2023 Slate of Board Members
This report is submitted by 2022-23 Nominating Committee members Melanie Norstrom (Chair), Shauna Edgar, Patti Paone and Catherine Mardikes.
The proposed slate of LWV Chicago Board officers and directors appears below. The Board members serving new terms will be elected at LWV Chicago’s Annual Meeting on June 24. Elected Board members will serve two-year terms (2023-2025). Each director will be responsible for the portfolio identified herein. The officers comprise the Executive Committee.
Executive Vice President
Betty Magness
A civil rights activist for over 40 years; was a Facilitator for the 1996 Democratic National Committee Training Academy and first African American elected State Chair of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO). Currently, Co-Chair, Chicago Women Take Action (CWTA) and the Illinois Political Director of National Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Member of the Policy Council of Citizens Action Illinois; In January 2020, she represented LWV at their Focus Workshop at the Union League Club discussing the importance of Census 2020. Currently, is the Issues & Advocacy Director on the Chicago Board of the League of Women Voters, Vice Chair of Program for IVI-IPO. In November 2020 was awarded the “Spirit of 76” award from the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO). In June of 2022 she received the Jane Adams Woman of Vision Award from the National Council of Jewish Women North Shore. The first time the Award was ever presented.
Vice President - Membership
Catherine Mardikes
Catherine Mardikes is Senior Humanities Bibliographer at the University of Chicago Library, specializing in Classics and the Ancient Near East.
Catherine has served as Acting President, Executive Vice President, Vice President, and co-leader of the South Side Unit. She is active in the Voter Services Committee, where she has not only organized numerous voter registration drives, but also overseen aldermanic and mayoral candidates’ forums. Catherine was part of a team that put on the Centennial State of the City as well as other events.
Secretary
Inanna Khansa
Inanna Khansa is a first-year student at the University of Chicago studying economics and public policy. With the League, she has worked at several candidates' forums including the 5th, 9th, 10th, 26th, 30th, 46th, and 49th, moderating two of these forums. Outside of the League, Inanna participates in the Undergraduate Moot Court team on the university, plays in the University Chamber Orchestra, and enjoys exploring the city of Chicago.
Director –Communications
Carol “Carrie” Eisner
Carrie Eisner is a former longtime and distinguished 10-year member of the Board at the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles and has served as its 1st Vice President and co-chair, communications committee. As a professional publicist who founded her own company, Eisner has 20+ years of experience across a wide range of industries, topics and issues, obtaining press coverage for not only the League and raising its prominence through on-air interviews and expert commentary -- but also has garnered national visibility for her clients that include authors, scholars, well-known classical and jazz musicians, disability rights attorneys, nonprofits and experts on outlets like CNN, Fox News, NPR, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Public Radio and many local print and broadcast outlets. She is a 30-year member of the Writers Guild of America, and also has served on the advocacy committee of the American Diabetes Association. She began her creative career on the renowned television series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” as a production associate during its first five seasons at Paramount Pictures, Inc. After having her first child, she founded Eisner Public Relations and continues to work remotely, setting up interviews and contacting journalists and assignments desks from her virtual office, currently based in Chicago, Illinois.
Director - Issues & Advocacy
Letina Brady Pettis
Letina joined the League of Women of Voters of Chicago in 2020. She is on the Diversity and Inclusion, Voter Service Committees, and the Southside Unit member. She is a Board Member of the League of Women Voters of Chicago on Issues and Advocacy. She has been involved in voter registration drives throughout the city and suburbs of Chicago and is dedicated to civic engagement and community building. She also sits on the League Cook County Criminal Justice Interest Group. Tina is working with Chicago Votes to pass the Voting in Prison Bill SB828.
Letina has shown outstanding leadership as the President of the National Association of University Women-Windy City Branch. In addition, she is a charter member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women-Chicago Metropolitan Chapter, National Council of Negro Women-Chicago Central Section, Democratic Women of the Southland Region, and an associate member of the National Women Veterans United.
In recognition of her dedication to community service, Letina has received the President of the United States Volunteer Service Award, the National Association of University Women-North Central Section Woman of the Year Award, the Dorothy J. Fisher Community Service Servant Leader Award, and the National Council of Negro Women-Chicago Midwest Section, Women Making History award.
Letina has earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, a master’s degree in legal studies from Purdue Global University, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University.
In addition to her outstanding leadership and work in the community, Letina is an avid runner who has completed two marathons, Chicago and New York, a century bike ride, two Spartans, a triathlon, and duathlons.
Director – Environmental Action
Claudia Jackson
Claudia is passionate about sustainability. Her goal is to create a true sustainability in whatever issue she is working on. Her view of true sustainability is when environmental protection, social justice and economic growth all intersect. All must be taken into account to reach true sustainability.
Currently Claudia has taken on the issue of reducing Single Use Plastic Waste in the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. She is the Co-Chair of the LWV Chicago Environmental Action Committee, and the co-author of the webpage, Waste Not Want Not columns, and Tips & Tricks. She also represents the LWV Chicago on the Coalition for Plastic Reduction (CPR) where she currently sits on the steering committee and leads the coalition building committee. She was also instrumental in the Chicago and State Leagues becoming affiliates of the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) in order to have a front row seat on current environmental legislation and ordinances being advanced.
Her goal is to make the LWV a powerful voice in advancing strong, fair, economically progressive environmental policy in the city and state.
Director - Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
Wytress Richardson
Dr. Wytress Richardson chairs the Applied Behavioral Science program at National Louis University (NLU) where she leads a team of faculty in empowering undergraduate students and leads diversity and inclusion at NLU. Her 18 years of excellence in higher education is evidenced by numerous teaching and service awards. Her work is informed by her two decades' experience in the Human Service field where she served as counselor, advocate, and supervisor. Dr. Richardson's interdisciplinary education in Organizational Leadership, Human Services Administration, and Applied Behavioral Science equips her to create resilient settings where both individuals and organizations can thrive.
Dr. Richardson also holds a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University, and she is the Founder/CEO of Girls of Grace Youth Organization.
Dr. Richardson is currently a director on the LWV Chicago Board and serves as chair of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.
Director – Membership Recruitment & Retention Event Coordinator
Lali Watt
Lali Watt has over thirty years of wide-ranging experience in Public Accounting, non-profit organizations and with a multi-national Corporation. She is multi-lingual and multi-cultural, having lived and studied in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.
Lali has extensive experience in developing non-profit boards, strategic planning, communication plans and training. She has served as a local elected official and lead a successful grassroots referendum effort to save a historic building and open land. Lali is passionate about leveraging ideas to build communities and improve people’s lives and is particularly interested in social entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships.
Lali was named a “Pathfinder CPA” by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and honored as an Unsung Heroine by the Cook County Commission. She has presented programs on being a locavore, travel, and leveraging community feedback to affect local government.
Lali has served in various capacities with the League of Women Voters for over twenty years at the local, County, State and National levels. She currently co-chairs the Audit Committee of LWVUS and LWVEF.
Officers and Directors continuing through June 2024
President: Jane Ruby
Vice President – Operations: Tracy Stanciel
Treasurer: Hollis Burgess
Director - Events: Sharon Welch
Director – Fund Development: Deborah Halpern
Director – Collaborations & Partnerships: Julia Kline
Director – Neighborhood Units: Diane Atkinson
Director - Voter Service (ex-officio): Helene Gabelnick
Nominating Committee 2023-2024
Patti Paone, Chair
Patti Paone is a retired nurse practitioner who practiced in a variety of clinical areas over a forty-four-year nursing career. In April 1975, Patti’s childhood dream to become a nurse came true when she graduated with an RN Diploma from The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) School of Nursing. Just a few months after her HUP graduation, Patti had the rare opportunity to transfer from a surgical unit to the emergency department. Emergency Nursing was her professional “Baptism by Fire.” Patti loved every minute of it!
Throughout her career, she worked tirelessly to be the most caring and competent nurse possible for her patients and their loved ones. Patti also thoroughly enjoyed teaching future nurses in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Beyond her basic RN Diploma education, Patti earned the following degrees and certificates: BSN, Villanova University (12/78); MSN, Widener University (8/81); Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certificate, University of Virginia (4/82); Women’s’ Health Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate, Harbor UCLA Medical Center (1/86) and Clinical Trials Management Certificate, University of Chicago (5/2005). She retired from active practice in 2019 and has been actively engaged in volunteer activities ever since.
Patti served on the 2022-23 Nominating Committee.
Victoria Cordero
Victoria is the Coordinator of Technology & Computer Sciences at Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Paideia Academy. She has been an active member of the South Side Unit and helped with League voter registration events.
Shauna Edgar
Shauna is a second-grade teacher at Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Paideia Academy. She has been an active member of the South Side Unit and has set up LWV voter registration drives. She served on the 2022/2023 Nominating Committee.