Landmarks Illinois

Founded in 1971

Executive Committee

Shelley Gorson Chairman

Shelley is a former real estate specialist in southeast Florida, who moved in 2002 to Chicago, where she is a member of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents. She has a B.A. in sociology and art history from Tulane University, an M.S.T. in elementary education from the University of Chicago, and an M.M. in real estate from Florida International University.

Alicia Mazur Berg Vice Chairman

Alicia is vice president of campus environment at Columbia College. Previously, as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, her projects included the conversion of the Chicago Bee Building, the Reliance Building, and Tree Studios-Medinah Temple. A native of Nashville, Tenn., Alicia has a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a master’s in urban planning from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Bonnie McDonald President

Bonnie McDonald joined Landmarks Illinois in 2012, after seven years as executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, based in St. Paul. Prior to that, she held positions with the Anoka County (MN) Historical Society, the Preservation League of New York State, and Preservation Action in Washington D.C. Bonnie has a Bachelor of Arts in Art History (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University. Photo credit: Simon Edelman

Frieda Ireland Treasurer

Frieda is vice president of internal audits for Telephone & Data Systems, Inc.  Prior to joining TDS in 2003, she worked at Alliant Foodservice, Inc., the Container Corporation of America, and Midlantic Banks, Inc.  Frieda has a B.A. in accounting from Rutgers and a M.B.A. in finance from Drexel University. She also is a certified public accountant.

Graham Grady Secretary

Graham is a shareholder at Shefsky & Froelich who focuses his practice on government relations, zoning, land use, licensing and regulatory matters.  He is a past Zoning Administrator and Commissioner of Buildings for the City of Chicago. He has a B.A. from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.

Julie Bauer General Counsel

Julie is a partner in the litigation department of Winston & Strawn LLP, where her clients range from individuals to Fortune 500 corporations to not-for-profit organizations. Julie joined the firm in 1987, following a clerkship with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  She received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Illinois.

Jean A. Follett Chair Issues Committee

Jean is an editor and historic preservation consultant based in Hinsdale. She formerly was an elected Village Trustee for Hinsdale and chair of its Historic Preservation Commission. She has a B.A. degree in the history of architecture and planning from Brown University and a PhD in American and New England studies from Boston University.

Delph Gustitus Chair, Fund and Easement Committee

Delph is a principal with Environ International Corporation’s building technical services practice, where his focus is the investigation and repair of older and historic building envelopes. He has a B.S, in civil engineering, an M.Arch., and an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Joseph Antunovich Member at Large

Joe is president of Antunovich Associates, an architectural firm whose preservation projects include the conversion of the Reliance Building to the Hotel Burnham and the restoration of the Cable and Nickerson houses.  Joe was born in New Zealand and received his B.Arch. and M.Arch. degrees from the University of Southern California, prior to moving to Chicago in 1974.

Susan Baldwin Burian Member at Large

Susan is the principal of Baldwin Historic Properties, which consults on tax benefit certifications, rehab standards, landmark designations, permit review assistance, and project feasibility.  After living in London and Singapore for four years, Susan returned to Chicago in 2009.

Anne B. Voshel Member at Large

Anne is the owner of AVA Consultants, which provides owner’s representative services for commercial real estate. Anne has been a previous member of LI’s board, including its Vice Chair and the chair of the Real Estate and Building Industries Council awards event. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

Paul O’Kelly Member at Large

Paul is the retired president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Stock Exchange. Previously, he had held positions with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission.  He has a B.A. in history and a J.D. degree from Loyola University of Chicago.

Anne-Marie St. Germaine Member at Large

Anne-Marie is the chief creative officer for Resolute Consulting, a public affairs firm. Previously, she was vice president of external affairs for the Chicago Botanic Garden. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Board of Directors

Heather Becker

Heather is president of The Chicago Conservation Center, Inc., the nation’s largest private art conservation facility. She is author of “Art for the People” on Chicago murals and art preservation (Chronicle Books, 2004) and has exhibited her own figurative oil paintings nationally and in Europe. She studied painting and art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the International School of Art in Italy.

Dale Chapman

Dale is the president of Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey, where he supervised $123 million in capital projects, including the conversion of a vacant historic industrial complex into the school’s Edwardsville campus. A native of Walton, Ky., Dale has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky, a master’s from Michigan State University, and a doctorate from Harvard University.

Lisa Fiorenza

Lisa is a senior associate in Plante Moran's Housing and Community Development Solutions group, which has helped structure over 80 Historic Tax Credit syndications bringing more than $500 million of tax credit equity to the rehabilitation of Historic Buildings throughout Illinois and 20 other states. Lisa is a CPA who, in addition to providing tax credit syndication expertise, also provides audit and tax services to her real estate clients.

Richard F. Friedman

Richard is an attorney with the Chicago law firm of Neal & Leroy, LLC, where he concentrates in real estate, litigation, condemnation, and municipal law.  He is a former legal counsel to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. He has a B.S. in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a J.D. from the University of Chicago.

Edward Gerns

Ed is a project manager at Wiss Janney Elstner Associates, an engineering and architecture firm based in Northbrook. Since joining WJE in 1990, Ed has conducted building condition surveys and overseen repair documents for hundreds of contemporary and historic structures, ranging from churches to high-rise offices. He has a B.Arch. from Ball State University and an M.Arch. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Philip Hamp

Phil is a principal at the Chicago architectural firm of Vinci |Hamp Architects, Inc., whose projects include the Henry Ford Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Smart Museum, the University Club, and Wingspread, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence in Racine, Wis.  He has a B.A. in American studies from the University of Michigan and an M.Arch from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

Martin Harper

Marty is a senior vice president and strategic planning director at Leo Burnett USA, where his clients range from Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods to General Motors and the U.S. Army. He has a B.S.E. in industrial and operations engineering and an M.B.A. in marketing from the University of Michigan, along with an M.S. in historic preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Kathryn Gibbons Johnson

Kathryn, an attorney, recently moved to Chicago, where she resides in the former residence of acclaimed architect John Wellborn Root in the Gold Coast Historic District.  She has a B.A. from Wittenberg University and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law. 

Jan Kostner

Jan is the deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and chief of the Bureau of Tourism

Sean McGowan

Sean is the chief operating officer of Tawani Enterprises. He also oversees and manages the real estate renovation projects for the company.

Vincent L. Michael

Vince is the John Bryan Chair in Historic Preservation at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and chair emeritus of the National Council for Preservation Education. He has an A.B. and A.M. from the University of Chicago and a PhD in art history from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

David Moes

David co-leads the disputes and investigations practice at Navigant Consulting, where he has extensive experience in forensic investigations, commercial litigation, antitrust matters, tax litigation and damage analysis and modeling.  He has a B.B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin and he is a certified public accountant.

Jorge A. Moreno

Jorge, the founder and owner of CivCon Services, Inc, has over 25 years of design, field engineering and program managements experience on transportation and site development projects. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Karen A. Prieur

Karen recently moved to Chicago from Toronto, where she had been a board member of several music organizations. Prior to that, she had lived in Boston, where she was also an active volunteer. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Western Ontario, a B.Ed. from Toronto Teachers College, and an M.Ed. from the University of Toronto.

Michael Rachlis

Michael is a partner in the commercial litigation firm of Rachlis Durham Duff Adler & Peel, LLC, and a longtime member of LI’s Issues Committee. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Sandra Rand

Sandra is a civic leader and philanthropist serving on the boards of Women’s Business Development Center, The Women’s Treatment Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago among others. She is a retired director with United Airlines.

Charles T. Rivkin

Chuck is the former CEO and operating partner of Central Building & Preservation and its predecessor, Central Building and Cleaning Co., where he continues to serve as an advisor. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a J.D. degree from Northwestern University Law School.

Janet Rotner

Janet, a retired interior designer, moved to Chicago from New York City in 2005. She previously served on the boards of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Children’s Garden of California. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Indiana University and studied interior design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Martin C. Tangora

Marty is a retired associate professor in mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He consults on architectural history and has been active in Chicago preservation issues since 1971. He has a B.S. from the California Institute of Technology and a PhD in mathematics from Northwestern University.

Will Tippens

Will is vice president of Related Midwest and specializes in zoning and land use planning, economic incentives for historic structures, and project management. Will previously served on the LI board from 2003 to 2009. He is currently the chair of Preservation Action.

Staff

Bonnie McDonald President

Bonnie McDonald joined Landmarks Illinois in 2012, after seven years as executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, based in St. Paul. Prior to that, she held positions with the Anoka County (MN) Historical Society, the Preservation League of New York State, and Preservation Action in Washington D.C. Her leadership positions include serving as chair of the public policy task force for statewide and local partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation; participant in the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation (St. Paul, MN); and chair of the public policy subcommittee for the Building Jobs Coalition (St. Paul, MN). Bonnie has a Bachelor of Arts in Art History (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University. Photo credit: Simon Edelman

Frank Butterfield Director of Springfield Field Office

Frank joined Landmarks Illinois’ staff in 2013. He was previously director/field officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation Wisconsin Field Office for three years. Prior to the National Trust, he held positions with the Roger Brown Study Collection and DePaul University in Chicago. Frank has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Boston College and a Master of Science degree in historic preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Lisa DiChiera Director of Advocacy

Lisa rejoined Landmarks Illinois’ staff in 2003, having been its former director of Chicago Programs (1994-1997). From 1998 to 2002, she worked as a project manager for the Detroit office of Hines Interests. She also has worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Lisa received Bachelor of Art degrees in art and architectural history from UCLA and a Master of Science in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Leanne Gehrig Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator

Leanne joined Landmarks Illinois’ staff in 2013. Her duties include general office coordination, board liaison, assistant to the president, and development support. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture and Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) both from Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. She previously worked as a project manager at Partners for Sacred Places in Chicago.

Suzanne Germann Director of Grants and Easements

Suzanne joined Landmarks Illinois’ staff in 2004. She previously had been a preservation planner for the City of Lake Forest, Illinois, and a historian for a local architectural firm. In addition to her primary duties, Suzanne supervises the Illinois County Courthouse Initiative and the Richard H. Driehaus Preservation Awards. She has Bachelor of Art degrees in art history and photography from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a Master of Science degree in historic preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Mina McMahon Director of Events

Mina joined Landmarks Illinois’ staff in 2005, initially as an administrative assistant. Her current duties include the Legendary Landmarks Gala, Skyline Council, Louis Sullivan Society Events, and the Real Estate and Building Industries Council Awards. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Northern Michigan University.

Marija D. Rich Director of Membership and Communication

Marija joined Landmarks Illinois in 1989, initially as an administrative assistant. In addition to her primary duties, Marija is the organization’s computer network administrator and assists extensively with events. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Landmarks Illinois
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53 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604 
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© 2010 Landmarks Illinois. All rights reserved. In addition to the copyright to this collective work, copyright to the materials which appear on this site may be held by the individual authors or others. Landmarks Illinois is a
tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1971 and is the state's leading voice for historic preservation.