Beth has over 25 years of IT and data science experience. She is a global executive leader, a former IBM distinguished engineer, chief data officer and a practicing cognitive scientist.  She has a proven track record of driving transformation for clients through the design and delivery of operationalized AI systems that are sustainable, ethical, and can be adopted by every human.

Bast AI is a software company that enables humans to experience trusted AI.

Kelly is accomplished leader and serial entre/intre-preneur with extensive experience leading transformative growth, pioneering innovation, orchestrating mergers and acquisitions, and executing strategic investment initiatives across diverse sectors.

She played a pivotal role in shaping the skills economy by pioneering the first data and AI technologies to facilitate skills-based hiring and learning, including the first open-source skills taxonomy.

Rich has more than 40 years of corporate HR experience….most recently as the CHRO of McDonald’s for twelve years…and is now working with the HR Policy Association in the areas of executive compensation (Center on Executive Compensation), health care (Health Transformation Alliance) and CHRO development. In addition, he is providing consulting assistance to other CHROs and those organizations that support the further development of the function.

He is a member of the National Academy of Human Resources and a board member of the Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.

Bridget Altenburg was appointed as the CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future on July 1, 2023. Ms. Altenburg’s career includes experience in the non-profit and for-profit sectors as well as military service. Ms. Altenburg served as CEO and COO at National Able Network, a large workforce organization, for ten years. Before that she led Chicago Cares for three years. Prior to her work with Chicago Cares, Bridget directed the development, marketing and communications for the Academy for Urban School Leadership which was recognized by President Obama as a national model for education reform.  Ms. Altenburg began her career as an engineer officer in the US Army where she deployed three times in four years. Ms. Altenburg earned a BS in Russian and French from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York. Ms. Altenburg was appointed to the Board of Visitors for the United States Military Academy at West Point by President Obama. She currently serves on the boards of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, Senator Duckworth’s Service Academy Board, and Allied Airlift. 

Andy has advised and worked side-by-side with CEOs and senior executives for over 30 years at McKinsey, Discover Financial Services, and through his volunteer and philanthropic activities.  As a Senior Partner with McKinsey, Andy advised CEOs and top management teams in banking, asset management, insurance, and other sectors.  As the Chief Human Resources & Chief Administration Officer at Discover, Andy set and aligned strategy to the talent agenda, management system, and culture; and orchestrated many enterprise initiatives, including opening large operating centers in overlooked communities on the south side of Chicago and in Columbus. His volunteer and philanthropic portfolio is focused on social and economic inclusion in the US, and leadership development.

Pam Tully is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Skills for Chicagoland’s future, where she leads the organization’s strategic and operational efforts to connect underrepresented job seekers on Chicago’s south and west sides with employer opportunities across industries. In her role she oversees talent acquisition, client services, business development, community partnerships, career access and data insights and analytics. Before her current position, Pam was Chief Operating Officer at The Chicago Lighthouse, leading operations for a $45 million dollar nonprofit, dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities, veterans and the visually impaired. Her work there included expanding social enterprise initiatives, growing the workforce by 200 employees, and enhancing operational efficiencies. Prior to the work at The Chicago Lighthouse, Pam was the EVP at United Way of Metro Chicago leading community building and fundraising. She has also held leadership positions in manufacturing and engineering at Cummins Engine Company and ITW Hi-Cone. 

Mingee has over a decade in workforce absence management consulting and served as national practice leader at HUB International, where her team supported $60M+ of commission revenue through consulting services.  Mingee has worked with employer organizations spanning all market segments and multiple industries, including food and beverage distribution, educational services and healthcare.  After 12 years in the insurance and HR industry, Mingee took a leap into the technology sector.  After transitioning to the tech industry, Mingee focused on customer success, working with both on-premise and SaaS customers.  She has built and established customer success programs, spanning North America and Central Europe.  As part of her role, Mingee developed and implemented customer success procedures to ensure smooth transition from the bottom of the sales funnel to new client onboarding and go-live.  Mingee leveraged her prior consulting experience to mentor customer success managers to listen to customers, solicit feedback and anticipate customers’ needs.  Her passion for employee advocacy and development provides a natural fit for Career Highways’ mission.

Daniel is an experienced leader with over two decades leading and scaling new initiatives in private and social impact spaces.  As Vice President of Programs and Civic Engagement at Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC), Daniel is co-leading the work of leveraging the city as a living classroom to create tangible experiences for the community of 1,500+ Fellows that prompts action for a better more equitable Chicago and the Region. Prior to joining LGC, he was a founding senior member and former SVP of National Expansion and Strategic Initiatives for Skills for America’s Future.

Daniel serves on the board of the Leadership Council for Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center, Territory NFP, and The Ladder, a career accelerator for Black and Latino Innovators under Chicago Innovation. Daniel earned his MBA from Loyola University Chicago and undergraduate from DePaul University. He is a 2016 Fellow of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy and Catalyst member with the Stand Together Foundation.

Terry is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Alia Education, an online SAT preparation platform, and a Senior Machine Learning Scientist at Maxar Technologies. Previously, Terry received his PhD from Columbia University, where his thesis focused on applied methods for energy system analysis. Across these different roles, Terry has spent the last 8 years applying machine learning and AI to improve existing engineering and data science processes. 

Rishi is the co-founder and CEO of Alia Education, an online SAT preparation platform, and the owner of Kindred Education – a tutoring and college consulting business. Previously, Rishi worked in Customer Operations as part of the founding team at healthcare startup Grow Therapy (Series C, Sequoia backed) and as an Investment Banker at BofA Merrill Lynch’s M&A division. Rishi earned a B.S in Mathematics at Duke University.