First Bank Chicago, a Division of First Bank of Highland Park, is proud to announce Marcus Frye has been promoted to Senior Vice President/Commercial Real Estate. As the bank continues to grow, Marc is responsible for the origination and underwriting of Commercial Real Estate loans. Marc also manages the full banking relationship for some of our largest clients. Marc has been providing excellent customer service since joining First Bank in 2002.

First Financial Bank is pleased to announce the formation of a new middle-market commercial banking group that will focus on establishing and growing relationships with businesses greater than $50 million in sales in Northwest Indiana and Chicago. Joining the Bank in this initiative will be Gayne Underwood as Senior Vice President who brings over 25 years of Midwest banking experience and comes to First Financial Bank from Fifth Third Bank.

Jessica Sherwood has been promoted to vice president of business development at Leopardo. She has played a fundamental role in the national expansion of the company's health care and senior living markets and in bringing in an extensive list of notable clients and projects. Jess will continue to help grow those markets in her new role, but her expanded responsibilities include developing and leading Leopardo's entire business development team.

MZI Group, a multifaceted construction company, has named Kim Nelson as its Chief of Staff. In the newly created role, Kim will help advance the CEO’s business agenda and assist on major initiatives. Kim brings over 15 years of experience at MZI Group. She has held many leadership positions within operations and marketing areas of the business. This year Kim was named Notable Women in Construction by Crains.

MZI Group, a multifaceted construction company, is pleased to welcome Zuzana Gabrisak as Controller. Zuzana works to provide our leadership with guidance on financial decisions and establish processes for streamlining all financial transactions within the company. Prior to joining MZI Group, Zuzana served as Senior Accountant for Wipfli, LLP.

Slayton Search Partners is excited to announce that Madeline Dauksas has joined the company as Vice President & Principal. Madeline will bring her expertise in consumer goods to drive value for top-performing organizations in the space. A Chicago native, she joins us from Heidrick & Struggles, where she served as an Engagement Manager in their Dallas branch.

Megan Kellerman, CFA, has joined Cresset Partners as a Managing Director of Business Development. Kellerman most recently served as a Principal of Business Development for the Client Group at GCM Grosvenor in Chicago. Prior to that, she worked as a Client Relationship Manager for William Blair. Kellerman is a CFA Charterholder and has a strong background in alternative investments.

Heartland Alliance has named Dr. Christian Friend as Chief Impact Officer, and Heartland Housing has named Earl Chase as Executive Director. Published and University of North Carolina at Greensboro Ph.D. recipient, Christian brings decades of leadership from the academic and nonprofit sectors. His expertise in evaluation and management will support the organization’s research and advocacy efforts.

An MBA graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Earl brings leadership experience that parallels the opportunities while solving the affordability challenges facing multifamily housing. His career spans many years of real estate development, tax credit equity syndications, and commercial lending.

JoAnn Seagren, Managing Director of JA Glynn Private Wealth, has been appointed as Chair of Openlands Board of Directors. JoAnn joined the Board in 2014 and has since taken on numerous leadership roles. She has throughout her time in Chicago been an unparalleled advocate for conservation and the environment, as cofounder of Smartfarm, and as previous president of Barrington Area Conservation Trust.

Brilliant®, a direct-hire, contract and consulting firm for accounting, finance & tech, is excited to announce the hiring of Sheldon Schur as Chief Executive Officer. Sheldon will lead the long-term strategy for the firm including organic growth and acquisition by leveraging his expertise in transforming businesses, accelerating sales and growing market share. Sheldon is a 25-year staffing industry executive with a successful record of achieving high-revenue goals and building world-class teams.

Noted entertainment and hospitality broker Lee Dickson joins Baum as Managing Director. A veteran in both the commercial real estate and not for profit theater communities, Lee will leverage her extensive experience to spearhead Baum’s expansion into brokerage for the Arts & Entertainment community as well as strengthen the firm’s already strong presence in hospitality leasing and investment sales. She recently helmed Dickson & Co., a brokerage firm specializing in urban leasing and sales.

Professional Wealth Advisors (PWA) proudly announces the addition of Bryan Schneider as Partner/Wealth Advisor. Bryan brings with him decades of industry experience, most recently as a Private Client Advisor with JPMorgan Chase where he oversaw roughly $400m in client assets. To learn more about PWA's growing wealth management team, visit their website at www.pwaplan.com. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.