Sandy Prabhakar is a Managing Director - Midwest Leader the Armory Group. He works in investment banking and restructuring advisory services and specializes in Mergers and Acquisitions and Capital Advisory where he advises C-Suite management teams and Middle Market business owners as they navigate complex financial transactions.
Sandy and his wife Lynn have been event sponsors and connected with the Mission of Alzheimer’s for several years. He continues to serve as a Planning Committee Member for the annual Memory Rock Chicago event with the Associations’ Illinois Chapter, which will be hosting its 17th annual event in 2023.
His late Father-in-law (Paul Lemire) passed away in 2007 after a 12-year fight with Frontal Temporal Dementia, which drives his and his family’s passion for helping and serving the Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter.
Sandy joined the Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter Board of Directors on July 1, 2017, and was recently appointed Chair for the Illinois Chapter Board.
Marta Cerda is a dedicated leader with over 35 years in the business, not-for-profit, philanthropic and political arenas. She is at the helm of one of the largest and oldest, Latino-led not-for-profits in the City of Chicago, ASI. There she oversees major contracts with the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, serving hundreds of clients and managing approximately 320+ employees.
Recently, Ms. Cerda created the first mid-west conference focused on the home care aide, ASI Elevating Home Care to the Next Level. This past year, Crain's Chicago Business recognized Ms. Cerda as a Notable Women in Healthcare. In 2021, she was given a Legacy Award from the National Council of Puerto Rican Women - Northern Illinois Chapter.
Marta Cerda is a recognized thought leader in the areas of healthcare, population health, aging populations, and workforce development. She is the Vice Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation. In healthcare, she is Vice President of the Illinois Association of Community Care Providers Homecare and presented at the National Multi Cultural Marketing Conference. She was a member of the prestigious Leadership Academy for Healthcare Transformation, part of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association in conjunction with Rush University. This June 2019, Ms. Cerda was recognized by Negocios Now as a member of the Who's Who in the not-for-profit community and in 2020 as Healthcare Latino Leader Fighting COVID-19.
Prior to leading ASI, Ms. Cerda was Chair of Norwegian American Hospital Board of Trustees, a corporate board. She is one of the few Latinas to hold such a position in the State of Illinois and is a former Chair of both the Governance Committee and the CEO Search Committee. Ms. Cerda was appointed as the Chair of Century PHO (a physician's group) and was on the board of Family Health Network, a health plan.
Ms. Cerda was the Deputy Director of Cook County Works where she oversaw internal operations for the County's employment and training system. Before this position, Ms. Cerda was the Director of the Chicago Workforce Centers for the Chicago Workforce Investment Board, where she managed the transformation of the City of Chicago's One-Stop Career Centers.
Prior to making her mark in workforce development, Ms. Cerda managed the supplier diversity program for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McCormick Place and Navy Pier). Prior to this, she worked for U.S. Senator Paul Simon where she managed key relationships within the Latino community and addressed constituents' immigration issues.
Most recently, Ms. Cerda became a National Museum of Mexican Art Trustee. She is a member of the Illinois Unidos, and a member of the healthcare committee of the Puerto Rican Agenda. Her volunteer and civic participation includes service as: President of the Board of Directors of ASI; 230 East Ontario Condominium Association President; and Golden Apple Foundation Board member (Executive Committee). Previously she served as: Mujeres Latinas en Acción Board President; Latin Giving Circle Grant Making Committee Co-Chair; Young Leaders Fund of the Chicago Community Trust Steering Committee Member; ACLU of Illinois Board Member; and Merit School of Music Associate Board Member.
Ms. Cerda has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. She is a candidate for the Northwestern-Kellogg School Executive Scholar Program. She was a National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellow (1993) where she attended the Center for Creative Leadership and a Harvard Kennedy School public policy course.
Aimee Nolen is the General Counsel of Zoro, Aimee is responsible for developing and advising on a risk-aware legal strategy aligned with Zoro’s fast-paced, high-growth endless assortment model. She leads the Legal, Procurement, Product Compliance, Data Privacy, and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) teams.
Before joining Zoro in 2024, Aimee served as the Vice President and Associate General Counsel for W.W. Grainger, Inc. Her team was responsible for legal support of technology and eCommerce matters as well as privacy, data protection and security, and all aspects of Grainger’s IP portfolio. These included patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and domain names. She also supported the company’s global product sourcing efforts, as well as the Marketing and Advertising, Real Estate, Indirect Procurement, and Corporate Communications teams, and served on the company’s Pandemic Response Leadership team.
Aimee has also served as primary legal counsel to several Grainger business units and has advised in the areas of corporate and commercial law, securities, bankruptcy, and credit and collections, to name a few. She has extensive experience working on large, complex projects and has successfully supported many strategic initiatives.
Aimee is a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) and is the immediate past Board Chair of the Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter (a member of the Chapter Board since 2017). She served as the Chair of the Illinois Women Conquer ALZ (IWCA) from 2017 to 2020. She is also an Executive Member of the Board of Directors of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation and was named a Crain’s 2022 Notable Nonprofit Board Leader.
Aimee earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University. Aimee also participated in the KMI Executive Management Program at Northwestern University. She resides in Evanston, Illinois, with her family and enjoys traveling and going to live music events.
Nick Gialessas is a Vice President at Kaufman Hall, a leading healthcare advisory company, and a member of the firm's Mergers and Acquisitions practice. Focused on providing merger and acquisition advisory services to healthcare organizations including health systems, community hospitals, academic medical centers, physician practices, laboratory service providers, managed care companies and other non-acute businesses, his responsibilities include transaction management, valuation, and ongoing strategic advice regarding transaction execution.
Prior to joining Kaufman Hall, Nick worked in the investment banking divisions at Raymond James and U.S. Bancorp providing advisory services to healthcare clients nationwide, including acute care hospitals, health systems, children's hospitals, and non-acute healthcare organizations. In these roles, Nick's expertise centered on capital market solutions, including tax-exempt and taxable debt, public offerings, bank placements, and interest rate hedging alternatives.
Nick's professional experience involves extensive work with mission driven organizations including assisting the respective boards of non-profit healthcare delivery networks as they contemplate and execute transformative strategic inflection points for their organizations.
Serving the mission of the Alzheimer's Association is a natural extension of Nick's mission driven work and a passion that is grounded in personal experience - Nick's father, Spyro, passed away from early onset Alzheimer's at the age of 67 after a 15-year fight. Nick joined the Alzheimer's Association, Illinois Chapter Board on July 1, 2021, after previously serving on the Alzheimer's Association Junior Board for 5 years.
Nick received his M.B.A. with concentrations in Strategy and Managing Organizations from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and his B.A. in Economics and B.A. in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was also a member of the University's football team.
Cheri McEssy is owner of CMAC Ventures LLC which allows her to financially invest and formally provide coaching, mentoring and consulting to businesses and start ups. McEssy is a partner in McVentures LLC which is focused on investing time, treasure and talent in business endeavors that work in the wellness, aging and health technology fields with a special emphasis on empowering women founded companies. Following a successful exit from her BrightStar Care home care and healthcare staffing business, McEssy uses her experience as a nurse executive and business owner to now focus on investment opportunities and philanthropic interests.
McEssy is an experienced and sought after board member, advisory and governance. McEssy attended Marquette University and is a member of their Leadership Board at the College of Nursing; her clinical career was in critical care/trauma. McEssy has received numerous clinical, business and professional excellence awards and is also the founder of Springboard Chicago, a women's professional development group.
Cheri is from the Chicago area and is actively involved in the community. She chairs the Strategic Planning Board for a faith-based organization, chairs the Board Development & Recruitment committee as a member of the Illinois Alzheimer's Association Board of Directors and is a member of the Necessities 100 Board serving Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Research. She participated in and developed a number of medical mission trips to the Andes Mountains in Bolivia.
McEssy has served in many other leadership roles, including chair of the BrightStar Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) and as a CSA. Memberships include Women Business Leaders in Healthcare (WBL), American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Women Presidents' Organization (WPO).
McEssy is an avid animal lover and ardent supporter of the Chicago theater world. Proudly a season ticket holder for the Chicago Bulls and MU basketball for 15+ years.
Bruce Hopple joined Avison Young in 2018 as a Senior Vice President on the tenant representation team. Bruce focuses on new business development and transaction advisory services for professional service firms, not-for-profits and local and national corporations. With more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience, Hopple is an expert in financial and market analysis, negotiation and commercial real estate trends. Hopple was most recently a senior director with Cushman & Wakefield in Chicago.
During his career, Hopple has completed transactions for his clients valued at more than $2 billion, ranging in size from 1,000 square feet (sf) to 150,000-sf headquarters locations. A consistent top producer, his clients include American Board of Medical Specialties, Chicago Stock Exchange, CPG International; Gibbs & Soell; Landrum and Brown; Leadership Greater Chicago; March of Dimes; The Posse Foundation; SKF USA; Wonderlic, Inc.; Woolpert, Inc.; and Zurich Insurance.
Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Hopple was a senior vice president at Colliers International and The Staubach Company. Before his career in commercial real estate, Hopple served as in-house counsel for Chase Bank in Ohio and was a senior administrator at the University of Cincinnati.
Hopple’s community service has included board positions with USO of Illinois, March of Dimes, Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows Association, the Pilsen/Rauner Family YMCA and Chicago Office Leasing Brokers Association (COLBA). He holds his juris doctorate and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati. Hopple is a licensed real estate managing broker in the State of Illinois and is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois.
Barry Masek, over 40 years of experience serving middle-market and large manufacturing and distribution companies, including public and private equity owned. Held several leadership roles at Baker Tilly and served on the Baker Tilly’s Board of Partners. Prior to joining Baker Tilly, Barry was the chief financial officer for a distribution company. Prior to that, he was a partner with Arthur Andersen.
Specific experience
- Has led large engagement teams serving middle-market and large companies, including public and private equity-owned companies
- Assists companies with merger, acquisition and due diligence transactions
- Specializes in assisting companies with multiple entities, multiple locations and international operations
- Lead advisory relationship partner on large public company projects, including restatements, internal audit and SOX service � working closely with management and audit committees
- EVP and CFO, changed Banking relationship and healthcare service provider for better service and lower cost
- Led implementation of first time, fully integrated ERP system
- Industry specialization in manufacturing and distribution
Industry and civic involvement
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Illinois CPA Society
- Association for Corporate Growth
- Illinois Venture Capital Association
- Clearbrook
- Chair of the Board of Directors
- Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation
- Board of Directors member
- Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Medical Center
- Finance Committee, formerly on Audit Committee
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, School of Accountancy
- Advisory Board
Dr. Carol Shaw Burns has twenty-seven years of experience within the aging services field. Dr. Burns is an experienced nursing home administrator and is certified as a dementia practitioner through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. She also recently received a certificate in Health Care Corporate Compliance.
As an administrative gerontologist, Dr. Burns oversees resident health, safety, and well-being initiatives within the field of senior services continuum of care. Within her profession, she is a passionate advocate for older adults and their family members particularly those who are impacted by Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments.
Dr. Burns is an active volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association and other organizations that support the quality of life, well-being, and person-centered approach to caring for older adults.
Dr. Burns is currently a Corporate Director for Vi Living which is a high-end continuing care retirement organization that serves ten locations throughout the United States. She supports and works closely with the resident care staff to provide quality services throughout the continuum of care which include independent living, assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing care.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a Master’s in Public Administration, Master of Philosophy in human and social services and a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Services Administration.
Dr. Burns’ doctoral dissertation is entitled Assisted Living Transition: Experiences of Family Members of Older African American Women. Her study explored the perceptions and insights of family member caregivers during the transition of their aging loved one into an assisted living facility. The research analysis and findings provide foundational data to understand the experiences of family members as they serve as the primary caregivers of these older African American women.
To encourage more professionals in the field of aging, Dr. Burns serves as a mentor to undergraduate students pursuing a degree in health administration, human services, and gerontology. Additionally, Dr. Burns is an author of two children’s books focused on the intergenerational relationship between children and older adults. The books are titled “Grandma Goes to School” and “Grandma's House: Jacob's Adventure.”
Ajay Sood, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of Neurology with the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He completed Medical School at the University College of Medical Sciences (India), PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Medical College of Georgia, Internship in Internal Medicine at Loyola University, Chicago, Neurology residency at Loyola University Chicago, and State University of New York, Syracuse. After completing his neurology residency, Sood received further training in Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at Baylor University, Houston, TX. He is board-certified in Neurology and Psychiatry. Sood’s academic career interests include understanding the underlying mechanisms responsible for neurodegenerative conditions and advancing therapeutics in these conditions, improving quality of care for patients suffering from dementia and associated conditions, and providing education and best care practices to community and physicians treating these conditions.
After completing his education, Sood worked as a cognitive neurologist at AMITA Health, IL, for about five years, before joining the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He served as a principal investigator and sub-investigator for several pharmaceutical-sponsored, NIH-sponsored trials in dementia. Sood is also involved in epidemiological research at Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He is also a part of the clinical care team to evaluate patients with various cognitive complaints at Rush memory center.
Sood serves as a member of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Illinois chapter research committee and dementia working group international committee for ASPREE-XT. He is a member of the American Academy of neurology and Alzheimer’s association. He has authored/co-authored several manuscripts on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, including quality improvement parameters in patients with mild cognitive impairment (part of the AAN committee). He is currently involved in multiple projects involving dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Frank Walton - DE&I Committee Chair
Jeremy Kruidenier - Public Policy Committee
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