Gretchen Winter Elected LFA Board President

Gretchen Winter, right, with David Tropp, former LFA president.
Photo credit: Eva Ho Photography Gretchen Winter, executive director for the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society, was recently elected president of the Leadership Fellows Association (LFA) Board. LFA is a partner organization with Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC), which is dedicated to developing forward-thinking and engaged civic leaders from all sectors of the greater Chicago area through its Fellows Program. More than 1,000 fellows have completed the program so far, and they stay connected to LGC through the LFA. Winter has long been associated with LGC, both as a former chair of the board and as a fellow. She sees her involvement in both groups as a complement to her work with the Center for Professional Responsibility and the College of Business because LGC/LFA fellows and the organizations they represent are committed to professionally responsible leadership in their business and civic lives. In her own words, “LFA convenes, connects, and mobilizes business, government, and not-for-profit leaders in the greater Chicago area to discuss contemporary issues that affect all of us—education, health care, economic development, crime and violence, just to name a few. There are more than a thousand people who are part of the organization, many with ties to the University of Illinois and the College of Business, so it’s a great way to meet and connect with them on issues critical to the future of the region,” she explains. “When I go to these events, it’s a wonderful opportunity to talk about the work we’re doing in the Center and in the College, and to reinforce our contributions as a College. It’s also an opportunity to emphasize our commitment to teaching professional responsibility and integrity in business.” Winter took the office August 1 and will serve as an ex officio member of the LGC Board. She succeeds David Tropp, who graduated in 1982 from Illinois with a degree in finance. Cedric Thurman, who graduated from College of Business in 1987 with a degree in finance and is now Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at BMO Harris, is also an LFA Board member.