Legacy Project Board of Directors

RALPH KENNEDY, Board President | Vice President of Compensation, BMO Harris Bank: Ralph is widely respected among the bank's international leadership and is instrumental in maximizing our relationships in the banking sector. His patience and humor have helped build a collegial atmosphere that has aided Legacy Board cohesion, efficiency, and effectiveness.

KIT WELCH, Board Vice President | Real Estate Broker, Baird & Warner: As a real estate professional Kit's skillset is a welcome addition to our board as we prepare to establish a permanent physical space for the Legacy Project. Her service on East Lakeview Neighbors Association board of directors complements Legacy's close relationship with the Northalsted Business Alliance at a time when we are expanding the Legacy Walk's our role as a tourist destination.

STEVE KENNEY, Board Treasurer | Director of Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP: Having lived in many cities, among many cultures, Steve’s passion and appreciation for the Legacy Project’s mission is complemented by his willingness to share his accounting, finance, and fundraising skills. He is an invaluable part of Legacy’s financial planning and management.

JEFF HAURYKIEWICZ, Board Secretary | Senior Manager/Financial Planning & Analysis, TTX Company: Jeff brings his passion for planning and logistics to the Legacy Project Board of Directors. New to working with non-profits and serving on community boards, he has been instrumental in helping to advance our organization's corporate outreach and is always among the first to volunteer his time for our special events.

SUNETTE THOMPSON | Account Manager, Perspectives, LTD: Sunette's business acumen and insights into organizational psychology and community dynamics are already having an impact on the Legacy Project - both internally and externally.

MITCH LOCIN | Marketing and Communications Specialist: Mitch brings nearly five decades of experience in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, and Multimedia Production to the Legacy Project at a critical time in the organization’s transition from community history powerhouse to emerging national leader on LGBTQ-inclusive education. His years at the Chicago Tribune, on Capitol Hill, and as White House correspondent were but a prelude to his extensive work propelling the work of Equality Illinois towards ever-greater brand awareness.

DR. GABRIEL GOMEZ, Co-Director Legacy Project Education Initiative (LPEI) | Professor, Chicago State University: Gabriel's fascinating background – from founding member of ACT-Up/Chicago and Queer Nation during the 1990s – the most turbulent era in LGBTQ history – to full professor today – has sharpened his awareness of history and its importance for our young people.

MATTHEW HARTZ | Managing Director, Senior Project Director, Strategy and Innovation, CIBC Bank: While Matthew's business acumen has helped shape the Legacy Project board's approach to informed and responsible mission expansion, his great work ethic and infectious sense of humor make working with him a pleasure.

GERALDINE JOINTER | AVP, Community Relations Manager, Enterprise Business & Community Engagement, Bank of America has been an active supporter of LGBTQ causes in their corporate setting and in life at large. Their special interests are LGBTQ+ Rights and Affairs, Networking, Organizational Communications, and Operations. They will work to activate their existing networks in support of the Legacy Project and to reach beyond those already known to advocate on our behalf.

MARIO LaPLACA | Vice President of Finance, Navy Pier Chicago: Mario is a CPA experienced in budgeting, forecasting, and strategizing for both nonprofit and for-profit entities. His impressive professional skill set includes being a navigator of complex nonprofit financial environments with expertise in accounting, financial analysis, and auditing according to all GAAP principles and practices. He is very familiar with the needs and praxis of nonprofit organizational management and strategic development, including fundraising, event planning, budget management, and payroll, among many others.

DAVID MARTIN | Manager, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Gallagher Insurance: David's work in diversity, equity, and inclusion is perfectly aligned with the Legacy Project's international and multicultural focus. Furthermore, his extensive professional acumen and contacts help to boost the Legacy Project's reputation among corporate donors.

Legacy Project Board Trustees

LORI CANNON, Legacy Project Co-Founder and Board Trustee: Community icon Lori Cannon has been helping our community – and inspiring others to do the same – for over 30 years. With hundreds of vital connections and unmatched integrity, her contributions to the Legacy Project have proved invaluable and game-changing. Though she no longer actively serves on the board, she continues to offer advice and direct powerful interest’s attention to our mission.

OWEN KEEHNEN, Legacy Project Co-Founder, Board Trustee, and Active Board Member: Community historian, author and activist Owen Keehnen is rightly beloved by hundreds of friends and fans. In his role as chief biographer for the Legacy Project, Owen has produced hundreds of fascinating treatments of LGBTQ people – both famous and obscure – which continue to propel our evolution through multiple program platforms in service of our mission. His research and writing continue to broaden the content of our nominee database; and his passion for archiving is invaluable to the behind-the-scenes work being done to sort through the artifact collections we are curating for future exhibits.

DR. GERRI SPINELLA, Co-Director of the Legacy Project Education Initiative and Board Trustee: Gerri has worked tirelessly since 2013 to lay the foundation for our education program. LPEI has grown steadily year after year because Gerri wrote dozens of biographical lesson plans using James Banks’s multicultural education tools. Today each lesson plan – which is actually four lesson plans tailored for different age groups – serves as a model for those which are still created according to her template.

Legacy Project Staff

VICTOR SALVO | Creator, Co-Founder, and Executive Director: Victor is the originator of the Legacy Project. He brings 40 years experience as both an LGBT activist and a business owner to his work overseeing the biographical research, intellectual content generation, structural design and engineering, fundraising, and operations management of the Legacy Project's various physical installations and policy initiatives. He was inducted into Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame in 1998.

SCOTT LUNDIUS | Director of Strategic Planning: Scott brings over 30 years of experience working in support of several arts, music, education, and community non-profits. He specializes in organizational analysis, planning, facilitation, management, and developing programs designed to meet mission goals with the fewest resources possible. Scott’s patience and vision have had an invaluable impact on expanding the Legacy Project’s philanthropic footprint and raising its profile.

CARRIE MAXWELL | Executive Administrative Assistant, Webmaster, and Senior Biographical Researcher: Carrie brings many years of experience in professional journalism at CNN (Atlanta) and locally to the Legacy Project. Additionally, she spent several years as a classroom teacher in the Chicago Public School system. Combined with an uncanny grasp of fine detail, these experiences have given Carrie a keen sense of "what people need to know" that informs everything she does. Her professional writing skills, tireless research efforts, and patient website development and management have transformed the Legacy Project.

JENNIPHRE ZIAS | Legacy Wall Installation Coordinator: Jenniphre regularly takes time off from her corporate presentation work at Alterna Graphics to manage installations of "The Legacy Wall" on its travels around the country. Since 2015 Jenniphre has worked on over 30 site-builds for this one-of-a-kind traveling installation featuring digitally interactive content from the Legacy Project database. Her steady reliability and steadfast commitment have enabled the Legacy Project to plan out Legacy Wall installations up to 18 months in advance.