Session 1 Speaker Bios

  • Director of Community Engagement, William Blair

    Nancy Bonges serves as director of community engagement, leading the strategy, impact, and evolution of William Blair’s global philanthropy initiatives. She externally champions William Blair’s culture of philanthropic commitment and serves as an in-house expert to motivate, recognize, and celebrate employee engagement.

    Before joining William Blair, Nancy was program officer for The Allstate Foundation’s racial equity philanthropic pillar. Working with company leaders and external community partners, she formed a strategy to invest in programs advancing racial equity. She also held roles overseeing the foundation’s thought leadership, data analytics, and social impact measurement frameworks to inform program investments, measure success, and showcase community involvement results.

    Nancy also served as community relations manager for CME Group in Chicago. While there, she designed and executed the company’s global corporate citizenship strategy, including managing contributions, employee volunteerism, and giving and disaster response. Nancy’s career began in higher education admissions and expanded into business development in financial services. She also led the University of Michigan’s Project Lighthouse, a program that promoted higher education among underserved high school students in inner-city Detroit.

    Nancy has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and a master’s degree in integrated marketing and communications from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She is a board member of the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), a member at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago Economic Inclusion & Equity Advisory Council, and member of the Social Innovation Leadership Council. Nancy is an avid global volunteer. She’s completed community service projects in Singapore, Indonesia, India, Peru, and Guinea. In her free time, Nancy enjoys exploring “hole in the wall” ethnic restaurants and hosting game nights with friends. Nancy lives in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood with her husband and two children.

    Education

    • Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, M.S.
      Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, M.B.A.
      University of Michigan, B.A.

  • President & CEO, South Shore Synergy, LLC

    Shelley A. Davis is a leader with more than 25 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their governance, plan for leadership transitions, organizational culture, and build long-term sustainability. Her work is anchored in a deep belief that access, equity, and opportunity should be within reach for all families and communities.

    Shelley began her career in crisis intervention counseling and policy advocacy before moving into philanthropy, shaped by graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and early career positions at The Field Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and The Joyce Foundation. These experiences cemented her commitment to stewarding resources responsibly and partnering with communities to create lasting change.

    She has held significant leadership roles across the sector, including Vice President at the Chicago Foundation for Women and inaugural Executive Director of the Forest Preserve Foundation. Most recently, as President and CEO of The Coleman Foundation, Shelley led a $200M institution through its first strategic plan, governance strengthening, and focused grantmaking of over $10M annually to advance entrepreneurship, health, and disability inclusion.

    Today, Shelley serves as a fractional nonprofit executive and governance advisor through South Shore Synergy, where she supports organizations navigating succession planning, leadership transitions, talent systems, and culture change. She also serves as Senior Consultant to the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, helping grantee organizations enhance executive leadership and board effectiveness.

    Shelley’s civic leadership includes serving as a Trustee of Lawrence University and as a Partner with SVP Chicago. She previously served for a decade as an Illinois Commissioner of Juvenile Justice and as Chair of the Albert Pick Jr. Fund (2016–2025). She is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Chapter of the Private Directors Association.

    She occasionally lectures at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business’s Rustandy Center for Social Innovation, where she mentors graduate students on how nonprofits and philanthropy influence public policy.

    Recognized as a Top Philanthropist by Better Media Group and named to Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Black Leaders and Who’s Who lists (2022–2024), Shelley brings both expertise and heart to every engagement. She lives in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood with her husband and two young adult children and finds joy in storytelling, biking, swimming, yoga, and travel.

  • Co-Founder & Executive Director, Revolution Workshop

    Throughout his fifteen-year career in economic development, Manny has been an advocate for Chicago’s underserved communities. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and served for seven years as the Vice President of Economic Development for the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing. Afterwards, was employed as the Director of Replication for the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC). Currently, he is a sitting member of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB) and its Equity Taskforce. In 2017, Manny co-founded Revolution Workshop, a bold incubator that would serve as a pipeline to the construction industry. Using innovative practices, RW aims to uplift Chicago's underserved communities by providing free training for jobs in the skilled construction trades. More than a workforce development program, we are a family, delivering financial independence and careers through skills, hope, and resilience.

  • Community Engagement Director, Verizon

    Steven Shaw has over 25 years of experience spanning the private, government and nonprofit sectors.  Steven is currently the Community Engagement Director for the Midwest within the Public Policy practice at Verizon.  This Community Engagement role encompasses three primary areas: Education & Advocacy, Partnership (grantmaking), and Thought Leadership.

    In his most recent government work, Steven served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle; this role included representing the President at government forums and community events, as well as advising the Bureau of Economic Development and the Office of the Chief Information Officer in executing their respective project portfolios.  Prior to working for the County, Steven was an Associate Principal at Civic Consulting Alliance, providing strategy and management advisory services for public sector clients.  Steven began his career as a Strategy & Operations Business Analyst at Deloitte Consulting.  Steven received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Morehouse College and a Master in Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School.

  • Co-Founder & Executive Director, True Star Media

    DeAnna McLeary-Sherman is the co-founder and executive director of True Star Media, a non profit media company and digital agency led by youth.

    McLeary-Sherman is a purpose driven leader whose business acumen has had a significant impact on True Star and its ability to transform the lives of Chicago youth. Since the program’s inception in 2004, True Star has provided on-the-job training to nearly 20,000 youth ages 14-24 living primarily in underserved communities on the south and west sides of Chicago.

    True Star empowers underserved youth to forge their own paths by providing training and real-world work experience that teaches them how to develop, create, and market digital content on a platform that celebrates their identities and perspectives.

    Her vision led to the organization’s transformation from a print publication to a digital platform. But not only do young people produce for True Star, students also create digital content and provide digital marketing for external clients, some include: McDonalds, University of Chicago, City of Chicago, and State Farm, to name a few.

    McLeary-Sherman is a 2024 Chicago Innovation Award Winner, 2019 Google Impact Grant Challenge Winner, 2017 Social Venture Partners (SVP) pitch competition winner, and 2016 Vanguard Award Honoree recipient of the State of Illinois, Office of Comptroller. McLeary-Sherman a native Chicagoan, holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and an MBA with a concentration in marketing and finance from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). McLeary-Sherman is a wife and mother of three girls, ages 6, 7, and 10.