The Harris Council is the lead advisory group to the Dean and school administrators and is comprised of accomplished professionals with substantial experience in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. The Council's contributions range from providing advice and financial support to interacting with students and connecting the work of Harris Public Policy to the world. Harris Council Members Read below or click on their names to learn more about the Council members. The Council includes: Chair: Hilarie Koplow-McAdams Hussam Abu IssaJay BartlettWei CaiPhilip B. ClementMarilyn R. DiamondThomas DunnDavid Garcia-JuncoJohn S. Gates Jr.Lina Haddad KreidieM. Hill HammockKing HarrisJoan W. HarrisFay Hartog-LevinDavid JacobsonKhalid JanahiDennis KellerRonald LandesChristine Lefkarites WhiteDaniel LevinFabio Malina LossoScott MardenJeffrey C. NealGeorge A. Ranney Jr.Diana RaunerNeeraj SahaiSmita ShahDavid Bolling WellsPaula Wolff Hussam Abu IssaHussam Abu Issa Vice Chairman and COO Salam International Mr. Abu Issa is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for Salam International, and Board Member of Salam Bounian. Salam International owns and manages over 32 business units in various lines: Contracting, Construction & Development, Heavy Industries & Energy, Technology, and Luxury & Hospitality. , the company's operations extend to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Read Hussam Abdulsalam Abu Issa's full profile here. Jump to top Jay BartlettJay Bartlett, MSESP '08 Senior Research Associate Resources of the Future Jay Bartlett is a Senior Research Associate at Resources for the Future, an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC focused on environmental, natural resources, and energy economics. His recent work has been on renewables finance and risk, wholesale power market design, and policies for hydrogen and carbon capture technologies. Jump to top Wei CaiWei Cai, AM/MBA'95 Partner FountainVest Partners Wei Cai is a partner at FountainVest Partners, one of the largest private equity funds dedicated to the China market with $4.5 billion currently under management. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Asia Investment Banking with UBS. Before this, Wei was a Managing director with Morgan Stanley in its investment banking division. Jump to top Philip B. ClementPhilip B. Clement, AM/MBA'93 Global Chief Marketing Officer Johnson Controls Philip B. Clement is the Global CMO of Johnson Controls, the worlds largest company focused on smart buildings. A member of JCI’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT), he also runs the firm’s advanced technology partnerships with a focus on innovation and solutions using emerging technologies. Prior to this he was the global chief marketing and communications officer for Aon Corp. He also serves as an active investor, board member and advisor. Read Philip Clement's full profile here. Jump to top Marilyn R. DiamondMarilyn R. Diamond Honorary Consul General for Morocco in Illinois Marilyn R. Diamond is the Honorary Consul General for Morocco in Illinois. She is also on the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. Jump to top Thomas DunnThomas Dunn Founding Partner of New Holland Capital Thomas Dunn is a founding partner and former CEO of New Holland Capital. Tom spent the early part of his career at Goldman Sachs Asset Management before moving to Lazard to lead their fixed income asset management division. Starting 2002, he helped build the hedge fund program at ABP, an outgrowth of the Dutch civil servants’ pension fund. This endeavor evolved into New Holland Capital a few years later. Tom has served on the Urban Labs Advisory Council since 2016 and the College Dean’s Parent and Family Council (2007-2013). Tom received his AB in English literature (1981) and an MBA (1986) from the University of Chicago. Jump to top David Garcia-JuncoDavid Garcia-Junco, AM'95 Chief Financial Officer for Science and Technology David Garcia Junco Machado is the Chief Financial Officer for the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico. Prior to that, he served as head of the National Commissioner for Social Health protection. Jump to top James S. Gates Jr.John S. Gates Jr. Chairman and CEO PortaeCo, LLC John S. Gates, Jr. is the chairman and CEO of PortaeCo, a private investment company. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees all forms of public transit in the Chicago metro region. Read John Gate's full profile here. Jump to top Lina Haddad KreidieLina Haddad Kreidie Lecturer American University of Beirut Lina Haddad Kreidie served as the Jerome and Hazel Tobis Chair at the University of California, Irvine, at the Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality. She is currently lecturing at the American University of Beirut on Political Science, Public Policy, Middle East Politics and Psychology of Conflict, and she also serves as a public policy consultant. Read Lina Kreidie's full profile here. Jump to top M. Hill HammockM. Hill Hammock, MBA'70 Chair Board of Cook County Health & Hospital System M. Hill Hammock currently serves as Chair of the Board of Cook County Health & Hospital System, the primary safety net health care institution in Chicago. He is the former Vice Chairman of LaSalle Bank Corporation, where he was the Chief Operating Officer. After banking, Hill served as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Chicago Public Schools. Jump to top King HarrisKing Harris Chairman Harris Holdings, Inc. King Harris is the Chairman of Harris Holdings and a Senior Fellow and Board Member of the Metropolitan Planning Council. He is also a Emeriti Trustee of the University of Chicago. Jump to top Joan W. HarrisJoan W. Harris Chairman Irving Harris Foundation Mrs. Harris is the Chairman of the Irving Harris Foundation. She served on the President's Commission for the National Endowment for the Arts. She currently serves as Trustee for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Julliard School and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. In recognition of her leadership and contribution to the arts in Chicago and across the United States, in July 2014, she was awarded a National Medal of Arts from President Obama. Jump to top Fay Hartog-LevinFay Hartog-Levin Distinguished Fellow Chicago Council on Global Affairs Fay Hartog-Levin is a distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. From 2009-2011 she was the 65th Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of External Affairs at the Field Museum. Read Fay Hartog-Levin's full profile here. Jump to top David JacobsonDavid Jacobson Vice Chairman BMO Financial Group David Jacobson became Vice-Chair of BMO Financial Group in 2013. Prior to that, he served as Special Assistant to President Obama and U.S. Ambassador to Canada, as Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, and was a corporate lawyer before his White House appointment. Read David Jacobson's full profile here. Jump to top Khalid JanahiKhalid Janahi Group Chief Executive Dar Al-Maal Al Islami (DMI) Khalid Janahi is currently the Group Chief Executive of Dar Al-Maal Al Islami and sits on the board of the Trust’s subsidiaries and associates. Prior to that, he was Partner at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Janahi has more than 30 years of experience in advisory services and international banking. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Jump to top Dennis KellerDennis Keller, MBA'68 Co-Founder and Retired Chairman and CEO DeVry, Inc. Dennis J. Keller is Co-Founder and Retired Chairman and CEO of DeVry Education Group, and currently serves as Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor. DeVry Education Group Inc., is a global provider of educational services. Dennis Keller serves as Vice Chairman of University of Chicago, Chairman of Mpala Wildlife Foundation and is a Member of the National Board of the Smithsonian Institution. Read Dennis Keller's full profile here. Jump to top Hilarie Koplow-McAdamsHilarie Koplow-McAdams, AM'87 Venture Partner NEA An enterprise software veteran, Hilarie spent the last three decades at growth-stage technology companies in operating and board roles. Most recently, Hilarie was President at New Relic, responsible for New Relic’s growth strategies as well as leading global sales, marketing, customer success, support, and business development. Prior to New Relic, Hilarie was at Salesforce, where she led the company’s worldwide sales teams and focused on growing the business globally. Hilarie joined Salesforce from Intuit where she was vice president of direct sales for small business and a member of the executive committee. Read Hilarie Koplow-McAdams' full profile here. Jump to top Christine Lefkarites WhiteChristine Lefkarites White, MPP'90 Co-Founder & Program Director Sahsen Ventures Christine is a Co-Founder and Program Director for Sahsen Ventures since 2016. She worked professionally in health research and policy in governmental and nonprofit agencies in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. She has volunteer experience in over a dozen small and medium-sized nonprofits as a board member/trustee and in service delivery. Christine earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the City University of New York at Queens College in 1986, and her Master of Public Policy in Social Policy from the University of Chicago in 1990. Jump to top Ronald LandesRonald Landes President Solving Organ Shortage Ronald Landes is the President of Solving Organ Shortage, a non-profit that supports research to repair damaged organs and bioengineer solid organs for transplantation. He is also the Chairman of the Board of von Baer Wolff, an aggregator of intellectual property in organ repair and fabrication. Dr. Landes invests in early-stage bioscience technology including projects both in the U.S. and abroad. He is a principal in the Warsaw-based bioscience investment group, Life Science Innovation Fund. Jump to top Daniel LevinDaniel Levin, AB'50, JD'53 Founder and Chairman The Habitat Company The founder and chairman of The Habitat Company, Daniel Levin has been a real estate developer in Chicago and other areas of the country since 1957. He has been active in development and management activities involving over 25,000 residential units, market rate, affordable, public, senior, and student housing, and has been principally responsible for the financing, structuring, and equity syndication of Habitat's programs. Read Daniel Levin's full profile here. Jump to top Fabio Malina LossoFabio Malina Losso Founder of Priori Capital Fabio Losso is the founder of Priori Capital, an investment company focused on private equity, in-court reorganization processes and acquisition of distressed assets. He is also a partner of Losso Advogados, a boutique law firm with focus on Corporate Governance and Compliance. Former Chair of the Dean´s International Council at The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, he currently is an independent member of the Board of Directors at ELETRONUCLEAR and NATURGY BRASIL (CEG-RIO). Previously, he was the Chief Governance, Risk and Compliance Officer at COPEL (NYSE:ELP) and a member of the Board of Directors at Copel Telecom. Losso also acted as the CEO-Liquidator at BADEP and was a founding member at FUNESP, a public safety fund in Brazil. He is the General Coordinator of the Observatory of Public Policies at the State of Parana, Brazil. Jump to top Scott MardenScott Marden, AM'81 Managing Partner CIP Capital Mr. Marden has been a recognized leader in the information services, media and publishing industries, with leadership experience balanced between senior operating and financial roles. Before forming CIP Capital, Mr. Marden led the investment activities in the information, media and services sectors at Credit Suisse (DLJ Merchant Banking Partners). Read Scott Marden's full profile here. Jump to top Jeffrey C. NealJeffrey C. Neal Founding Partner and Chairman Horizon Capital Jeffery C. Neal is a founding partner and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Horizon Capital. Previously, he held a number of key leadership positions at Merrill Lynch including head of Midwestern investment banking practice, head of the global domestic corporate banking group, and the founder and head of the global corporate finance group. Read Jeffrey Neal's full profile here. Jump to top George A. Ranney Jr.George A. Ranney Jr., JD'66 Senior Council Mayer, Brown, Row & Maw Mr. Ranney is Senior Council at Mayer, Brown, Row & Maw, a global law firm headquartered in Chicago. He is also Chairman and CEO of Prairie Holdings Corporation, which is building Prairie Crossing, a nationally known real estate development designed on conservation principles in suburban Grayslake, Illinois. Previously, he was the President and CEO of Metropolis Strategies, a business-based organization formed by The Commercial Club of Chicago to improve the region’s economic competitiveness. Jump to top Diana RaunerDiana Rauner, AM'95, PhD'02 President Ounce of Prevention Fund Diana Rauner is the President of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, a public-private partnership serving at-risk children and their families. The Ounce advocates for programs and policies that benefit young children and families, provides training to early childhood professionals in Illinois, and engages in rigorous research and evaluation projects that contribute to best practices throughout the early childhood field. Read Diana Rauner's full profile here. Jump to top Neeraj SahaiNeeraj Sahai International Financial Services Executive Founder and CEO FinEdge Advisory LLC Neeraj Sahai is a former President of Standard and Poor’s Ratings. Prior to that, he worked at Citigroup for 29+ years in a variety of senior business roles at the bank’s corporate and investment banking division in NY and India. Mr. Sahai was elected by Global Custodian Magazine to its Custody Hall of Fame, and received several Citibank awards (Global Deal, Service Excellence, and Global Account Management System awards). Read Neeraj Sahai's full profile here. Jump to top Smita N. ShahSmita N. Shah, Founder and CEO of SPAAN Tech, Inc. Smita N. Shah is Founder and CEO of SPAAN Tech, Inc., an engineering and construction management firm established in 1998, with expertise in public and private infrastructure projects including transportation, aviation, and facilities. Ms. Shah earned her Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University, her Master of Science in civil and environmental engineering from M.I.T., and a Postgraduate Certificate in Management Studies from Oxford University, where she completed her thesis on the Culture and Leadership of Public Private Partnerships. Recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the city’s 100 most-connected Chicagoans (#19), Smita Shah is an engineer, entrepreneur and civic leader with a passion for nurturing entrepreneurism and innovation among women and minorities, while advocating for the growth and participation of small businesses in emerging industries. Ms. Shah’s commitment to public service extends across multiple spectrums, whether promoting the work and commitment of her ethnic community for our country, fostering a passion for children and education, facilitating the development of good urban public policy, and supporting arts and culture. Ms. Shah serves as Vice Chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission, Chairman of the Delhi Chicago Sister Cities Relationship, a member of the M.I.T. Corporation Development Council and Visiting Committee for Civil and Environmental Engineering; Board of Trustees of the Museum of Science and Industry, board member of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, Trustee at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Vice Chairman of the Regents for Loyola University of Chicago, and board member of After School Matters. Ms. Shah is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO Chicago), the Economic Club of Chicago, and the Commercial Club of Chicago. She also serves on the corporate board of MacLean Fogg and is a member of the audit and finance committee. She has been recognized for her leadership by Crain's Chicago Business as one of Chicago's 40 under 40, an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, and received the U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) Graduate of the Year Award. She was awarded a National Community Leader of the Year by the American Consulting Engineers Council and has received the Congressionally recognized Ellis Island Medal of Honor, for her contributions in changing the fabric of America. She has also served as She has been recognized for her leadership by Crain's Chicago Business as one of Chicago's 40 under 40, an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, and received the U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) Graduate of the Year Award. She was awarded a National Community Leader of the Year by the American Consulting Engineers Council and has received the Congressionally recognized Ellis Island Medal of Honor, for her contributions in changing the fabric of America. She has also served as White House Intern in the Chief of Staff’s Office, during President Clinton’s term. Jump to top David Bolling WellsDavid Bolling Wells, MPP/MBA'98 High Growth Tech Company Board Member & Advisor David Wells has focused the last 20+ years on helping consumer businesses grow and has recently shifted towards helping younger companies and the NGO and non profit world, particularly growth in the developing world. He spent nearly 15 years at Netflix, with 8 as it’s CFO, retiring in early 2019, having served as VP of Financial Planning and Analysis prior to CFO. Mr. Wells was an integral part of the team that presided over Netflix’s transition to a self-produced content streaming company from the DVD company of its early days, its expansion to 190 countries, raising $12B+ in capital, and growing to a $140B+ company along the way. Prior to joining Netflix, Mr. Wells served in progressive roles at Deloitte Consulting for 6 years and in the non-profit world before getting his MBA. Mr. Wells joined the Board of public ad tech company, The Trade Desk, in January 2016 and private fintech Transferwise in January 2019. He also serves as an advisor to several growth stage private companies. Mr. Wells holds a joint MBA/MPP Magna Cum Laude from The University of Chicago and a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia. Jump to top Paula WolffPaula Wolff, AM'69, PhD'72 Director Illinois Justice Project Paula Wolff is Director of the Illinois Justice Project, a civic organization developing and implementing policy initiatives and programs to reform the criminal justice system by addressing youth trauma and reducing youth and adult violence, crime and incarceration. Read Paula Wolff's full profile here. Jump to top Alumni profile Questions for Hilarie Koplow-McAdams, AM'87 The New Relic executive reflects on disruptive innovation and the need for more women leaders in Silicon Valley. Read more Faculty Spotlight James Robinson The Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies; Institute Director, The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts A prominent political scientist and economist, James Robinson has conducted influential research in the field of political and economic development and the factors at the root causes of conflict. His work explores the relationship between poverty and society, and he co-authored "Why Nations Fail." Read more Recent News Student Profile: Noah Fischer, MPP class of ’23 Wed., February 24, 2021 Leaders in Sports, Business and Politics Get Credit—and Blame. How Much Do They Really Deserve? Tue., February 23, 2021 More news Upcoming Events Writing Persuasive Public Policy Virtual Drop In with Admissions Mon., March 01, 2021 | 12:00 PM A link will be sent to registered guests Chicago, IL 60637 United States Credential Q&A with Admissions Mon., March 01, 2021 | 6:30 PM A link will be sent to registered guests Chicago, IL 60637 United States More events
January 15, 2021 Policy Expert, Politician and Poverty Fighter: Marco Mena and the Growth of Tlaxcala Read more