The Executive Service Corps Prestigious Charity Awards Announced

CHICAGO, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Executive Service Corps is the nation's leading nonprofit consultancy with the mission of helping nonprofits succeed. It has been a leader in philanthropic best practices for 44 years. Volunteers and remarkable leaders who have impacted their communities are honored at the Executive Service Corps annual event. The Annual Celebration of the Executive Service Corps will take place on April 28, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. CT (www.escevent.org). Join the Executive Service Corps in honoring these outstanding leaders.

Janelle St. John, MPA, Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year Award
Janelle St. John was named Executive Director of Growing Home after serving as the organization's Chief Fund Development and Communications Officer for more than a year. Since joining it, Janelle has contributed to the organization's essential three-year working plan, which includes initiatives to strengthen Growing Home's commitment to the Englewood community through workforce development and food access. Janelle worked at Edgewater Health, a Community Mental Health Center in Gary, Indiana, for five years, first as the Chief Development and Communications Officer and then as the Chief Strategy Officer. She is a dynamic senior-level professional with over 20 years of superior performance within the nonprofit industry. 

Kelli Haywood, MA, Nonprofit Civic Leader of the Year Award
Kelli Haywood is the Founder and Executive Director of Dream On Education, a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides academic enrichment for high-achieving, low-income middle school students. She is also the Community Impact Manager for Cboe Global Markets, where she is responsible for increasing Cboe's impact on a national and global level through community partnerships, employee engagement, and D&I. Kelli is currently an MBA candidate at Emory University's Goizueta Business School. She has previously served as a Community Leadership Corp Consultant for The Obama Foundation and as Director of Corporate Development at the American Heart Association. Haywood is also a member of the Executive Service Corps' Nonprofit Advisory Council.

Laura Washington, MSJ, Nonprofit Board Member of the Year Award
Laura S. Washington is a Chicago Sun-Times contributing columnist and political analyst for ABC 7, Chicago's ABC-owned station. In 2015 and 2019, she served as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics. Washington has more than two decades of experience as a nonprofit professional and multimedia journalist.  She specializes in African American affairs, local and national politics, race and racism, and social justice. From 2003 to 2009, she served as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor at DePaul University and a fellow at the DePaul Humanities Center. Washington was the editor and publisher of The Chicago Reporter, a nationally acclaimed investigative magazine focusing on race and urban issues, from 1990 until 2002. She is the President of the Arts Club of Chicago's Board of Directors.

Jeanne Mayes, MBA, Nonprofit Consultant of the Year Award
Jeanne Mayes joined Executive Service Corps in 2005 when she returned from an ex-patriot experience in Japan and the UK. Her consulting, business, and human resources talents were acquired throughout her time as a consultant and trainer in Tokyo, as well as her human resources career at the Fortune 200 food company. During her time with Executive Service Corps, Jeanne further developed her skills in Engagement Management; established an executive transition management practice; and assisted clients in strategic planning, human resources, group facilitation, organization audits, and more. Jeanne's nonprofit clients range from social services to professional associations, as well as performing arts and educational institutions. Jeanne is now the Chair of the Executive Service Corps Board of Directors. For many years, she volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New Jersey and Chicago, Chicago Lights Tutoring, and the Chicago Architecture Center Auxiliary Board.

Audrey Thomas, MA, Philanthropic Lifetime Achievement Award
Audrey Thomas is the CEO of Deborah's Place, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization, whose aim is to provide opportunities for homeless women in Chicago. Before being named CEO in 2004, she held many positions at the company, including COO. Audrey has 40 years of experience in Chicago's homeless service community.  Her experience includes strategic planning, fundraising, board development, program evaluation, and systems change. Audrey earned an MA degree from DePaul University School for New Learning and completed the Executive Scholar Program through Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Nonprofit Management. Audrey is a founding member of the Logan Square Cooperative, a limited-equity housing cooperative dedicated to keeping housing in Chicago affordable.

"The Executive Service Corps is excited to honor these incredible leaders at our annual event. We are all fortunate to have these exceptional women making a real difference in our community and inspiring all of us," said President and CEO Rachelle Jervis.

The Executive Service Corps will host an acclaimed author on April 28 to continue our traditional gathering to celebrate our influence. This year, our guest author will be Jean Hanff Korelitz. Korelitz is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Plot, You Should Have Known (which aired on HBO in October 2020 as The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, and Donald Sutherland) and Admission (adapted as a film in 2013, starring Tina Fey). When the author's new book, The Latecomer, is released on May 31, attendees will be able to get a signed hardcover copy. Tickets are available now at www.escevent.org.

Media Contact:
Brindha Dyer
[email protected]

SOURCE EXECUTIVE SERVICE CORPS OF CHICAGO