Albert E. Pyott, Chairman

Albert Pyott is co-founder (1994) of The Wetlands Initiative with Donald L. Hey. From 1987 until 1993, he was director of the Illinois chapter of The Nature Conservancy, following his lifelong interest in conservation. He previously was general manager of sales at Inland Steel Company, a $3.5 billion steel manufacture and distribution company, where he was responsible for nationwide sales of all steel mill products. Mr. Pyott has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Nature of Illinois Foundation, OpenLands Project, and Wetlands Research, Inc., and on the advisory boards of the Cook County Forest Preserve and the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission.

Richard T. Schroeder, Secretary

Dick Schroeder spent 27 years in the banking industry, retiring in 1994 as president and CEO of Boulevard Bancorp, a publicly traded multi-bank holding company with $1.5 billion in assets. He is a former executive with the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, an organization specializing in waterfowl, research and education. Mr. Schroeder has a B.S. from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.

Edward K. Chandler, Treasurer

Ed Chandler is a founder and managing director of Portage Financial Management, a venture capital investment firm based in Northfield, Illinois. Prior to forming Portage, Mr. Chandler was a founder and the managing principal of Prairie Capital, a venture capital investment firm. Mr. Chandler has served as a director of HNC Software, Inc., Meridian Data, Inc., Worldtalk Communications, Inc., Iwerks Entertainment, Inc., and Datawatch Corp., as well as many privately held companies. Mr. Chandler holds an MBA from Harvard University, where he graduated with High Distinction as a Baker Scholar. He earned a B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Yale University. He serves as a director of several non-profit organizations, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and is a trustee of the Otho Sprague Memorial Institute, which supports innovative programs in medical research and care.

David J. Beedie

David Beedie is an executive vice president in charge of sales for JFB Distributors, Inc. Mr. Beedie has a successful history with startup and established enterprises. He was an early investor in Peapod, and he helped grow Technology Solutions Company (TSC) from startup to a $70 million corporation in four years. Mr. Beedie, a certified public accountant, has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul University.

Christopher B. Burke, Ph.D.

Christopher Burke is president of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., based in Rosemont, Illinois. The firm, founded in 1986, serves as consulting engineer for numerous municipalities in Illinois and provides engineering services in civil, transportation, drainage, mechanical, environmental and water resources fields. Dr. Burke has authored numerous technical papers, articles and presentations and has conducted many seminars. Dr. Burke earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University and received the President’s Lifetime Award, Purdue Engineering Alumni Association in 2001.

Thomas J. Collins, P.E., S.E.

Tom Collins is president of Collins Engineers, Inc. and has over 35 years of experience in the design and inspection of railroad and highway bridges, foundation, waterfront facilities and related structures. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and past president of its Illinois Section. He holds a B.C.E., Civil Engineering, from Marquette Univers ity; M.B.A. from University of Connecti cut; and M.S.C.E., Geotechnical Engineering, from Kansas State University.  

George M. Covington

Paul F. ("Pete") Cruikshank, Jr., Director Emeritus

Pete Cruikshank served the railroad industry for 35 years in the areas railroad operations, marketing, and management. Since retirement in 1995, he has been active in Winnetka Village ( Illinois ) government and the local elementary school board. Mr. Cruikshank has a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

Allen Grosboll

Al Grosboll is a senior policy advocate and co-legislative director for the Environmental Law and Policy Center, working on clean energy, transportation and natural resources issues before Congress, state legislatures and public agencies. Mr. Grosboll helps lead ELPC’s policy advocacy and rural coalition-building work on the Farm Bill-Clean Energy Development Project. He served as the deputy chief of staff and senior advisor on environment, education and natural resources issues to Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and as chief of staff for the Illinois secretary of state. He also worked as a policy staff member in the Illinois legislature. He has a B.S. from Eastern Illinois University.

Donald L. Hey, Ph.D.

(See TWI staff biography)

Becky Bair Hurley

Becky Hurley is the principal of Becky Bair Hurley, P.C., which she founded in 1994. She specializes in commercial real estate law, with an emphasis on acquisitions, zoning, and leasing. She is an active community volunteer, serving on the Winnetka Caucus, the District 36 School Board, the Winnetka Historical Society, and the League of Women Voters. Ms. Hurley is a graduate of Colgate University (B.A., international relations/political science) and Northwestern University School of Law.

Christopher Kerns, Esq.

Chris Kerns is an attorney and founding partner at Kerns Pitrof Frost & Pearlman in Chicago. His professional expertise is in litigation, with a concentration on professional liability insurance and reinsurance. He was educated at Fairfield University and John Marshall Law School (J.D., 1981) and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Bar Association and Association of Defense Counsel.

Mark D. Maffei, Ph.D.

Mark Maffei  is president of Androck Hardware Corporation, Rockford, Illinois. Prior to joining the family business in 1995, Dr. Maffei  had a distinguished career as a wildlife biologist, serving with the U .S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. In Rockford, he has served as president of the board of the Natural Land Institute, a member of the Rotary Club, and the board of directors of the Rock River Valley Council, Girl Scouts of the USA. He earned a B.A. in biology from the University of Illinois, a M.S. in zoology from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 

Brent Manning

Brent Manning has 25 years experience managing public and private natural resources throughout Illinois. He currently is executive director of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Previously, he spent 12 years as director of Illinois Department of Natural Resources (and its predecessor, the Illinois Department of Conservation). From 1985 to 1991 he was director of field operations for Ducks Unlimited. He holds  bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental biology and zoology from Eastern Illinois University.

H. Safford Peacock

Saf Peacock is the former general manager of Myers Industries, Inc. of Lincoln, Illinois. Since retiring in 1977, he has pursued his business interests in industrial real estate and farming. He has served as a director with the First National Bank, Lincoln, and the Magna Bank of Central Illinois, Decatur. He also served as a director of CILCORP, Inc., a public utility holding company of Peoria., and Environmental Science and Engineering, Inc., Peoria. He has been a long-time trustee of both Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, and Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, and has been awarded honorary doctorates from both institutions. Mr. Peacock earned a B.S. in business and engineering administration from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Marilyn Pearson

Marilyn Pearson is an attorney practicing labor and employment law at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary in Chicago. Ms. Pearson has 25 years of experience advising organizations on a broad range of issues including labor agreements, code-sharing relationships, alliances, employee ownership, labor union protocols, corporate mergers and acquisitions, international agreements, bankruptcy, major carrier-regional carrier “RJ” disputes and numerous operational issues. Ms. Pearson has taught numerous seminars on labor-management issues and teaches a negotiation seminar at Northwestern University School of Law. She is a member of the American Bar Assn. and the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Assn. She has both a B.A. and a J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota.

Thomas I. Rodhouse

Thomas Rodhouse spent nearly 50 years in the steel industry, including serving as president and CEO of JH Roberts Industries and president and COO of Alliance Mid-West Tubular Products. He has served on the board of the following organizations: the Scot Forge Co., PTC Alliance Corp., J.H. Roberts Industries, Glen View Club, Steel Tube Institute, (president), YMCA Camp Manito-wish (director emeritus), Friends of Ryerson Woods, and the Presbyterian Church of Northbrook (board of elders). He earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in economics and business from Grinnell Colleg e.

Louis M. Skydell

Louis Skydell was in the financial services industry for more than 25 years, during which time he managed and owned three successful firms. As a grain merchant, poultry broker, president, exchange member, board member, consultant and teacher, he actively participated in the governing systems and management of various companies and exchanges both nationally and internationally. Mr. Skydell has provided financial consulting services in England, Singapore, Poland, Turkey, Russia, Cyprus and Argentina. He holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois in Industrial Administration/Engineering and an MBA from DePaul University.

Douglas F. Stotz, Ph.D.

Since 1994, Doug Stotz has been a conservation ecologist in the Office of Environmental and Conservation Programs at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. His field studies on birds have taken him through most of South America and Mexico, particularly in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. In North America, he has done research on the ecology of birds in Arizona, Florida and Illinois. His research interests focus on diversity patterns, biogeography, ecology, and conservation of birds. He has taken part in several Rapid Biological Inventories in Peru, Bolivia and Cuba and is part of the Illinois Rapid Assessment Program at the Field Museum . He is co-author of Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation (University of Chicago Press, 1996). In Illinois his research focus has been studying migration and breeding birds along the Chicago lakefront, in the Lake Calumet area, Palos and Midewin. He earned his B.S. from the University of Arizona and his Ph. D. from the University of Chicago.

James H. Taylor

Jim Taylor is Midwest Sales Manager of Brenntag Great Lakes, LLC. He formerly was president of The Wetlands Initaitive and has been a member of its Board of Directors since March 2004. He also was owner and president of Coleman Chemical Co. near Joliet, Illinois, for 13 years. An avid duck hunter, Mr. Taylor is a member of Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He earned a B.S. in business administration from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Clark L. Wagner

Clark Wagner retired from Inland Steel Industries, Inc., in 1994 as corporate secretary and deputy general counsel. Mr. Wagner is a former partner with McBride & Baker (law firm); a former trustee and vice president of Provident Hospital (Chicago); a former member of the board of directors and member of the executive committee of the American Society of Corporate Secretaries; a former member of the board of directors of the Union League Club of Chicago and chair of its art committee for three years; former president of the Chicago Literary Club; and chair of the anniversary committee celebrating the 125th anniversary of that organization. Mr. Wagner graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. in economics and from Harvard Law School.    

Carl R. Yudell

Carl Yudell is principal of Carl R. Yudell Law Firm and Yudell and Associates, Ltd., a company that provides administrative services for profit sharing and pension plans for over 70 employers. Both firms are in Northfield, Illinois. He is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois CPA Society, Northbrook Historical Society (general counsel), the Tax Payer Assistance Foundation, and the Princeton Club of Chicago, including chairing four class reunions. He is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B., economics), the Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D.), and the University of Illinois (CPA).

Edward J. Zajac, Ph.D.

Ed Zajac is the James F. Beré Distinguished Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He joined the Kellogg faculty upon completion of his Ph.D. in organization and strategy at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is currently the Director of Kellogg’s Center for Strategic Alliance Research and a Fellow of the Academy of Management, and has been a visiting scholar at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Free University of Berlin, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the National University of Singapore, and the University of Zurich. Prof. Zajac’s research, teaching, and consulting focuses on strategic management issues. He is active in executive education and consulting in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America in the areas of strategy formulation and implementation, strategic alliances, and corporate governance. He served on the board of directors of Roberts Industries, and is currently also a board member at PeopleFlo Manufacturing and Pioneer Surgical Technology.