City Year Chicago Board

Jeff Cohodes, Chair

President, Corporate & Institutional Services, Americas, Chief Advisor – Global Counterpart Strategy, Northern Trust

Jeff Cohodes has been a dedicated member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2012, most recently board vice chair. Jeff served most recently as president of Northern Trust’s Corporate and Institutional Services Americas until his retirement in 2018. Over Jeff’s 25-year career with Northern Trust, he led a number of business units as chief risk officer, executive vice president in wealth management, chief operating officer in asset management, head of global corporate strategy, and head of middle market commercial lending. Jeff is currently a senior lecturer at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Jeff received his undergraduate degree in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA degree in finance and accounting from the Graduate School of Business (now Booth) at the University of Chicago and holds an inactive certified public accountant license. Jeff is the president of Temple Chai congregation, a former member of the Board of Directors for the Golden Apple Foundation for 20 years and was a member of the Economic Club of Chicago for 12 years.

Kristen Saranteas, Vice Chair

Head of Treasury Management, First Midwest Bank

Kristen Saranteas serves as head of treasury management at First Midwest. Prior to joining First Midwest Bank, she served as senior vice president at Wintrust leading the treasury sales, solutions and support team. Kristen has over 25 years in sales and management experience in this space, spanning from domestic small business coverage through global, large corporate transaction services.

Kristen received her undergraduate degree from Miami University and attended Harvard Business School Executive Education Program while working with the Royal Bank of Scotland. Kristen is actively involved in the local community and has served on the Executive Board of City Year Chicago since 2006. She currently serves as chair of the Finance and Development Committee for City Year and serves as the treasurer for Foundations of Music. She is also actively involved with Chicago Cares, Working in the Schools (WITS) and is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, Class of 2020.

Michael Alter 

President, Alter Group

A founding member of the City Year Chicago Board, Michael Alter has served on the board since 1993.

Susan Beverly

Senior Director of Sustainability, Abbott

Susan Beverly has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2017.

Steve Birchard

Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Steve Birchard has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2013.

Kate Boege

Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Wintrust Financial Corporation

Kate Boege has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2016.

John Crowley

Regional Senior Vice President, Comcast

John Crowley has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2012.

John Gilligan

Partner, BDT & Company

John Gilligan has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2014.

Will Flatt

Principal, Free Market Ventures

Will Flatt has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2017.

Ravin Gandhi

CEO & Co-Founder, GMM Nonstick Coatings

Ravin Gandhi has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2016.

Casey Keller

CEO, Peet’s Coffee

Casey Keller has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2009.

Tom Livingston

Regional Vice President – Midwest State Relations & Government Affairs, CSX Transportation

Tom Livingston has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2004.

Linda Myers

Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Linda Myers has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2016.

Matt Norton

Managing Director, Madison Dearborn Partners

Matt Norton has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2014.

Steve Quazzo

CEO, Pearlmark Real Estate Partners

A founding member of the City Year Chicago Board, Steve Quazzo has served on the board since 1993.

Dawn Reese

Director of Strategic Development, Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education (CAFÉ)

Dawn Reese has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2017.

Jeff Smith

Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Jeff Smith has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2012.

Michael Strautmanis

Vice President, Civic Engagement, The Obama Foundation

Michael Strautmanis has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2017.

Steve Zandpour

Regional President – Head of Retail Banking, BMO Harris Bank

Steve Zandpour has served as a member of the City Year Chicago Board since 2018.