Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Rahm Emanuel Announce Appointees to McCormick Place Board

(Chicago, IL) – March 5, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today their eight appointments for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Board.

The appointees from Quinn are Carmen Lonstein, Ron Powell, Bob Reiter and Becky Strzechowski. Emanuel’s are: Roger J. Kiley, Jr., Dan Hynes, Frank M. Clark, Jr. and Julie Chavez.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Jack M. Greenberg will serve as the Chairman of the board. Greenberg is Chairman of the Western Union Company and also serves as Chairman of Chicago-based InnerWorkings, Inc. Greenberg replaces the Interim Board chairman David Mosena.

“Our new board unites business and labor to provide the necessary expertise and experience that will attract new tradeshows and compete with the world,” said Greenberg.

Jim Reilly, who has served as a Trustee for the past 20 months, will stay on as CEO of McCormick Place.

All appointees will be effective immediately. Quinn’s picks have to clear the Illinois Senate.

Appointee Backgrounds:

• 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 has also 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 with the law firm Mayer, Brown LLP. He has been a consistent figure throughout Chicago, having served as Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley in the 1990s. Kiley is a member of the MPEA interim board.

• 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. She is a member of the board of the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.

• 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.

• 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.

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