Barbara Ford
BOARD CHAIR
Barbara was named Board Chair in 2018. She is a Partner at Phoenix Strategic Advisors LLC, a marketing strategy consultancy that helps businesses accelerate profitable growth through an insight-driven understanding of consumers/customers, brands, and category dynamics.
With experience leading Marketing Services for SC Johnson & Son, serving as the VP of Global Advertising Resources for Kraft Foods, working in a senior leadership role at global ad agency DDB, and teaching as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Barbara brings depth and breadth to addressing business challenges.
Barbara serves on the Advisory Board of Gold Eagle Company, a leader in the auto aftermarket industry, on the Marketing Committee for Lurie Children’s, and as Co-Chair for the Leadership Council of Civic Consulting Alliance.
Barbara has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago and a BA from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she served on the Board of Trustees for nine years.
Jane Mentzinger
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Since 2001, Jane has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CIS of Chicago, guiding the organization in developing strategies and tactics to create sustainable partnerships with schools and community organizations.
She is responsible for raising and managing our annual budget, as well as managing the CIS team of professionals who build relationships with Chicago Public Schools and community organizations, both key partners for our organization. Jane also works with the Board of Directors to develop and implement long-range organizational goals and fundraising strategies.
Overall, Jane sets our organizational vision for identifying, connecting, and sustaining high-quality and much-needed services in schools to create better futures for Chicago’s public-school students.
Jane has a strong background in non-profit management, previously serving as Senior Vice President at Common Cause, a DC-based national citizens lobbying organization. She is a graduate of Princeton University.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTACT | COMPANY |
|---|---|
| Craig A. Bondy | GTCR |
| Mark Brady | William Blair & Company, LLC |
| Michelle Brown | United Airlines |
| Jodi J. Caro | Ulta Beauty |
| Robert P. Conlon | Walker Wilcox Matousek, LLP |
| Barbara M. Ford | Board Chairman | FordPartners, LLC |
| Brian W. Good | THL Credit |
| John M. Greening | Northwestern University |
| Jonathan Guryan | Northwestern University |
| Ryan D. Harris | Kirkland & Ellis LLP |
| Torrence L. Hinton | Peoples Gas |
| Alain LeCoque | Colliers International |
| Bradley H. Meyers | Board Treasurer | GCM Grosvenor |
| Brian Moncrief | Board Secretary | Ares Credit Group |
| Scott Pasquini | Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC |
| Valli Perera | Deloitte |
| Matthew E. Steinmetz | Kirkland & Ellis LLP |
| Jim Welch | Board Vice Chairman | Nexgen Packaging, LLC |
| Kareem K.W.O.E. Wells | Flow Entertainment, Inc. |
| Alicia West | Altria |
53 percent of students at CIS of Chicago partner schools scored proficiently in math during Year Two of the study, compared to only 47.3 percent of students in non-CIS of Chicago schools.