Board of Directors

• Kunal Modi, Board Chairman and Co-Founder

  Kunal co-founded campusCATALYST and has served as the organization’s Board Chairman since 2007. Currently, Kunal is a McKinsey Nonprofit Corps Strategy Extern at Teach For America in New York City. Previously, Kunal worked in the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company as a Business Analyst, primarily in the firm’s media, telecommunications, and public sector practices. Prior to McKinsey, Kunal engaged in a year of public service as an AmeriCorps*VISTA in Washington, DC with LIFT, a national nonprofit focused on poverty alleviation. Kunal graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University. During his undergraduate years, Kunal interned with Senator Barack Obama and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. In Fall 2010, Kunal will begin attending Harvard Business School.

• Molly Day, Board Member and Co-Founder

  Molly co-founded campusCATALYST and served as its Executive Director from 2007 until August 2009. During her time as Executive Director, cC grew to two campuses and contributed over 26,000 hours of pro-bono service to the Chicago community, a total value of over half a million dollars. For this work, Molly was named a finalist for Chicago’s 2009 Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year Award and also was awarded a Northwestern Public Interest Program Fellowship. Prior to cC, Molly studied Social Policy, International Studies, and Spanish at Northwestern University. Here she explored the intersection of public health and economic development in rural Malawi, where she spent five weeks conducting independent research for her honors thesis on microfinance models that integrated HIV/AIDS education. During her undergraduate years, she also worked for the U.S. Department of State, Senator Barack Obama, and the nationally recognized nonprofit, LIFT (formerly National Student Partnerships). Currently, Molly is a Portfolio Analyst at New Profit, Inc., a Boston-based venture philanthropy fund.

  • David DeMasi, Board Member

    Dave DeMasi is an associate with GTCR Golder Rauner, a Chicago-based private equity firm. At GTCR, Dave evaluates and executes investment opportunities for the firm’s technology group. Prior to GTCR, Dave worked as an analyst with McColl Partners. At McColl Partners, Dave facilitated middle market mergers and acquisitions across a broad range of industries. Dave is also involved with Minds Matter of Chicago, a volunteer-based nonprofit organization providing mentorship for Chicago high school students from low-income families. Dave previously volunteered with Junior Achievement, where he taught business-related lessons to elementary school students. Dave received a B.S. in Business Administration, graduating with distinction, from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

    • John Hebda, Board Member

      John currently attends the Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago. Previously, he worked as a consultant with Bain & Company. While at Bain, John also worked with the Inspire program to manage pro bono consulting projects with local nonprofits. John graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering. John is also an accomplished athlete, having completed several marathon and Iron Man competitions.

      • Allison Johnson, Board Member

        Alli Johnson is currently attending Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Previously, she worked as a Consultant with Mission Measurement, where she has lead client engagements with nonprofit organizations including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Easter Seals, and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. Prior to that, Alli worked for Bain & Company as a Senior Associate Consultant. Between engagements at Bain, Alli spent time at the Civic Consulting Alliance, offering counsel and guidance to several departments within the City of Chicago. She has also been an active volunteer in Habitat for Humanity and the Tax Assistance Program. Alli received her B.A. in Mathematics and Economics, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, from Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA.

        • Ellen Johnson, Board Member

          Ellen works as a Senior Program Associate for the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), facilitating and implementing CJC’s Frontline Focus professional development series for workforce development staff. Previously, Ellen worked as a Development Director for The Arc of Orange County in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. While in graduate school, Ellen also worked as a writing tutor at the University of North Carolina’s Writing Center. Ellen received a B.A. in English Writing and Sociology from Drake University and Masters’ degrees in both Social Work and Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

          • Sheila Simhan, Board Member

            Sheila is an attorney and Clinical Fellow at Northwestern University School of Law Small Business Opportunity Center. Prior to her current position, Sheila served as a Summer Associate at both Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and Foley & Lardner LLP. She graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2008, having earned her B.A. in Legal Studies and Psychology from the same institution. Sheila has also served as a member of AmeriCorps’ Hope For Literacy Program and as a United States Senate Intern.

          • • William Yu, Board Member

              Will Yu is currently attending Harvard Business School. Previously, he worked at GTCR as an analyst in the Syndicated and Leveraged Finance Group at J.P. Morgan Securities in New York. Will attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a BA in Economics and Mathematics, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Simultaneously, he completed a Masters of Governmental Administration. Since 2002, Will has worked closely, in a variety of capacities with National Student Partnerships. He co-founded the West Philadelphia office and served as its first Local Director. Will is also a published author, with articles appearing in Mechanisms of Development and Molecular and Cellular Biology for his work on cardiovascular development.

            • Laura Melle, Alumni Board Chair

              Laura Melle is a Project Coordinator in the Customer Feedback Programs unit of the Chicago Transit Authority. She works on a variety of initiatives to enhance customer communication and analyze stakeholder feedback. Laura graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Social Policy and International Studies and a minor in Spanish. During her undergraduate career, she interned at the Governors’ Institute on Community Design and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Laura has been involved with campusCATALYST since 2007 as a Community Analyst, Nonprofit Liaison, Advanced Analyst Team mentor and marathon team member, and is currently the Alumni Board Chair.

            • • Staff

                Faith Nguru, Director of Development & Communications

                Faith Nguru is the Director of Development & Communications at campusCATALYST where she is responsible for developing the organization’s fundraising strategy and communications plan. Previously, Faith worked as a Program Officer at Opportunity International in Oakbrook, Illinois. While in graduate school, she also worked as an Annual Giving Graduate Intern at Loyola University’s advancement division. Faith received a B.A. in Political Science from Calvin College and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Loyola University Chicago.

              • Kenneth I Jones, Chief Program Officer

                Ken Jones is the Chief Program Officer for campusCATALYST. His main responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operations of the program and development and execution of strategic initiatives. Prior to joining campusCATALYST, Ken worked as a strategy and risk management consultant for Aon Corporation. Ken holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from the University of Chicago.