Board of Directors

Executive Board of Directors
	Laura Engel, PresidentLaura Engel has been involved in RAW since 2003 as a participating artist. She has lived in the Northcenter neighborhood for over 16 years and has her own business located in the Ravenswood Corridor developing, marketing and selling consumer goods to national and international accounts. Laura has been an active member of the RAW Board of Directors for the past two years.
	Bill Moran, Vice President Bill is a painter and educator in the Ravenswood area whose extensive body of work is represented by several galleries. He operates Moran Studios, a painting and production studio that designs and fabricates murals, installations and painted finishes for residential and commercial spaces. moranstudios@hotmail.com
	Sarah Tinnes, Treasurer Growing up in a family of artists, Sarah has an unusual appreciation for the support needed by the arts community. Joining the RAW board has given Sarah an outlet for her love of art and artists and strengthens her support of local community. Her work as an Account Executive for Parfums Givenchy & Paris Guerlain keeps her on the move, and she welcomes the time she spends supporting local businesses by shopping for everything, including art, in her own neighborhood.
Board of Directors
	Chris Heisinger Chris has been in the corporate world for 30 years and recently made the transition to owning her own art business full-time. Chris is a glass artist and her art work is represented by several galleries She owns and operates Heisinger Design, a studio that creates fine art and architectural elements / murals using stained glass. In addition to the community work she is doing for RAW, Chris is also a Board member for the Woman’s Club of Evanston. Her project management experience and communication skills are a great combination that is perfect for the Events Committee Chairperson position. www.heisingerdesign.com
	Alexandra Jamroz • PR/Marketing Committee Alexandra has enjoyed living in the Ravenswood area for fifteen years. As a Lill Street Art Center based metalsmith, http://makadesigns.etsy.com, she has participated in the DIY Trunk Show in Pulaski Park and Chicago Crafty at Architectural Artifacts, and has delighted in using her energy for something in which she truly believes. Her commitment to Ravenswood arts led Alexandra to volunteer for the ArtWalk, which in turn led her this year to accept a Board position as Public Relations Committee Chairperson. makadesigns@aol.com
	Meilssa Jackson-Schuler
	Mary Phelan Mary is a painter, illustrator, and educator who lives and works in Ravenswood. Her oils, which depict ordinary neighborhood settings, express an intimate experience of place. She has exhibited in the Midwest and New York, with solo shows presented in several museums and galleries. She is also accomplished as a portrait artist whose work is represented in the collections of the University of Illinois, Urbana, Robert Morris College, the University of Illinois, Chicago, and the Library of Congress, Washington D.C., among other institutions. Examples of her illustrations can be seen on permanent installation at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, and in numerous publications, including The Urban Tree Book (Crown Publishers). Mary taught drawing for many years at the American Academy of Art, Chicago, where she chaired the Drawing Department. www.maryphelanart.com
	Maribel Selva Maribel Selva is a long time resident of Northcenter and feels very committed to the community. She enjoys wearing many different hats. She is a Realtor by trade with extensive knowledge of the area. Maribel served on the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce Board of Dirctors for seven years and as Chairperson of the Community Relations/Events Committee. She is also a Welcoming Ministry Member at St. Benedict Church. Maribel has a few other accolades that keep her busy as a volunteer in raising the awareness of this vibrant area as a great place to live, work and play. She comes to RAW with a deep respect for the arts and artists. Maribel supports bringing and keeping the arts front and center for the area, residents and visitors.
	Linde Tesch
	Larry Zgoda Larry Zgoda creates original art in stained glass. Much of his art has resulted from a willingness to explore possibilities within the parameters of the stained/leaded glass format leading to many conceptual and technical breakthroughs. For over thirty years, Larry has explored a collection of materials and original techniques with which to articulate his creative inclinations. These include: beveled wire and flashed glasses, crown glass, and Clovis Glass, a treatment in which the separate glass pieces have a scalloped edge. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Larry’s work is installed in buildings throughout the United States and he collaborated with Edgar Miller in 1993 to fabricate 26 stained glass projects. Larry’s work has also appeared in several publications from 1990-2008.
Honorary Board of Directors
	Judith Kruger Judith is a painter, product designer, and educator who works out of Judith Kruger Studio in the Ravenswood Corridor. Her primary medium is Nihonga, Japanese-style painting that has adorned Asian folding screens and scrolls for thousands of years. Through an intuitive, process-oriented approach, incorporating historical materials, time-honed techniques and unique insight, Judith pushes the boundaries of Nihonga. Judith is also known for her successful collaborations with global manufacturers and retailers in the development of process-driven, well-designed tabletop and home furnishing products. Judith teaches ‘Nihonga: Then and Now” at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and exhibits her paintings internationally. judy@judithkruger.com
	Judith Roth Founder of the annual Ravenswood ArtWalk (formerly known at the Ravenswood Corridor Tour of Arts & Industry), Judith is also past President of The Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art and an affiliate member of Chicago’s ARC Gallery. Judith is a figurative expressionist artist working primarily in various drawing media and oil on canvas, whose work can be seen at Maple Avenue Gallery, Evanston, and Morpho Gallery in Chicago. A delightful in-depth interview with Judith can be found at http://tiny.ccjroth. judithroth@sbcglobal.net
	Vince Hawkins Vince is a founding member of Ravenswood ArtWalk. His expertise in the fire arts combines the techniques of industry with the creativity of art, exactly the combination that is the essence of the Ravenswood corridor. In addition to teaching classes in clay, structural human anatomy, armature construction, and classic composition at the Fire Arts Center, Vince also teaches bioethics at Northwestern Medical School. Recently, Vince’s daughter has joined him in creating commissioned pieces as she cultivates the second generation Hawkins legacy.
	Greg Harris, Illinois State Representative, 13th District Elected in 2006, Greg Harris’ district includes Uptown, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, North Center and Bowmanville. In his nearly twenty years of serving the people of Chicago, Greg has received many honors for his work, most recently the Equality Illinois’ 2009 Freedom Award and recognition by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless for his leadership on issues surrounding youth homelessness. Currently, his interests include property tax reform, transit reform, service to Illinois’s homeless youth, comprehensive breast cancer services, marriage equality, nursing home quality and affordable, accessible healthcare.
	Gene Schulter, Alderman, 47th Ward Alderman Gene Schulter has served the 47th Ward since 1975. Over the past thirty years, he has spearheaded numerous community and economic development projects. These projects include the founding of Sulzer Regional Library, the relocation of the Old Town School of Folk Music in the neighborhood, and the creation of the Lincoln Square pedestrian shopping area. Alderman Schulter has worked with the Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, the Ravenswood Community Council, the Ravenswood Industrial Council, the Jane Addams Resource Corporation, and Ravenswood ArtWalk to support businesses along the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor and highlight the unique blend of industrial, commercial, and creative businesses and studios that characterize the corridor. Alderman Schulter applauds Ravenswood ArtWalk for their ongoing contributions to our community.

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