Keynote & Honoree: As head of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike led Illinois through the COVID-19 pandemic, providing guidance for Illinoisans, and collaborating with businesses, community organizations, and healthcare institutions to ensure we emerge safe and healthy. In addition to guiding our state through an unprecedented challenge, Dr. Ezike broke barriers as the first Black woman to lead the agency in its 140+ year history. Dr. Ezike will soon begin a new role as the CEO of Sinai Chicago, the city’s largest private safety-net health system.

Honoree: As one of our longest-serving board members—and through her philanthropy and leadership of our Quality Jobs Council—Lydia Bueschel has demonstrated deep commitment to advancing equity for working women and families. She is a shareholder at a wholly-women owned law firm that she co-founded in 2016, and serves on the the board of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, where she leads the association’s efforts to foster business collaboration and support among minority and women-owned firms across the country. In her pre-law life, she was a social worker and ran a modern dance company.

Honoree: Throughout her career, Katya Nuques has led the charge to reform and confront systemic barriers through economic access, equity, and opportunity, creating meaningful change for individuals in the Little Village community and beyond. Before joining the Robert R. McCormick Foundation in 2022, she served as the Executive Director of Enlace Chicago, leading them through a period of unprecedented growth and playing a critical role in supporting Chicago’s response to mitigate COVID-19’s public health and economic impacts.