Our Board
Now chair of the Children First Fund board, Alan King has served as a CFF board member for 16 years. Currently a partner at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, Mr. King has more than 30 years of experience as an advocate litigating, mediating and settling employment-related disputes for clients across many industries, including retail, airlines, healthcare, telecommunications, education, financial services, municipalities, and minority-owned businesses. In 2018, Mr. King was named to the “Chicago’s Notable Minority Lawyers” list by Crain’s Chicago Business, which profiled Chicago’s most influential minority lawyers who have made a significant impact within the legal and business communities. In 2017, Mr. King was featured in the same publication’s “50@50+ Illinois” issue, celebrating individuals ages 50 and above who have made a significant impact in the state of Illinois, and he was highlighted in the Arts & Culture section for his impact on the house music scene. Mr. King has a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois.
Mary Cahillane
Independent Director of Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Mary J. Cahillane has been an Independent Director of Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago since 2011. She served as Vice President of Finance & Investments and Chief Administrative Officer of The Spencer Foundation and served as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer since 2003. She previously worked for Texas Commerce Bank from 1985 to 1989, holding a variety of senior roles in asset liability management, risk management, and finance. Ms. Cahillane was Operational Risk Management Executive and Managing Director at Bank of America before joining the foundation in 2003. Ms. Cahillane currently serves as a Director of Catholic Charities and has served as member of the boards of directors of the Charlotte Symphony, San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind, Girl Scouts of America (Chicago), and Northeastern Illinois University Foundation. Ms. Cahillane also currently serves on the boards of IES Abroad, St. John Berchmans School, Children’s First Fund, and PEAK (Partnership to Educate and Advance Kids).
Liz Dozier
Founder & CEO of Chicago Beyond
A lifelong educator, Liz Dozier has spent her career working tirelessly to interrupt the culture of inequity that is often pervasive in urban education. She is most known for her work as principal of Fenger High School, where she took innovative and creative approaches to successfully address the holistic and complex needs of her students.
In 2016, Ms. Dozier launched Chicago Beyond, an impact investor that backs the fight for youth equity by fueling organizations, individuals, and learning. Since its launch in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $30 million in 14 local nonprofit organizations and community leaders that fight for all youth to achieve their fullest human potential.
Ms. Dozier’s work has been featured in the New York Times Best Seller How Children Succeed by Paul Tough, CNN’s Chicagoland, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Obama Foundation Summit, and SXSW.
Adam Langsam
Chief Executive Officer, Parkwood LLC
Adam Langsam is the Chief Executive Officer at Parkwood LLC, a private financial services firm representing the interests of the families of Jack, Joseph and Mort Mandell, as well as their associated foundations. Prior to joining Parkwood, Adam was CEO of William Harris Investors, the family office representing the financial affairs of the descendant of Irving Harris. In addition to his career working with families, Adam spent two decades working with institutional clients at large multinational investment banks including Merrill Lynch, where he was responsible for Alternative Asset Manager Consulting, and as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley working in various roles focusing on risk management and the use of derivatives and financing strategies. Adam holds a dual degree BA in psychology and economics from the University of Delaware, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. A married father of three children, Adam also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mandell Foundation, Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals and Intonation Music Workshop where he serves as the Board Treasurer.
Eva Giglio
Executive Director, CME Group Foundation
Eva Giglio has served as Executive Director of CME Group Foundation since 2021. In this role, Eva oversees a grantmaking budget of more than $6 million annually, supporting over 130 nonprofit organizations. She also manages the CME Group Foundation Scholars program, providing scholarships to First Generation college students who are majoring in finance and computer science related fields. Prior to this role, Eva worked for over thirteen years in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), beginning as a high school teacher and then later as Deputy Chief of Staff to the CEO of CPS, where she led the district’s strategic vision and improvement planning. With a lifelong passion for supporting children and families, Eva serves as an elected school board member in her community, is the Board President for Share Our Spare and serves on the Youth Guidance Working on Womanhood Advisory Council and the After School Matters Advisory Board. Eva is the Co-Principal of North Center Consultants, a boutique consulting firm focused on organizational strategy and team development. She has a Master’s in Educational Leadership from North Park University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Eva is a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, Class of 2021 and was recognized in Crain’s 40 Under 40.
Bryan Stokes
Education Portfolio Director, Robert R. McCormick Foundation
Bryan Stokes serves as Education Portfolio Director at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. In this role he leads the foundation’s investments in programs and initiatives serving families with children birth through kindergarten. Prior to joining McCormick, he most recently served as Chief of Early Childhood Education at Chicago Public Schools and worked to build a universal preschool system that ensures that every child in Chicago is ready for school success. Bryan began his career as a classroom teacher at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning before spending six years leading early childhood and youth development programs at Gads Hill Center, which serves more than 4,500 children on Chicago’s Southwest Side. His range of professional experience in the early childhood sector includes managing implementation of the state’s Preschool Development Grant in the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development and serving as Vice President of Early Learning at Illinois Action for Children. Bryan holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from Penn State. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, he came to Chicago as a Teach for America corps member in 2007. He is a member of the Illinois Early Learning Council as well as a board member of the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) and the HighScope Educational Research Foundation.
