BETWEEN FRIENDS CHICAGO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of DIrectors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Verit Advisor
Is the owner of a boutique CPA firm in Evanston. Anna received an accounting degree from Northeastern Illinois University. Anna is involved in community and always ready to lend a hand; a problem solver; a mother to two awesome young men and two great dogs. Anna enjoys walking, travel, reading and outdoor concerts.
Bernard joined Between Friends in 2018. He primarily works on HR Personnel Documentation and Grants Training Compliance. Bernard collaborates with Managers and Directors to overcome technical issues that employees and clients may face, especially when working remotely. Bernard makes sure that staff are equipped to complete their work and to follow Federal, State, and Grant level training requirements and documentation. He also ensures that staff personnel documentation is up to date to reflect their growth at Between Friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Verit Advisor
Caroline joined the Between Friends Board of Directors in July 2023 and leads our Strategic Planning Committee. Caroline works at META and in her free time, enjoys spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / Retired Executive Director, TD Bank
- Retired
Craig joined the Board of Between Friends in July 2022 and is a member of the Internal Affairs Committee. In addition to his service with Between Friends, Craig is active as a volunteer consultant to Chicago area nonprofits and as a mentor to students and to refugees who have resettled in Chicago.
Craig held various senior corporate banking, structured finance and public finance positions before retiring in 2021. He received BA and MBA degrees from the University of Chicago.
Craig and his wife live in Humboldt Park. They enjoy spending time with their three adult children and one grandchild. Craig is an avid golfer and can often be found biking or dog walking on the 606.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Board of DIrectors
- President Emeritus
- Principal
- President Emeritus / Principal and Managing Attorney, Next Level Law
Daniel R. Hernandez, Esq. is a Founder and Principal Attorney at NextLevel Law, P.C. As an advocate and legal counsel, Daniel assists families experiencing divorce, child custody and support, domestic violence, and DCFS proceedings. Daniel has advocated on behalf of mothers, fathers, and even grandparents. Daniel is regularly appointed by Circuit Court judges to advocate on behalf of children as Guardian Ad Litem and Child Representative. Daniel also assists homebuyers and sellers through real estate transactions, bringing parties together to ensure a smooth transition and closing process.
Daniel has a passion for assisting the LGBT and Latino communities by volunteering his time at different nonprofit and membership associations. He currently serves as Vice President to Region IX at the Hispanic National Bar Association. Daniel's past service includes Chair of the LGBTQ Committee at the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois; Communications and Membership Chair of the LGBT Division at the Hispanic National Bar Association; and Vice-Chair on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee of the Young Lawyers Division at the American Bar Association. Daniel has written multiple publications and continuously follows issues affecting LGBT Latinos. In 2018, he co-chaired the HNBA LGBT Division's Annual LGBT Summit, bringing together panelists from across the nation to discuss issues affecting the LGBT Community and forming a plan of action.
Daniel's passion, determination, and hard work has been recognized by his peers and the overall community through accolades including the 2016 Favorite Adjunct Professor Award from UIC John Marshall Law School Student Bar Association. He has been recognized in lists such as the Windy City Times 30 under 30 Award (2018), BEQ Pride Magazine 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40 (2020); and Crain's LGBTQ Notable Executives (2020). In his spare time, Daniel enjoys spending time with family, exercising, and participating in intramural sports.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / CEO of Shore Community Services
Erin Ryan has over 20 years of experience leading organizations that provide direct services, housing supports, and healthcare to vulnerable youth, families, and individuals. Shore Community Services is a trusted leader in providing services and support for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families. As CEO, Erin provides leadership and vision to advance the mission and strategic goals of the organization, working closely with the Leadership Team and Board of Directors. Erin holds a Masters of Social Work and a Masters of Public Health, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Previously, Erin served in leadership roles at The Night Ministry and Lincoln Park Community Services. She has also served on the Board of Directors for several human service, healthcare, and social justice organizations such as ONE Northside, Engeye Health Clinic, and Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers. She lives in Skokie with her partner and twin fourth-graders, and enjoys hiking, travelling almost anywhere, and taking in Chicago's vibrant theater and arts scene.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Verit Advisor
- Treasurer / Shareholder, CBIZ / Mayer Hoffman McCann
Jim joined the Between Friends board in 2018 to fill the open Treasurer position. As Treasurer, Jim also leads the Between Friends Internal Affairs Committee, which focuses on finance and other internal organizational issues.
Jim is a CPA and an audit shareholder at CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann PC, a national CPA firm, where he serves a variety of clients, including nonprofits, real estate entities, employee benefit plans, professional service firms and condominium associations. Jim received his accounting degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
In addition to his service with Between Friends, Jim is also on the board of the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits and the Chicago Architecture Center Auxiliary Board. Jim volunteers with the Illinois CPA Society as a member and past chair of the Audit and Assurance Services Committee and the Peer Review Committee. He also fondly remembers his many years on the board of Lincoln Park Community Services and still serves there as a meal volunteer.
Jim enjoys biking, travel, reading and spending time with his wife, daughter and two cats. He also loves attending Chicago's many festivals and special events.
Jenn Splinter (she/her/hers) is a professional in the field of immigration and global mobility. She holds a Bachelor's degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a Masters degree from the University of East London. Jenn is currently the Senior Manager, Global Mobility at Raytheon Technologies. Prior to this role, Jenn worked at Meta and oversaw immigration and mobility for the US member firm of the globally renowned and respected professional services firm, Grant Thornton. Jenn previously worked for various law firms overseeing and managing the provision of global immigration services for a diverse portfolio of individual, small, medium and large clients.
Jenn joined the Board of Directors at Between Friends in January of 2021. She is passionate about issues affecting immigrants, their families and communities. She is a strong advocate for the role of organizations to educate and empower immigrants by raising awareness to their rights, access to legal support and resources to take a stand against violence.
Jenn is an avid runner turned triathlete. Jenn lives on the northside of Chicago in Lincoln Square with her husband and two tweens. Jenn and her family love exploring Chicago neighborhoods, experiencing new cultures and travel. You can find her on LinkedIn here.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Board of DIrectors
- Principal
- Secretary
Katherine M. Gipe, Esq. is Founder and Principal Attorney at Gipe Family Law and Mediation, LLC. She has committed her legal career to families and children, including extensive work for clients in cases involving complex custody disputes and intimate partner / domestic violence. She has been twice-recognized by PILI for her dedication to pro-bono efforts in Chicago.
Prior to practicing law, Katherine was a public educator in Kindergarten and private professional in early childhood, working with children ages three to six. She is a proud undergraduate of the University of Iowa, and returned to University of Illinois (Chicago) as an adjunct professor in 2016.
Katherine joined the Board of Directors at Between Friends in July of 2023. She is dedicated to expanding awareness, education, and efforts around interrupting the patterns and cycles of power, control, and violence within relationships and families.
Outside of professional engagements, Katherine enjoys traveling anywhere with water or Anthony-Bourdain approved food.
Job Titles:
- Director of Survivor Services
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Finance
- Member of the Board
- Secretary of the Board of DIrectors
Stephanie Adams is an accomplished Finance Executive and Ph.D. Student. Stephanie has extensive progressive accounting and project management expertise in Healthcare, Non-Profit, and Real Estate. Stephanie's expertise includes accounting, strategic planning, financial analysis, audit support, process improvement, and software implementation. She is currently Senior Systems and Process Manager at Alter Domus.
Stephanie is on a journey to complete her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan. She also holds a Masters (MBA) with a focus in Accountancy and Human Resources, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Lewis University.
Stephanie joined Between Friends' board in 2022. She is committed to being an advocate for victims of domestic violence, giving back to the organization in a substantive way, positively affecting change, and supporting a cause she is passionate about. You can find Stephanie on LinkedIn here.
Job Titles:
- President Elect / Principal, Verit Advisors
Susan is a Principal at Verit Advisors, leading execution on a wide range of transactions, restructuring, and advisory services including M&A, ESOPs, and strategic alternatives consulting across industries. Prior to joining Verit, she focused on M&A advisory with middle market companies at William Blair and Lazard. Susan has a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Susan joined the Between Friends board in 2022. In her volunteering efforts, she has looked for organizations that offer education and prevention as a part of their mission. Susan is motivated by the embedded hope that challenges today are not a foregone conclusion but rather future outcomes can be changed and improved.
Susan enjoys outdoor activities of all kinds, especially swimming and biking, as well as baking, knitting, reading, and time with friends and family.
Tonya joined Between Friends in the Spring of 2020. She received a double Master's from DePaul University in Business and Information Technology. Tonya has over 15 years of experience, bringing a unique blend of business, finance, information technology and human resources to the agency. Tonya works with the rest of the Leadership team to maintain the organization's finances, and is the financial liaison with local and federal agencies.