Adam is the Director of the Microsoft Technology Center – Chicago, a world-class facility dedicated to helping organizations maximize business value and ensure long-term success when facing their toughest business challenges and opportunities. He has been with Microsoft since 1991 and previously managed the Technology Specialist program in the Midwest, Microsoft’s largest sales district. Prior to Microsoft, Adam was a consultant with Andersen Consulting where he helped his financial services, government, and utilities clients tune and manage high-performance development and production environments. Adam received a Bachelor of Science in commerce and business administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration. He regularly appears on television, print, and radio, and has authored several articles. Adam has served his community in various capacities at nonprofit organizations including: the Board of Directors of the Chicago Children’s Museum, technology advisor to Mayor Richard M. Daley, Technology Chair of the Lincoln Park Co-operative School, Technology Committee of the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, and an industry advisor to Inner City Stars.

Steve is President and CEO of Trillium Services Group, Inc—a consulting firm he founded in 2002 with over 17 years experience leading successful business strategy and technology initiatives. Under his leadership, Trillium has grown from two employees to over 30; its annual revenues exceed $4 million, growing at nearly 25% a year. Trillium serves a broad range of industries: financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, as well as government agencies, associations and nonprofits. Prior to founding Trillium, Steve served as Vice President of Business Operations at Divine/Whittman-Hart, and Vice President of Solution Development at Whittman-Hart (later marchFIRST). Prior to Whittman-Hart, he was Associate Partner at Accenture, where he delivered successful business and technology solutions to leading clients in financial services and the public sector. Steve also gives back to the community. He and his Trillium team participate in Hustle Up the Hancock to benefit the American Lung Association. Steve actively supports PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), the United Way chapter in his hometown of Highland Park, as well as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the American Heart Association in addition to his work with Taproot Foundation Chicago. He also shares his entrepreneurial experience with University of Illinois at Chicago business students and judges the Concept2Venture business plan competition. Steve is often quoted on small business issues in Crain’s Chicago Business, and serves on the Reception and Professional Committees of Chicago’s Executives Club.

Charles is an Equity Research Analyst at Wells Capital Management. Charles has over 14 years of experience in financial services and real estate. His experience includes three years in the non-profit sector when he served as Director of Housing Development at Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, a community based housing developer in San Francisco. He holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Michigan. Charles was a founding member of the Taproot Foundation Board of Directors.

Michael is Senior Vice President, General Manager of Arc Worldwide, a subsidiary of Leo Burnett Worldwide. Arc brings together best-in-class interactive, sales promotion, direct/CRM, and customer marketing expertise from around the world. He is responsible for Delivery and Resource management for Arc’s Chicago, New York, and San Francisco offices and is a member of the Arc North America Executive Operating Committee. Prior to Arc, Michael served as Senior Vice President, Managing Director at Semaphore Partners Chicago, where he oversaw all client relationships and operations for the Chicago office. Michael was previously a Project Manager with Andersen Worldwide, overseeing the global implementation of Internet-related network architectures, and a Project Manager, Systems Specialist and Systems Engineer with IBM, supporting networking technologies and database publishing applications. Michael earned his BS in Chemical Engineering at Washington University and has a Certificate in Management from the Chicago Management Institute at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

David is the Executive Director of the Center for Economic Progress, a statewide and national advocacy and service organization that seeks to increase economic opportunities for low-income families, children and individuals by improving access to public, private and non-profit programs and services. Among the Center’s programs is the Tax Counseling Project, the nation’s largest free, community-based tax preparation program. Prior to joining the Center in 1998, David was the founding director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, a statewide coalition of organizations promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees. He has worked in the Chicago non-profit community for 25 years as a community organizer, outreach worker and activist seeking to advance opportunities for economically and politically disadvantaged persons. David has a Master's Degree in political economy from Northwestern University.

Jason is a leading expert in the field of performance measurement and benchmarking. He is the founder and Managing Director of Mission Measurement, LLC. Mission Measurement helps corporations, nonprofits and foundations measure and improve their social impact. Jason teaches performance measurement and benchmarking at the Center for Public/Nonprofit Management, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is also the author of the book Benchmarking for Nonprofits: How to Manage, Measure and Improve Performance, published in 2004 by Fieldstone Press. Benchmarking for Nonprofits was awarded the 2005 Ben Franklin Award for Best Business Book of the Year by the Independent Publisher’s Association. Prior to Mission Measurement, Jason was chief executive officer of B2PCommerce, a software firm focused on nonprofits and foundations. From 1996-1999, Jason practiced as a public law and finance attorney, most recently at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, where he handled regulatory, government relations and municipal finance matters. In 1994, he co-founded the Center for What Works, a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes benchmarking in the nonprofit sector. Jason holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, a M.P.P. from Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A. in Government and French Literature from Cornell University. In 1989, he was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for leadership and public service.

Sarp is the Director of Technology Support Services at the Chicago Tribune, where he leads first level support of employees’ technology requirements and the technology infrastructure in Chicago data centers, and networking and telecommunications systems. Previously, Sarp was the Director of Information Systems at Danly IEM and held the executive role to lead the company’s sales team. Earlier in his career, Sarp held a number of management roles at the Westell Technologies. Sarp holds the Master of Science in management information systems and an MBA from the Northern Illinois University. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Bogaziçi University in Turkey. He continues his advanced education in leadership and innovation with the Aji Network in California.

Julia is Brand Marketing Director at the Chicago Tribune, where she is currently responsible for directing marketing initiatives across the company’s portfolio of brands. Her efforts include the development of strategic brand positioning platforms and marketing communication campaigns driving key business metrics for the company. Previously, Julia served as Vice President of Brand Marketing for The Mills Corporation where she built a high-performing brand management team to direct marketing and communications strategy for a rapidly growing global portfolio of retail shopping centers. She also played marketing and finance roles at United Airlines where she developed strategies to respond to a rapidly changing airline industry, post-2001. She started her career as a management trainee in marketing, finance and dealer relations at the Ford Motor Company. Julia received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. A licensed private pilot, Julia is an active volunteer for Junior Achievement of Chicago and Taproot Foundation—both as advisor and volunteer account director.

Jeff is Chief Evangelist and head of strategic marketing in the Global Marketing Solutions group at Fair Isaac Corporation, the leading provider of decision management solutions powered by advanced analytics. The co-author of two bestselling business books, The Seven Steps to Nirvana (McGraw-Hill, 2001) and Precision Marketing (Wiley, 2004), Jeff writes for several trade magazines and his research has been published in leading practitioner and academic journals. He is a frequent speaker at business forums in North America and Europe, and he has consulted to some of the world’s largest brands on issues related to e-business transformation and interactive marketing. Previously, Jeff was Vice President of Marketing for Seurat Company, which was acquired by Fair Isaac in 2003. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Jeff served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, working with the United States Agency for International Development to build potable water systems in rural communities. In addition to his work with the Taproot Foundation as advisor and volunteer brand strategist, he currently serves as a trustee of the Marketing Science Institute.

Product Management, Google

Vice President, Albata Technologies, Inc.

Director, Arts Work Fund

Vice President, Development and Communications, Music Institute of Chicago

Founder and Managing Partner. Lantern Partners

Director of Business Planning & Development, NAVTEQ