Chicago's Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority Appoints New Board Members

March 5, 2012

The Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, which owns Chicago’s McCormick Place and Navy Pier, recently named eight new board members, none of whom directly are in the trade show industry.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were each allotted four appointments under state law, and the new board appointments will replace the interim board that was in place to oversee changes made to MPEA’s operation of McCormick Place.

The new board will be led by Chairman Jack M. Greenberg, who also is chairman of the Western Union Company and serves as chairman of Chicago-based InnerWorkings, Inc., in addition to being a director of Allstate Corporation and other major corporations.

Greenberg is a trustee at the Field Museum, the Institute of International Education and DePaul University, where he previously served as chairman.

He also is a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust.

“I thank the Mayor and Governor for the opportunity to serve, and look forward to working with the Board and Management to build on the solid platform for success that has been created,” Greenberg said.

He added, “I hope to provide significant assistance in attracting visitors to McCormick Place and Chicago in order to grow the region’s economy.”

Jim Reilly, who has served as MPEA trustee for the past 21 months, will stay on as CEO of the organization.

“I am pleased to welcome the MPEA Board and thank the Mayor and Governor for the opportunity to continue to serve the Authority," Reilly said.

He added, “I am proud of the many milestones that we accomplished during my tenure as Trustee. I’m excited to work with the MPEA Board to advance the mission of the authority to attract more conventions and visitors to Chicago.”

Here are Gov. Quinn’s appointments:

Carmen H. Lonstein is a partner in the Chicago office of Baker and McKenzie and chair of the Financial Restructuring, Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy Practice Group in North America. Lonstein was a member of the MPEA Interim Board.

Ronald E. Powell serves as the international vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union. He has led the UFCW Local 881 as president since 1983. Powell was a member of the MPEA Interim Board.

Robert G. Reiter, Jr., serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor. He is a third-generation member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 who also sits on the Metropolitan Planning Council's Resource Board and is treasurer of the Cook County Workforce Investment Board.

Becky Strzechowski serves as secretary-treasurer and assistant trustee of Teamsters Local #700 in Park Ridge, where she has worked on behalf of 13,000 public employees. She previously worked for 22 years at Teamsters #727 in Chicago, first as an assistant and eventually to become the first woman to serve as its vice president and business manager.

Here are Mayor Emanuel’s appointments:

Julie Chavez is the senior vice president and community relations manager for Bank of America in Chicago. She has worked with Bank of America since 1994, and currently is responsible for leading the bank’s efforts in philanthropy, community and civic engagement, and business development.

Frank M. Clark, Jr. is the retired chairman and CEO of ComEd, where he oversaw the organization that delivers power to 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois. He joined ComEd in 1966.

Dan Hynes is a senior vice president at Ariel Investments. He served three terms as state comptroller from 1999 through 2011. In addition to his tenure as the state’s chief fiscal officer, he also has served as chairman of the State Employees’ Retirement System and has been a trustee of the Illinois State Board of Investment.

Roger J. Kiley, Jr. is an attorney whose primary practice includes public law and government. He has been a consistent figure throughout Chicago, having served as chief of staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley in the 1990s. Kiley was a member of the MPEA Interim Board.

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