Advisory Board
The Chicago Conservation Center is proud to announce the founding of an Advisory Board in 2004. Advisory Board members hail from a diverse array of backgrounds and offer a wealth of different perspectives on the development of The Center.
Grace Barry
President, The Economic Club of Chicago
Grace Barry’s distinguished career of service uniquely combines senior management experience in business, civic, government and cultural organizations.
Ms. Barry is President of The Economic Club of Chicago. Founded in 1927, The Economic Club was and is about leadership, and is one of the nation’s most prestigious organizations of business and civic leaders. Ms. Barry has held this position with The Economic Club of Chicago since 1986, welcoming prominent guest speakers which include Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads of State, CEO’s of leading Fortune 500 companies, Cabinet members, Congressional members, and other world leaders to the Club’s platform.
Ms. Barry was an accomplished entrepreneur and business owner. In 1994, she co-founded Grabur International Inc., a retail gift and concession business. Grabur formed a partnership with W. H. Smith, a U.K. based multinational distributor of premium products serving travelers. Together they formed Chicago Air Ventures in 1996, which operated news, gifts, and bookstores at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. She sold her interest in Grabur in September 2003. She also successfully founded and served as President of Café Galleria Inc. from 1993 to 1996.
From 1989 to 1996, Ms. Barry served as a Commissioner on the Cable Commission of the City of Chicago. In that position, she drew on her experience as the former Director of Cablevision Systems in Chicago, a leading national cable television company. She established and directed the Chicago office from 1981 to 1985 when Cablevision moved from Chicago.
Ms. Barry has served as a consultant and advisor on economic development, public affairs, housing, human resources and education to The U.S. Departments of Labor, Housing & Urban Development; the Cities of New York, Buffalo and Chicago; The Carnegie Foundation; Fordham University; The Chicago Project; and to private housing developers in Boston and Upstate New York. Web site: www.econclubchi.org
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Norman R. Bobins
Chairman Emeritus, LaSalle Bank Corporation
Before acquiring his current position as Chairman Emeritus of the LaSalle Bank Corporation, Mr. Bobins held several senior executive positions with LaSalle Bank and the Exchange National Bank, including the office of President and CEO. Mr. Bobins is the former Chairman of the Board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of directors of several corporations, including CenterPoint Properties Trust, The New York Clearing House, Transco, Inc., and RREEF America REIT II, Inc. In addition, he is a member of the Banker’s Club of Chicago, serving most recently as president; The Financial Services Roundtable; and the Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago.
Active in numerous civic and charitable organizations, Mr. Bobins serves on the board of directors of the Terra Foundation for the Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago. He continues to serve as a member of the Board of Education of the City of Chicago. He is a member of the board of trustees of WTTW Communications, Inc., The Field Museum, the Illinois Business Roundtable and the University of Chicago Hospitals. In addition, he serves on The Council on the Graduate School of Business at The University of Chicago and is a member of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management Advisory Board.
His honors include the Distinguished Service Award of the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee Human Rights Medallion, the Midtown Educational Foundation Reach for Excellence Award, the DePaul University 1999 Business Leadership Award and the Boys & Girls Clubs 2002 Chairman's Award.
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Martin Z. Craig
CEO, CCI, Inc.
Martin Z. Craig is an entrepreneur, investor and Chief Executive Officer with successful operations, private equity, banking and merger and acquisitions experience. Over the last 25 years, he has pioneered, grown, and led business in the life sciences, services, technology, consumer and industrial sectors. His strategic vision and excellent communication, team building, operations and implementation skills have earned him various awards and honors.
Mr. Craig serves on the Boards of private and publicly held companies, and numerous professional and civic organizations, including: HHL Financial Services, Inc., a Welsh Carson Portfolio Company; ORI, a mutual fund company, Gore Bronson Banks, Argent Healthcare Financial Services, Inc., a GTCR Colder Rauner portfolio company; and RMG, Inc., a Pegasus Financial portfolio company, and other charitable and political directorships.
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Marshall Field, V
Chairman and CEO, The Old Mountain Company, Inc.
Marshall Field V has a long history of contribution to civic enrichment in the Chicago area. He is or has been a member and President of the Board of Trustees of the Art Institute, the Executive Committee of The Chicago Community Trust, the Terra Museum of American Art and the Field Foundation of Illinois. He is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Field Museum of Natural History, on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Public Library Foundation, an Honorary Director of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society and an Governing Member of the Board of Advisors of the Brookfield Zoo. Old Mountain is his private investment company but he also is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, a major real estate developer.
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Christiane Fischer
CEO, AXA Art Insurance Corporation.
Christiane Fischer was named Chief Executive Officer of AXA Art Insurance Corporation in January 2004 and also became President in June of 2006. Prior to that, Fischer served as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Communications of the company.
Before Joining AXA Art in January 2000, Fischer served as the General Manager of Corporate Information and Reporting at Daimler-Benz North America Corporation in New York.
Before relocating to the United States in 1989, Fischer had worked in the Finance Department of Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart. She started her professional career in the Customer Service Department of Bank of America in Frankfurt.
Fischer was born and raised in Germany. After receiving her Abitur, Fischer completed a program as Foreign Language Correspondent, with a focus on industry and commerce. In addition to her studies in Germany, Fischer studied economics and marketing at the New York University’s Department of Economics.
Fischer serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Noguchi Museum and on such Advisory Boards as The Chicago Conservation Center and the Appraisers Association of America.
Fischer lives in New York with her husband and their three daughters.
AXA Art is the only specialty fine art and collectibles insurance company in the world providing tailor-made coverage for private and corporate collections, museums and exhibitions as well as galleries. Web site: www.axa-art.com
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Robert Glick
Partner, Schwartz Cooper Greenberger Kraus (SCGK)
Prior to joining SCGK with a specialized practice in banking and corporate law, Mr. Glick was a trial attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He has taught business and real estate law at Michigan State University and federal income tax, transportation, insurance and general business law at Humboldt State College in California. Web site: www.schwartzcooper.com
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Marilyn Katz
CEO, Marilyn Katz Communications, Inc.
Marilyn Katz is the founder and president of MK Communications, Inc., a public relations firm which combines public policy goals with organizational strategies that bring public support and program realization. Ms. Katz founded MK Communications in 1982 combining public policy goals with organizational strategies that brought public support and program realization. She is the recipient of numerous awards for films and campaigns, and has received grants from both the Carol and Ping Ferry and Russell Sage Foundations for policy-related research projects. Ms. Katz is also the author of numerous articles and a book, The Glass House Tapes (Avon, 1973). She is a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and sits on a variety of boards and voluntary organizations. Web site: www.mkcpr.com
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William Lear
Managing Partner, Midwest Region, Focus Enterprises, Inc.
Focus Enterprises is a national investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition and corporate finance services to emerging growth and middle market companies. Mr. Lear has more than thirty years experience in corporate finance specializing in advising companies about how to better articulate their business strategy to the financial markets, identify sources of capital and structure and price private placement securities. He is responsible for the firm’s practice in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Web site: www.focusenterprises.com
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Valerie Smith
Vice President, DeWitt Stern Group
Valerie has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. She is a Vice President of DeWitt Stern Insurance, heads the Chicago Fine Art Practice, and is responsible for a diverse book of fine art clients including private and corporate art and jewelry collections, museum and university collections, art galleries and private dealers, and other fine art and wine related risks. Valerie also has experience as an International Property/Casualty Risk Management Broker, living in China for more than two years where she had responsibilities for a US/China joint venture manufacturing insurance program. Following insurance carrier underwriting experience, she was Vice President of a multi-line insurance brokerage for 10 years.
In addition to The Chicago Conservation Center, Valerie sits on the boards of the Chicago Symphony, the Sinfonietta, and the Chicago Artists Coalition, and is active in the cultural arts community. She is also a member of the American Association of Museums and the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Web site: www.dewittstern.com
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Diane Swonk
Senior Managing Director and Chief Economist, Mesirow Financial
Diane Swonk is a senior managing director and chief economist for Mesirow Financial, a diversified financial services firm based in Chicago. As one of the most sought-after economists in the world, Diane is called upon by policymakers and business leaders from Washington to Tokyo. Diane joined Mesirow Financial after 19 years with Bank One Corporation and its predecessors, most recently as director of economics/chief economist and senior vice president. During her tenure there, Diane designed the bank's regional model, published several nationally acclaimed studies, managed the Corporate Economics Group and published her first book: The Passionate Economist: Finding the Power and Humanity Behind the Numbers. In addition, she serves as a Clinical Professor for DePaul University's highly-rated evening MBA program.
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