Christopher Kerns, Esq., Chairman

Richard T. Schroeder, Secretary

Dick Schroeder spent 27 years in the banking industry, retiring in 1994 as president and CEO of Boulevard Bancorp, a publicly traded multi-bank holding company with $1.5 billion in assets. He is a former executive with the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, an organization specializing in waterfowl, research and education. Mr. Schroeder has a B.S. from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.

Edward K. Chandler, Treasurer

Ed Chandler is a founder and managing director of Portage Financial Management, a venture capital investment firm based in Northfield, Illinois. Prior to forming Portage, Mr. Chandler was a founder and the managing principal of Prairie Capital, a venture capital investment firm. Mr. Chandler has served as a director of HNC Software, Inc., Meridian Data, Inc., Worldtalk Communications, Inc., Iwerks Entertainment, Inc., and Datawatch Corp., as well as many privately held companies. Mr. Chandler holds an MBA from Harvard University, where he graduated with High Distinction as a Baker Scholar. He earned a B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Yale College. He serves as a director of several non-profit organizations, including Lake Forest Open Lands, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and is a trustee of the Otho Sprague Memorial Institute, which supports innovative programs in medical research and care.

David J. Beedie

David Beedie is an executive vice president in charge of sales for JFB Distributors, Inc. Mr. Beedie has a successful history with startup and established enterprises. He was an early investor in Peapod, and he helped grow Technology Solutions Company (TSC) from startup to a $70 million corporation in four years. Mr. Beedie, a certified public accountant, has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul University.

Christopher B. Burke, Ph.D.

Christopher Burke is president of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., based in Rosemont, Illinois. The firm, founded in 1986, serves as consulting engineer for numerous municipalities in Illinois and provides engineering services in civil, transportation, drainage, mechanical, environmental and water resources fields. Dr. Burke has authored numerous technical papers, articles and presentations and has conducted many seminars. Dr. Burke earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University and received the President’s Lifetime Award, Purdue Engineering Alumni Association in 2001.

George M. Covington

Paul F. ("Pete") Cruikshank, Jr., Director Emeritus

Pete Cruikshank served the railroad industry for 35 years in the areas railroad operations, marketing, and management. Since retirement in 1995, he has been active in Winnetka Village ( Illinois ) government and the local elementary school board. Mr. Cruikshank has a bachelor’s degree from Yale College.

Allen Grosboll

Al Grosboll is a senior policy advocate and co-legislative director for the Environmental Law and Policy Center, working on clean energy, transportation and natural resources issues before Congress, state legislatures and public agencies. Mr. Grosboll helps lead ELPC’s policy advocacy and rural coalition-building work on the Farm Bill-Clean Energy Development Project. He served as the deputy chief of staff and senior advisor on environment, education and natural resources issues to Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and as chief of staff for the Illinois secretary of state. He also worked as a policy staff member in the Illinois legislature. He has a B.S. from Eastern Illinois University.

Donald L. Hey, Ph.D.

Donald L. Hey is co-founder of The Wetlands Initiative, Inc, and serves on its board of directors. He also is executive director of Wetlands Research, Inc., which manages the Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project in Lake County, Illinois, one of the nation's first large-scale wetland restoration projects. He formerly was president of Hey & Associates, an environmental services consulting firm. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla, an M.S. in water resources engineering from Kansas University, and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Northwestern University. His research interests focus on the restoration of river and wetland systems and the development of low-cost management programs for sustaining natural aquatic ecosystems. Dr. Hey has served on a number of committees and editorial boards: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board Committee of Integrated Nitrogen (2007-2009); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Assessment Plan; Technical Proposal Evaluation Committee, Everglades National Park, National Park Service; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board; the International Joint Commission, Levels Reference Study; the National Research Council, Committee on the Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems; the Illinois Department of Conservation, Wetland Advisory Council; Ecological Engineering and Restoration Ecology. He is co-author of A Case for Wetland Restoration (Wiley & Sons, 1999) and numerous articles.

Becky Bair Hurley

Becky Hurley is the principal of Becky Bair Hurley, P.C., which she founded in 1994. She specializes in commercial real estate law, with an emphasis on acquisitions, zoning, and leasing. She is an active community volunteer, serving on the Winnetka Caucus, the District 36 School Board, the Winnetka Historical Society, and the League of Women Voters. Ms. Hurley is a graduate of Colgate University (B.A., international relations/political science) and Northwestern University School of Law.

Mark D. Maffei, Ph.D.

Mark Maffei  is president of Androck Hardware Corporation, Rockford, Illinois. Prior to joining the family business in 1995, Dr. Maffei  had a distinguished career as a wildlife biologist, serving with the U .S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. In Rockford, he has served as president of the board of the Natural Land Institute, a member of the Rotary Club, and the board of directors of the Rock River Valley Council, Girl Scouts of the USA. He earned a B.A. in biology from the University of Illinois, a M.S. in zoology from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 

Brent Manning

Brent Manning has 25 years experience managing public and private natural resources throughout Illinois. He currently is executive director of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Previously, he spent 12 years as director of Illinois Department of Natural Resources (and its predecessor, the Illinois Department of Conservation). From 1985 to 1991 he was director of field operations for Ducks Unlimited. He holds  bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental biology and zoology from Eastern Illinois University.

Marilyn Pearson

Marilyn Pearson is an attorney practicing labor and employment law at DLA Piper in Chicago. Ms. Pearson has 25 years of experience advising organizations on a broad range of issues including labor agreements, code-sharing relationships, alliances, employee ownership, labor union protocols, corporate mergers and acquisitions, international agreements, bankruptcy, major carrier-regional carrier “RJ” disputes and numerous operational issues. Ms. Pearson has taught numerous seminars on labor-management issues and teaches a negotiation seminar at Northwestern University School of Law. She is a member of the American Bar Assn. and the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Assn. She has both a B.A. and a J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota.

Charles T. Pick

Charlie Pick is senior vice president at National Realty Network, a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in Chicago area industrial, retail, and office leasing and sales. Charlie also co-founded and managed BB Central America, Inc., which controls several real estate investment partnerships along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Before entering the real estate profession, Charlie spent nearly two decades starting and managing organic recycling and landscape supply companies. He is an active volunteer with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. He holds a B.A. in psychology from Yale College and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Albert E. Pyott

Albert Pyott is co-founder (1994) of The Wetlands Initiative with Donald L. Hey and former president and chairman of the board. In February 2008, he retired from the chairmanship, but remains active on the TWI board. From 1987 until 1993, he was director of the Illinois chapter of The Nature Conservancy, following his lifelong interest in conservation. He previously was general manager of sales at Inland Steel Company, a $3.5 billion steel manufacture and distribution company, where he was responsible for nationwide sales of all steel mill products. Mr. Pyott has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Nature of Illinois Foundation, OpenLands Project, and Wetlands Research, Inc., and on the advisory boards of the Cook County Forest Preserve and the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission.

Thomas I. Rodhouse

Thomas Rodhouse spent nearly 50 years in the steel industry, including serving as president and CEO of JH Roberts Industries and president and COO of Alliance Mid-West Tubular Products. He has served on the board of the following organizations: the Scot Forge Co., PTC Alliance Corp., J.H. Roberts Industries, Glen View Club, Steel Tube Institute, (president), YMCA Camp Manito-wish (director emeritus), Friends of Ryerson Woods, and the Presbyterian Church of Northbrook (board of elders). He earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in economics and business from Grinnell College.

Steven M. Ryan

Steven Ryan is a Managing Director at City Capital Advisors, LLC. Steve has more than 22 years of experience advising public and private middle market companies. For the past nine years Steve has focused on assisting middle market Private Equity Funds in merger and acquisitions as well as private and public equity raises. He also spent 13 years as an Institutional Equity Salesman advising Public Equity Funds in the small and middle capitalization markets. Prior to joining City Capital Advisors, he was a Principal at William Blair & Company, an investment officer for the Northern Trust Company from 1982 to 1987, and a financial analyst for Motorola, Inc. from 1979 to 1981. Steven received a BBA from Loyola University of Chicago in 1979. He has served as Treasurer of the Illinois Nature Conservancy since 2004 and has been a member since 1998. He has also served on the Boards of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society Auxiliary Board and the Lawrence Hall Youth Services Board. His Club Memberships include Indian Hill Club, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and the Racquet Club of Chicago.

John W. Sentell

John Sentell is Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director for the Wetlands Initiative. John Sentell joined TWI in 2006, after a career in Fortune 500 marketing and branding for Campbell-Ewald, Inc. and the Leo Burnett Company, as well as independent consulting for Trilium Group, LLC. A passionate conservationist and fly-fisherman, John currently serves as director and vice president of education and communications for Lake Forest Open Lands Association, is on the board of the Biodiversity Project, and is secretary of Camp Ginger Quill (MI). He previously served as vice-chairman for the MCDC Corporation, a governmental tax board serving residents of Colin County, Texas. He earned a B.S. in business and minor in English from Miami University, Oxford, OH.

Douglas F. Stotz, Ph.D.

Since 1994, Doug Stotz has been a conservation ecologist in the Environment, Culture and Conservation Division at the Field Museum in Chicago. His field studies on birds have taken him through most of South America and Mexico, particularly in Brazil , Bolivia and Peru. In North America, he has done research on the ecology of birds in Arizona , Florida and Illinois. His research interests focus on diversity patterns, biogeography, ecology, and conservation of birds. He has taken part in several Rapid Biological Inventories in Peru, Bolivia and Cuba and is part of the Illinois Rapid Assessment Program at the Field Museum . He is co-author of Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation (University of Chicago Press, 1996). In Illinois his research focus has been studying migration and breeding birds along the Chicago lakefront, in the Lake Calumet area, Palos and Midewin. He earned his B.S. from the University of Arizona and his Ph. D. from the University of Chicago.

James H. Taylor

Jim Taylor is Midwest Sales Manager of Brenntag Great Lakes, LLC. He formerly was president of The Wetlands Initaitive and has been a member of its Board of Directors since March 2004. He also was owner and president of Coleman Chemical Co. near Joliet, Illinois, for 13 years. An avid duck hunter, Mr. Taylor is a member of Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He earned a B.S. in business administration from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Clark L. Wagner, Director Emeritus

Clark Wagner was one of the early directors of TWI and served on the TWI board for 13 years (1996-2009). He retired in 1994 from Inland Steel Industries, Inc., Chicago, as corporate secretary and deputy general counsel. He has been active in Chicago civic affairs, as a former member of the board of directors of the Union League Club, a former president of the Chicago Literary Club, and as a former trustee and vice president of Provident Hospital. He is a life trustee of the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation. Mr. Wagner is a graduate of DePauw University (B.A., economics) and Harvard Law School.

Carl R. Yudell

Carl Yudell is principal of Carl R. Yudell Law Firm and Yudell and Associates, Ltd., a company that provides administrative services for profit sharing and pension plans for over 70 employers. Both firms are in Northfield, Illinois. He is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois CPA Society, Northbrook Historical Society (general counsel), the Tax Payer Assistance Foundation, and the Princeton Club of Chicago, including chairing four class reunions. He is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B., economics), the Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D.), and the University of Illinois (CPA).