POLK BROS. FOUNDATION - Key Persons

Amy W. Hill

Job Titles:

Vice President of Investments and Administration

Cherryl T. Thomas

Job Titles:

Secretary of the Board of Directors

Ellen P. Multack

Job Titles:

Vice Chair of the Board of Directors

Evette M. Cardona

Job Titles:

Vice President of Programs
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Forefront
Vice President of Programs of Polk Bros

Evette Cardona is Vice President of Programs of Polk Bros. Foundation, a private independent foundation working to make Chicago a place where all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential. She oversees the Foundation's day-to-day grantmaking and makes recommendations to the board of directors. Before joining the Foundation as a program intern in 1997, Evette worked with adolescent mothers and their children at Christopher House as the program coordinator, overseeing peer support groups, training group facilitators, and developing outreach and evaluation materials. She was also a teaching-artist for Urban Gateways, grades K-12, and did freelance photography/audio-visual work. Evette is chair of the board of directors of Forefront, and has been honored with numerous awards for her community work including the Center on Halsted's Human First award, ACLU/Chicago's John R. Hammel Award, Mujeres Latinas en Accion's Maria "Maruca" Martinez award, Illinois Women's Bar Association's Women with Vision award, and leadership awards from Latinos Progresando, the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees, the Near Northwest Neighborhood Network, the Coalition of African, Arab, Asian, European, Latino Immigrants of Illinois, Literacy Powerline and the Association of Latino Men For Action. She was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2002. Evette is a graduate of the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration, where she received the 2010 U of C's Leadership in Diversity Alumni award, the 2008 Elizabeth Butler award for outstanding professional success and achievement in social work, and where she teaches a course in philanthropy and public policy. She also holds a BA in Art and Design from University of Illinois at Chicago.

Gillian Darlow - CEO

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer of Polk Bros
Leader and Co - Founder of the Partnership for Safe
Member of the Commercial Club of Chicago

Gillian Darlow is Chief Executive Officer of Polk Bros. Foundation, which is dedicated to building and strengthening Chicago's families and communities, especially those most affected by poverty and inequity. Under Gillian's leadership since 2013, Polk Bros. Foundation has granted more than $260 million and supports nearly 400 nonprofit partners every year to build strong communities and families, increase access to quality education and the arts, improve health, and strengthen organizations and the sectors in which they work. Gillian is a leader and co-founder of the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, which has aligned more than 50 funders to direct $115 million to address gun violence in Chicago. Previously, Gillian was a principal with Civic Consulting Alliance where she guided numerous initiatives to transform Chicago Public Schools, tourism, workforce, and City operations and led the City's 2011 Mayoral transition plan. Gillian is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago Network and the Economic Club. Board roles include Chicago Public Education Fund, Civic Consulting Alliance (executive committee), Skills for Chicagoland's Future, Forefront, Positive Coaching Alliance, and the Civic Federation. Formerly, Gillian also served as Vice Chair of the Board of Choose Chicago, the city's tourism agency, and as Co-Chair of the Mayor's Site Selection Task Force for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Gillian holds an MBA and an MA in Education from Stanford University and a BA from Harvard University.