Linda has held leadership positions in higher education throughout her career, including Business School Dean and Associate Provost at Marquette University, Associate Dean of Continuing Studies at Northwestern University and Associate Provost and Professor of Information Technology at Loyola University Chicago. As Vice President at Executive Synergies, Inc. for over 15 years, Linda served as an executive coach.

Wendy Kritt is an accomplished Marketing executive with a record of excellence and transformational leadership. During her 31 years at Kraft Foods/Kraft Heinz, she held leadership positions in Marketing, Brand Activation, and Global Consumer Relations. She now serves as an Advisor to the Somers Family Specialties, LLC, providing expertise in the areas of brand positioning, marketing, consumer insights, and distribution to a family start-up.

Margie Gauthier is a hospital administrator, experienced in managing clinical and non-clinical departments and projects. She is a seasoned leader in healthcare management, working primarily in non-profit hospital operations. Margie has utilized her background as a clinician and her passion for improving the patient experience to a variety of Administrative Director roles at the Shirley Ryan Abilitylab.

Carol Olsen is the founder of Carol Olsen & Associates, a Chicago-based data analytics consulting and training firm. For over 25 years, she has specialized in analytics with project experience including training thousands of users and consulting with Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. She also runs Fruit Cellar, a small business selling jams and baked goods at local farmer’s markets. Before starting her own businesses, Carol worked in strategic planning at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and other consulting firms.

Greta Brauer is a data and analytics leader with over 15 years of experience in consulting, specializing in retail and CPG. She currently serves as an Executive Manager at SDG Group USA, where she leads key client accounts and helps shape go-to-market strategy and delivery capabilities for the retail practice. Her background spans hands-on solution delivery, client relationship management, and building scalable professional services organizations. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BBA from Loyola University Chicago.

Sandra Ehlert is a Finance Executive with 25 years of experience at L’Oreal, Novartis, PepsiCo/Quaker; and consulting experience at Booz Allen Hamilton. In her various roles, she led strategic planning, financial planning & analysis, and sales & operation planning for brands including Quaker, Excedrin, and Theraflu. Projects focused on driving productivity and operational efficiency, allocating resources to fund key business priorities, and ensuring that financial commitments were met. Sandra is fluent in Portuguese and conversational in Spanish. She earned a Bachelors’ degree from Universidade de Sao Paulo in Brazil and an MBA at Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management in Finance and Management Strategy.

Kate Lawson is Associate Director of the MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises at Northwestern University, where she leads admissions, marketing, operations, professional development, and academic affairs. Prior to Northwestern, Kate was in academic affairs at New York University with the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, developing and supporting their new cross-disciplinary doctoral and visiting scholar programs. She holds a master’s from NYU in Art History with a focus on medieval art and the history of collecting and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Outside of work, you will find her crafting, refinishing furniture, or taking another woodworking class.

Eva Lindpaintner is a communications leader specializing in private equity, financial services, and energy. She currently serves as a Vice President at Edelman Smithfield, where she counsels public and private companies on integrated communications programs that translate complex financial, technical, and regulatory activity into clear strategies and compelling narratives across media, digital, and executive visibility. Previously, Eva oversaw corporate communications and marketing in-house, leading communications through IPO and quarterly earnings, as well as company rebrands and employee engagement. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and education from Brown University.  

Audi Melsbakas is a Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor with Bank of America Private Bank in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to joining the firm, she was a Director and Private Wealth Advisor with BMO Private Bank. She earned her Master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1994 and her B.S. with an emphasis in finance and marketing from Cornell University.

Megan Nelson is an Associate Vice President at Gallagher Bassett (GB), a company that specializes in claims and risk management. Megan is deeply passionate about empowering women and fostering innovation within the insurance industry and beyond. Megan earned her MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she was a Drake Scholar, an innovation center fellow and board member of its women’s group. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Financial Services from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Jennifer O’Neil is an Associate Director at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business where she advises undergraduate students through the exmissions cycle. She also sits on the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing helping to inform the University’s SRI policies. Prior to joining Fordham she spent 12 years at Kraft Foods working on the Investor Relations team that issued the IPO and eventual spin-off from Altria. Early in her career she worked in client service roles at Deloitte and spent time working at The Walt Disney Company in their international theatrical and home video distribution businesses. She earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2000 and her B.S. in Business Administration from Miami of Ohio.

Kathy Reilly is a marketing leader with 20+ years of experience in managing consumer products and service brands including United Airlines, Konami Entertainment, Kraft Foods, Butterball, and Sara Lee. In recent years, she has taken those skills and become a successful real estate broker and has been active in organizations that represent her passions. Kathy earned an MBA at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management in Marketing and Management Strategy.

Dee Slaughter ’92 is a CPA who spent her professional career as a business woman in Chicago. In 2002, recognizing the need for a women’s networking group at Kellogg, with the support of Kellogg management, she co-founded the Kellogg Executive Women’s Network. Dee spent the next 20 years building the organization and, at one time or another, held all Board positions.

Angela Spencer is a dynamic leader with more than 20 years of experience driving transformation at the intersection of technology, marketing, and product innovation. She has led large-scale digital initiatives across financial services, insurance, and banking. As co-founder of We Are Mavens, a boutique consultancy, Angela helps organizations navigate digital disruption and accelerate growth. Angela holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a B.S. in Public Policy and Legal Studies from Indiana University.

Robyn Zeeman is an accomplished sales executive with a record of leading some of the largest and complex technology sales transactions with key clients. To accomplish this, she has overseen large teams and set the vision and led the execution around how to achieve strong sales results with everyone on the team contributing. She currently serves as the IBM Technology Partner Sales Leader for Accenture U.S. overseeing this significant partnership and driving joint results around this alliance. Robyn received an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School in Marketing and a BA from Purdue University.

Cici Zhao is a strategic business leader and AI practitioner with over a decade of experience spanning financial services, technology, and enterprise software. She leads Solution Go-to-Market at Quantexa, helping global enterprises, particularly in financial services, adopt AI solutions to drive growth, enhance efficiency, and modernize customer engagement. Previously, Cici held senior roles at Visa, Block (Afterpay), and EY, leading initiatives in analytics, go-to-market strategy, and consulting. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. A frequent speaker and author on AI and Decision Intelligence, Cici is also dedicated to advancing women’s leadership and educational equity. In addition to serving on the KEWN Board, she volunteers as a college application mentor with Mission Graduates.