Career Mentors (EIR)

Airies Davis, EdD, is an educational thought leader with more than 10 years of experience in workforce development, diversity and inclusion, talent management, motivational coaching, and more.

Professional Experience

• Founder of WorkforcEQi, a consultancy firm merging workforce development with emotional intelligence
• Senior Customer/Technical Trainer at Monster
• Assistant Vice President Corporate Recruiting at Merrill Lynch
• Senior Diversity Recruiting Director at Hudson Highland Group
• Experienced Hire Recruiter at Deloitte

Education

• Ed.D, University of Southern California
• MBA, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
• BA, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Alyse Lasser is the founder and president of Insight Executive Search Partners, Inc., an executive search firm. She is active in the legal and professional community, is a frequent speaker on panels, and regularly consults with clients on career issues.

Professional Experience

• President at Insight Executive Search Partners, Inc.
• Senior Vice President at Kensington International
• Assistant General Counsel at Waste Management, Inc.

Education

• JD, Northwestern University
• BA, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Brandon Alston is a Sociologist who has conducted research projects on legal inequalities, public health disparities, race, gender, and violence. His research has received awards from national and regional professional associations, including the American Sociological Association and the Midwest Sociological Society. Brandon has also implemented social interventions on mental health and gun violence in low-income communities in the United States and international and evolving environments. Brandon is also a business professional with professional experience in marketing and human resources.

Education:
PhD, Northwestern University
MA, Northwestern University
MSM, Wake Forest University
BA, Haverford College

David is an experienced R&D and innovation thought leader with a passion for building and leading exceptional teams that deliver business growth through the identification and delivery of exceptional customer experiences.

Professional Experience

• Advisor, AquaCultured Foods
• Global Innovation Director, Mars/KIND
• Director of Global Design, Mars/Wrigley
• Adjunct Professor, IIT, Institute of Design
• VP of Engineering, HLB

Education

• BSEE, Rutgers University

Jennifer Campe is a retired HR executive with an extensive career in strategic talent management. With 30+ years of experience, her areas of expertise include organizational performance, talent development, executive coaching and succession planning. She has served on boards including Loyola Quinlan School of Business, the Goodman Theatre and Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.Professional.

Experience

• CHRO at Wintrust Financial Corporation
• CHRO at Career Education Corporation
• Director Organizational Effectiveness at TransUnion LLC
• Sr. HR Manager at 3Com/US Robotics

Education

• MS, Loyola University
• BA, Loyola University

Mauricio Gonzalez-Sfeir is an experienced advancement and business professional with experience in international business, fundraising and development, growth strategy, and diversity and inclusion. He serves as a board member of several organizations, including the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). He has a special passion for the sports business, having owned and led professional soccer clubs.

Professional Experience

• Founder and CEO, Illinois Latin America LLC
• Special Advisor to the Dean, Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois
• President and General Manager Education, Hydrocarbon Exploration LTD

Education

• PhD, Universidad Mayor De San Andrés (Expected 2022)
• MBA, Harvard University
• BA, Yale University

As an immigrant Social Worker, a great passion of Maria Herrera’s is inspiring, healing, and guiding new generations. For Maria, education is the most valuable tool for social inclusion, eliciting change and leading to a healthy self within an evolving and often unreceptive society.

There is no more extraordinary gift in life than that of being seen and valued (Herrera, 2021).

Professional Experience:

• Expert in Residence and Adjunct Professor at DU
• Social Worker at IDOC
• Caseworker, Investigator, and Foster Care Licensing at IDCFS
• Customer Service Representative at IDHS.

Education:

• MSW at AU and DSW at AU
• BA (Sociology/Anthropology/Criminal Justice minor) at UIS
• AA (Foreign Language) at LLCC in Springfield

Mike Kiyosaki is a global executive with an extensive career of leading organizations, capturing market opportunities, and building passionate, high-caliber teams. He has been the board director of several corporations in multiple countries.

Professional Experience

• Executive Vice President at TransUnion LLC
• Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Terraspring Inc.
• Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at e2 Communications
• Vice President at IBM Corporation

Education

• MBA, University of Maryland
• BS, University of Maryland

Michael Stec is a Director at a Fortune 20 insurance company specializing in predictive analytics. He works with one of the largest Data Science teams in the nation focused on predicting, preventing and managing adverse health conditions. He has over 35 years’ experience in health care, health insurance, actuarial studies, programming and machine learning / artificial intelligence. Michael also is an adjunct instructor at Dominican and teaches career development and MBA courses.

Patrice has more than twenty years experience as an attorney, nonprofit executive, public servant, and community strategist. She started her career in South Africa in the 90’s working on apartheid reconciliation and reparations projects with the Human Rights Committee of South Africa and the South African Land Claims Court. Since that time and over many roles in the private, nonprofit, and government sector, she has worked to support ideas, concepts, projects, and people rooted in truth, justice, and expanded consciousness.

Patricia Lau has 30 years of leadership experience in academic medical centers, community-based projects, and working within the library and information science industry. She has directed major public health projects, and served as a consultant at the city, state, and national levels to address the needs of our society’s most vulnerable diverse populations. She earned a master’s degree in Public Administration, with a concentration in Human Resources.

Education
San Diego State University
Master of Art, Public Administration

University of California, San Diego
Bachelor of Art, Urban Studies and Planning

Relevant Work Experience

• Stanford University, School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
Pediatric Advocacy

• Indiana University, School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence

• Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods

• Rush University, Chicago, IL
College of Nursing

Bill Rogalla is a nationally recognized real estate investor and developer across multiple property sectors. Over his 30-year career, he has held C-Suite level positions for U.S. and European-based organizations where he has played an integral role in the successful geographic and investment expansion via strategy development, target market identification, team building and transaction execution. He has served on corporate, civic and educational boards, including Dominican University’s Board of Trustees.

Professional Experience

• Chief Investment Officer, Murphy Real Estate Services
• Executive VP Commercial and Mixed Use Development, McWhinney Real Estate
• President, Chief Investment Officer, Zeller Realty
• SVP, Director of Central Region Investments, KBS Realty Advisors
• Head of U.S. Development and Investment, Slough Estates Plc

Education

• MST (MS in Taxation), DePaul University
• BS, DePaul University