
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, WLMP Committee, Membership Committee
Where She Works: 
Christopher Family Foundation
What She Does:
Grants Manager
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I’ve seen various iterations of this, but the intent is the same: “You educate a man, you educate a man. You educate a woman, you educate a generation.” Statistics have repeatedly shown that women-led institutions traditionally receive less financial support. When we support causes that champion girls, we’re not only showing them that we believe in them but also ensuring that they, too, will contribute to others—again proving the validity of the opening message.
Fun Fact: 
My favorite reading genre is true crime. I’ve always found the “nature-nurture” controversy interesting and why one turns right and the other left, despite a similar upbringing and experience. In another life I probably would be a profiler or forensics investigator since I like puzzles. I was a “Why?” kid growing up, which drove my mother crazy.
Tasasha Henderson
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the RESJ Committee
Where She Works: 
Grand Victoria Foundation
What She Does:
Special Assistant to President
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Supporting women and girls so that they experience freedom (freedom to exist as their amazing selves, freedom from violence and oppression), and have the resources to create healthy and empowered lives for themselves will result in thriving families and communities.
Fun Fact: 
I am a music nerd who loves collecting and listening to vinyl records, attending concerts, reading books and articles and talking about music.
Rachel Hanley
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Membership Committee, GIRLS Committee
Where She Works: 
PicDiversity, Inc.
What She Does:
CEO & Founder
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Fun Fact: 
Ashley Friend
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Communications Committee
Where She Works: 
Thierer Family Foundation & Vivery Idea Lab
What She Does:
External Relations Director
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Fun Fact: 
Angela McLaughlin
Role at CWIP
CWIP Administrator
Where She Works: 
Chicago Association Management
What She Does:
Association Manager at CAM, an association management company with over 30 years of experience.
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Fun Fact: 
Emma Walsh
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-chair of the GIRLS committee
Where She Works: 
American Academy of Pediatrics
What She Does:
Manager, Corporate Relations
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Over my life and career, I've met and created an amazing group of women and they've helped me get to where I am today. I think it's so important for girls and women to have a community of other girls and women to turn to for whatever life throws. I support women and girls in hope to create a network for someone else and be there for my fellow members not only in their career but their life as well.
Fun Fact: 
I really enjoy running and endurance events. I'm currently training for my second marathon which is at the end of September in Berlin, Germany.
Mary Hogue
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee
Where She Works: 
Boeing
What She Does:
Employee Community Engagement Lead
Why Support Women & Girls? 
We can’t make our world better without investing in women. I’ve always been inspired by the ways that women can influence, lead and empower communities. I've seen this directly through my own lived experiences, as the people that have challenged me the most in my life have been women. I’ve been so fortunate to have a collection of female mentors, family members and friends that have supported me as I’ve grown in my career, women that have pushed me to do better – to be better. As a mother to two young girls now, I want my daughters’ lives to also be filled with strong female role models that can show them the full spectrum of what’s possible for them, women who can help shape their futures the way so many women have shaped mine.
Fun Fact: 
I love a thrill and went bungy jumping at one of the world's first bungy sites (nearly 450 ft!) in Queenstown, NZ!
Tawa Mitchell
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Past Board Co-Chair
Where She Works: 
MacArthur Foundation
What She Does:
Senior Program Officer, Chicago Commitment
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Why Support Women & Girls? Since the beginning of time, women have helped to shape our world and, oftentimes, have changed the course of history as we know it. My personal inspirations range from Queen Hatshepsut, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Sophia Packard, Harriet Giles, and Ethel Hedgeman Lyle to Ethel Reid - my great-grandmother who migrated to Ohio to flee the persecution she faced in the Jim Crow South and Ifé Carruthers - my mother, a retired educator and historian. I believe in supporting women and girls to honor the amazing SHEroes that came before me and to help cultivate the next generation committed to making their mark on the world and leaving it better than how they found it.
Fun Fact: 
I believe that Prince is the greatest artist of all time. Period. I had the privilege of seeing him live, in concert, over ten times - including all three nights of the Welcome 2 Chicago tour in 2012 and once in Madrid, Spain.
Cheryl Collins
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the GIRLS Committee
Where She Works: 
Holy Family Ministries
What She Does:
Chief Executive Officer
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I believe that women have great power and influence to change a world greatly in need of being changed. We can bring to families, communities, organizations and political arenas our generative nature and our collaborative and inclusive lens of leadership. As women, we should be influencing girls to become leaders as well.
Fun Fact: 
I love all types of music and enjoy dancing. I would one day like to study dance and enter a contest!
Gwendolyn McNutt
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Girls Igniting Real Leadership & Service (GIRLS) Committee
Where She Works: 
Comcast, Greater Chicago Region
What She Does:
Regional External Affairs Manager
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I am inspired by women who have become successful, but still make time to share their gifts and positive outlook on others. I want to be one of those women and continue to make time to give back and take time to inspire women and girls of the future.
Fun Fact: 
I have loved superheroes ever since I was young. I still love them, and enjoy watching superheroes genre movies.
Sarah Borgeson
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Past Board Co-Chair
Where She Works: 
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
What She Does:
Senior Director, Institutional Giving and Principal Gifts
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Investing in women and girls, at all stages of their lives, will cultivate more vibrant communities in which to live, work and play.
Fun Fact: 
Sarah loves exploring new places near and far, reading, running and kettlebells.
Anya Maziak
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-chair of the Annual Luncheon Committee
Where She Works: 
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation
What She Does:
Director, Foundation Giving
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Growing up surrounded by strong women in my big immigrant family, I learned early on that when you support a woman, you uplift not just her, but her entire community: all those who rely on her and all those who she in turn chooses to support. Investing in women and girls pays rich dividends for all, and the world would be transformed if each one of us had the means to reach our full potential.
Fun Fact: 
I am a Detroit-area transplant, and it took me about 15 years of living in Chicago before I stopped sharing that within the first five minutes of meeting someone new. I love reading fiction and am slowly getting back to that joy while raising two little ones with my spouse in Logan Square.
Jennifer Litvak Beller
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-chair of the Programs Committee
Where She Works: 
The Boeing Company
What She Does:
Analyst
Why Support Women & Girls? 
Fun Fact: 
Morgan Benson
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee, RESJ Committee
Where She Works: 
University of Illinois at Chicago
What She Does:
Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations
Why Support Women & Girls? 
When we invest in, support and trust women, we all benefit. Women and girls are so powerful, but too often and for far too long that power has been feared, demonized, and suppressed. I feel passionately that removing the barriers to opportunity and raising up the voices of women and girls from all walks of life and all marginalized groups is essential to creating real equity - in our sector, and in our society as a whole.
Fun Fact: 
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY to parents who were both classical musicians and peace activists. A love of opera and commitment to social hustle are still big parts of me today, and I now share those passions with my children, who my husband and I are raising in Oak Park.
Donna Jacobson
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors
Where She Works: 
Resilience
What She Does:
Executive Director
Why Support Women & Girls? 
The most effective way to promote equity and justice is to champion women. When women unite and focus on our shared challenges and strengths, we make the world a better and safer place. When women are empowered, everyone benefits.
Fun Fact: 
I suffer from chronic wanderlust and have visited over 25 countries. When I’m not exploring, you can find me at home crafting, reading, and making to-do lists. I am a fourth-generation Chicagoan, a certified yoga instructor, and have co-led a book club in Lincoln Square for over eleven years.
Rachel Baird
Role at CWIP
Member of the Board of Directors, GIRLS Committee, Communications Committee
Where She Works: 
VNA Foundation
What She Does:
Program Officer
Why Support Women & Girls? 
I love this quote from Serena Williams: "Every woman's success should be an inspiration to another, we're strongest when we cheer each other on." I've been very fortunate in my life to be surrounded by supportive women who helped me become who I am today. I am excited to pay it forward and I love that CWIP provides women the opportunity to support and empower other women. While women and girls have come a long way, we still don't feel welcome and empowered in every room; and the only way we can get there is by working together.
Fun Fact: 
I am a Chicago-transplant and was born and raised in Houston. Besides mentioning it as a "fun fact" the only giveaway is that a "ya'll" occasionally slips out.

Committee Co-Chairs

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