The Executives' Club of Chicago

Talk about iconic leadership! ���👟💄✨ From UScellular and McDonald's, to transforming Ulta Beauty into a category-defining powerhouse, and leading Foot Locker through a bold reinvention, Mary Dillon has captained consumer-brand excellence more than once. On Tuesday, April 14, Exec Club President & CEO Dorri McWhorter will sit down with Mary for a candid look at the instincts, decisions, and convictions that define her iconic leadership. At a time when the bar for leaders feels higher and more complex than ever, this discussion will go beyond any single role or moment to examine the throughline of what it takes to lead with courage and clarity. Join us: https://bit.ly/40Zz2xB #chicagostyleleadership #exectake

Happy Opening Day, Chicago! ⚾❤️💙🐻⚾❤️💙🐻⚾❤️💙🐻 Today we celebrate the return of America’s pastime and our partners at the Chicago Cubs, as they take the field! Founded in 1870, the Cubs are widely recognized as the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in North America, showcasing a legacy of grit, tradition, and enduring leadership that mirrors the spirit of our great city. At the Executives’ Club of Chicago, we’re proud to celebrate institutions that stand the test of time, adapt through change, and continue to bring people together across generations. That's what we call, "Chicago Style Leadership." Here’s to a new season, fresh opportunities, and the energy that makes Chicago unmistakably Chicago. Go, Cubs! #chicagostyleleadership #exectake #businessbesties photo: Chicago Cubs team with mascot in 1908 (public domain)

We’ve built something powerful for the first week of April — and it’s designed for leaders who don’t sit on the sidelines. From AI to employee benefits to intentional restoration, these experiences are about one thing: helping you lead what’s next, not react to it. April 7 | The AI Growth Engine Featuring Robert Blackwell Jr. (Quant16) and John Thompson (CCC Intelligent Solutions) AI isn’t a side project anymore — it’s the foundation of how market leaders win. This conversation cuts through the noise and gets real about how organizations are scaling intelligence into revenue, products, and competitive advantage. If you’re responsible for growth, this is your room. Register now: https://bit.ly/4t4lX1Q April 8 | The GLP-1 Effect: Did GLP-1s Just Rewrite Employee Benefits? Featuring Sumit Dutta (OptumRX), Craig Kurtzweil (UnitedHealthcare), and JT Shilling (Mercer) and moderated by our own Dorri McWhorter GLP-1s are already reshaping workforce behavior, expectations, and cost structures. This isn’t theoretical — it’s happening now. Join leaders unpacking the second- and third-order impacts on culture, productivity, and strategy—and what to do next. Save your seat: https://bit.ly/4rMeZNN Exclusive to Members | Wellness Experiences at The Spa at Palmer House April 7 (morning) + April 9 (evening) For women leaders who know performance requires restoration. Two intimate experiences designed for real connection, intentional reset, and the kind of energy you can’t fake. Space is limited — and exclusively for members. Register today! 4/7: https://bit.ly/4dFvaZZ 4/9: https://bit.ly/4d778He This is leadership in motion. Be in the room. #ExecClub

Senior leadership teams aren’t just part of the organization — they are the organization in action. They turn strategy into results, shape culture, and define how decisions get made. Yet even the most talented teams can stall when alignment is off or ways of working are unexamined. That’s why, in partnership with AIIR Consulting, we’re sharing The Leadership Team Advantage on April 1, 2026. Hosted by Alonzo Lee with insights from Larry Clark, Jay Fehnel, and Megan Marshall, this executive learning session is designed for CHROs, Chief People Officers, and senior HR leaders who know that leadership team effectiveness is the ultimate lever for enterprise performance. In an intimate, hands-on setting, you’ll explore practical frameworks to diagnose team dynamics, strengthen alignment and accountability, and shift from coordination to decisive enterprise impact. This is more than a session — it’s a movement to unlock the full power of your leadership teams. Apply to join us and transform the way your executives drive results: https://bit.ly/4t3vrdA #ExecClub

Chicago showed up. And it mattered. Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Civic Mandate: Securing the Next Era of Leadership — a sold-out room of leaders ready to step beyond the boardroom and into what’s next. With insights from Amanda Edelman (Edelman), Myetie Hamilton (Leadership Greater Chicago), Richard S. Price (Mesirow), Tim Welsh (CCC Intelligent Solutions), and guided by moderator Dorri McWhorter, we dug into what it really means to lead right now — when the expectations are higher, the challenges are more complex, and the need for civic leadership has never been more urgent. The message was clear: the future of Chicago doesn’t happen by default. It happens because leaders choose to engage, to show up, and to take responsibility for what comes next. That work is already underway — and this community is at the center of it. 📸 Take a look at the energy, the people, and the moments that made it real: https://bit.ly/47m8fyV

Exercise your right to vote! 💪🗳️ Today is Illinois’ 2026 Primary Election Day. According to Ballot Ready, more than 1,200 positions are up for election across the state today, from federal to statewide to local races. It’s not too late to do your research and make a plan to vote! Same day registration is available in Illinois, and polls are open until 7 p.m. Nonpartisan resources such as Vote.org, BallotReady, and state and local boards of elections’ websites can help you find your ballot information, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and (in some instances) research candidates and ballot measures. Get started: ➡️ Vote(dot)org: https://www.vote.org ➡️ BallotReady: https://lnkd.in/dJcb4df ➡️ Illinois State Board of Elections: https://lnkd.in/g2Usdcc8 (photo via Chicago Board of Elections)

Thank you to everyone who showed up for BOLD Leadership with Kim Svoboda! Kim Svoboda, executive leader and author of BOLD Leadership, showed us how clarity, courage, and integrity turn intent into action — even under pressure. Moderated by Jon Harris of Conagra Brands, the conversation was sharp, real, and full of takeaways you can use today. As Exec Club Book Talks usually go, this was more than a discussion about the words on the page. It was an actionable playbook for leading when it counts. A special thank you to the Chicago Public Library Foundation for partnering with us to bring this conversation to our members and friends. Hungry for more? Grab Kim’s book and keep building your leadership edge. https://bit.ly/3PbzMwN And don’t stop here — check out our upcoming events at the Executives’ Club of Chicago and keep showing up for what matters. https://bit.ly/3PahHiJ Lead boldly. Build impact. Join the movement. #BoldLeadership #ExecutivesClub #LeadWithImpact #ChicagoLeaders

Happy 312 Day, Chicago! 🎉⚾🌭✨ For almost two centuries, Chicago has been a city where leadership shapes the future, from the industries built here to the ideas that influence the world. At the Executives’ Club, we’re proud to convene the leaders who continue that tradition — bringing bold thinking, meaningful dialogue, and new ideas to the conversations that move our city forward. Today we celebrate Chicago’s energy, ambition, and enduring spirit of leadership. Here’s to the 312 — and to the leaders shaping what comes next!

Chicago’s leadership legacy has long been built by executives who show up; not just for business, but for the city's civic and philanthropic organizations. Today, the future of that legacy is less certain. Fewer emerging leaders are engaging in civic life. And if the pipeline of civic-minded executives dries, the Chicago model of public-private leadership doesn’t just weaken — it breaks. That’s why The Civic Mandate: Securing the Next Era of Leadership matters. Taking place on March 19, 2026, this program is a call to action for leaders who believe the role of the CEO extends beyond the boardroom into policy, community, and the future of the city itself; at a moment defined by polarization, economic uncertainty, and shifting generational values, The Civic Mandate challenges leaders to rethink what civic leadership looks like now and who must carry it forward. Voices shaping the conversation include Amanda Edelman from Edelman, Myetie Hamilton from Leadership Greater Chicago, Richard S. Price from Mesirow, and Tim Welsh from CCC Intelligent Solutions, with the discussion moderated by our own Dorri McWhorter. If you believe leadership includes responsibility to place, people, and progress, this conversation is for you. Register and help secure the next era of civic leadership: https://bit.ly/4r78uFO #Leadership #CivicEngagement #Chicago #ExecClub #NextEraLeadership

Thank you to everyone who showed up the other week for Workplace Leadership & Culture Summit 2026 | Thrive Together: Fueling Success in the Workplace. You didn’t come for theory. You came to build workplaces where people and performance rise — together. We heard from leaders who are challenging what culture really means in 2026: 🔹 The Trust Dividend: The Formula for Belonging and Team Effectiveness with Erin Lazarus 🔹 The Inclusion Advantage: Culture, Trust, and Accountability in a Changing Workplace with Christina Hynes Mesco, Rosa Santos, Erica Denner, Jordann (Zachary) Nunn, SPHR, moderated by Kristen Prinz 🔹 Navigating the Now: Inclusive Workplaces in Action with Jessica Klapper Fairchild, Jaclyn Menendez, PhD, Andrés T. Tapia, EMBA, moderated by Carl H Davis II More than checking a box, the summit was about asking harder questions: What is our culture actually producing — and for whom? Are we building trust by design? Are we leading in ways that people can feel? To every executive, HR leader, culture-builder, and truth-teller in the room at Mesirow last week — thank you! You are shaping the next era of leadership in Chicago and beyond. And thank you to our sponsors who are investing in this work and the leaders driving it — our presenting sponsors, Hogan Assessments, Mesirow, and The Prinz Law Firm, and our featured sponsor, USG. This movement happens because of your partnership. Want to keep the momentum going? Check out our upcoming programs and join the next conversation shaping inclusive, high-performing workplaces. https://bit.ly/40XoONY