April Member Mixer

Join us on Tuesday, April 25 for our next Uptown networking mixer as we recognize some of the many women in business in Uptown!  Featured speakers include:​

• Maria Whelan, President & CEO, Illinois Action for Children
• Nicole Vasquez, Founder, The Shift
• Adel, Owner, Spoil Me Hair Salon & Spa
• Stephanie Foerster, Founder and Director, Ensemble Media

This event will take place in the beautiful and historic Bridgeview Bank building.  Meet other business owners and community members while enjoying light food and drinks.  Our monthly Member Mixers build community among Uptown businesses, non-profits and neighborhood groups, strengthening our local economy through the development of strategic partnerships.  

Non-members welcome!  

ABOUT OUR HOST:

Located in the Chicago Historical Landmark of the Sheridan Trust and Savings Bank Building and near the Riviera Theater, The Green Mill and the Aragon Ballroom; Bridgeview Bank is proud to serve our Uptown neighbors in one of the most historical, cultural and commercial neighborhoods in the city, as well as serving the nearby Uptown communities of Lakeview, Ravenswood, Andersonville, Sheridan Park, and the surrounding neighborhoods on the Northeast part of Chicago.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Maria Whelan, President & CEO of Illinois Action for Children, leads the organization’s mission to support strong families and powerful communities where children matter most, by working to advance innovative social service programs and responsive public policies that improve conditions for low-income families in Illinois.  Before joining Illinois Action for Children in 2000, Maria served for 15 years as the founding Executive Director of the Carole Robertson Center for Learning on Chicago’s West Side.  She later served as the Director of Children’s Services for the Chicago Department of Human Services, and as a Senior Program Officer at The Chicago Community Trust.  Maria holds a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from The University of Chicago, and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Clarke College.

Nicole Vasquez, MBA , creates workspaces that accelerate productivity, connect people, and inspire collaboration. Her daily mission is to help other people pursue their passions while connecting them to the opportunities and resources needed to achieve their goals. Nicole is committed to supporting small businesses, promoting individuals doing great things in Chicago, and building shared communities through local outreach, collaborative events, and strategic partnerships. Nicole was named one of the “35 Under 35 Making an Impact in Chicago,” won the 46th Ward Innovator Award, and the RedEye Chicago Big Idea Award for Community, and was a Professional Fellow through the U.S. Department of State traveling to Europe to speak about entrepreneurship, building collaborative communities, and managing coworking spaces. In addition to being founder of The Shift , and co-founder of Second Shift , Nicole is the Director for Deskpass, and a coworking space consultant helping people to start, build, and manage shared collaborative spaces. When she’s not geeking out about coworking and community building, she travels, writes, and learns about the world through observations and conversations with people. Find her on Twitter at @NicoleRVasquez.

Adel, Owner, Spoil Me Hair Salon & Spa, is a creative and innovative hairstylist.  Based in Chicago with over 20 years of experience, currently half of which have been educating stylists throughout the United Sates on stage and in classroom environments.  Adel also works in salon and on location for photo shoots, commercials and fashion shows.  Currently Adel is an advanced educator for an Italian based color line, Color Design.  

Stephanie Foerster is an action-oriented, strategic thinker with twenty years in the non-profit and international development sectors. Her expertise includes communications, documentary filmmaking, and storytelling for nonprofits. Her company, Ensemble Media, provides creative solutions for change-making nonprofits, foundations and government agencies in Chicago and around the world. She became interested in international development after volunteering for the Heartland Alliance’s Kovler Center in Uptown as an interpreter. She is fluent in French and speaks rudimentary Wolof, and has a BA in French and Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MPhil in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex, England.