Board of Directors
President
Ellyn Dannewitz
I am an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and founder of Brige The Gap Coaching. I help emerging leaders, executives and individuals who are ready to make meaningful change. My coaching is rooted in Positive Intelligence and mental fitness, guiding clients to build clarity, resilience, and confidence to bridge the gap between where they are today and the best version of themselves.
With more than 30 years of corporate leadership experience, I bring both depth and practicality to my coaching practice, creating space for growth that is both strategic and sustainable. Coaching has been transformational in my own journey, and I'm passionate about helping others experience the same shift toward possibility and purpose.
Most recently, I was honored to be elected President of the ICF Chicago Chapter (2025-2026). In this role, I am committed to fostering connection, accountability, and community and to advancing the impact of coaching across our profession the broader Chicago area.
President Elect
Mira Weisenthal
With a background in coaching and project management, Mira specializes in guiding people through complex shifts in work and life by blending structure with a deep appreciation for the human side of systems.
She is recognized for her her warm and inclusive leadership style, her creative, people-first approach, and her excellent taste in music and food. Mira is an active member of ICF Chicago and co-founder of the ICF Chicago ACC Study Group, which supports members and non-members alike in achieving their coaching credential. She also serves on the ICF Chicago Board as President-Elect for the 2025-26 term and loves nothing more than connecting with others in the coaching community.
Mira is an ICF-Certified coach (ACC), holds a Master's in Coaching and Organizational Change Management, and is a Prosci-certified change practitioner. She is also an accomplished artist, DJ, and RPCV (Cambodia, 2009-2011).
Secretary
Dr Lisa Raquel Elliott
Lisa R. Elliott, Ph.D., ACC, Prosci, is an executive and personal coach specializing in leadership and personal development, emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and transformational coaching. She empowers individuals to unlock their true selves, where insight, creativity, imagination, and profound intelligence reside limitlessly. Drawing from diverse disciplines such as cognitive science, emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and spirituality, Dr. Lisa guides her clients to tap into their full potential.
Finding harmony between soul, spirit, and work can be a profound challenge. Whether seeking to discover one's true calling or thrive in a profession, Dr. Lisa is dedicated to assisting clients in embracing a more authentic and impactful approach to navigating the world.
Certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Dr. Lisa holds coaching certificates from Fielding Graduate University’s Evidenced-Based Coaching and Better Up’s Coach Development programs. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Change, an M.S. in Positive Organizational Development and Change, an M.A. in Communications Management, and a B.S. in Radio-TV-Film.
As the founder and principal of Soulutions Work, Dr. Lisa revolutionizes thinking, communication, and leadership paradigms for individuals and organizations. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct faculty member at Roosevelt University's Walter E. Heller College of Business. Before coaching, Dr. Lisa gained more than 15 years of experience in organizational development and change, supplemented by more than two decades in marketing communications.
With extensive expertise in organizational change management, cultural change, strategic communications, and leadership alignment, Dr. Lisa has contributed to enhanced employee engagement and collaboration across diverse sectors.
Coaching provides fresh perspectives on personal challenges, refined decision-making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and heightened confidence. Clients can anticipate notable enhancements in productivity, satisfaction, and goal achievement.
In today's workplace, aligning with one's true purpose serves as the cornerstone of success. Embarking on the journey to integrate soul, spirit, and work is profoundly transformative. Those who resonate deeply with Dr. Lisa's coaching philosophies are invited to connect further and explore the potential for bridging the gap between spirituality and professional life.
Treasurer
Lynn Yazbec
Lynn is currently the Treasurer for ICF-Chicago. She is also a Career Transition Coach for Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In this role, she works with professionals in transition to create a job search action plan that maximizes their potential to land the best possible job. She provides strategic coaching and advice to decrease job search time and increase compatibility and likeability with potential employers.
Lynn is also an Organizational Development Consultant and has her Masters in Management and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University and her Bachelors of Science in Finance from University of Illinois in Champagin. Utilizing her extensive human capital and change management knowledge and experience from many years at Accenture, a leading professional services firm, Lynn is able to rapidly pinpoint the gap between the leader's vision and their current reality. In order to bridge that gap, Lynn facilitates the dialogue necessary to identify strategic outcomes and design action steps. Her clients have commented on her significant insight and awareness with regard to global human capital and organizational development issues.
Lynn has served as adjunct faculty for Columbia University School of Professional Studies in their Masters of Applied Analystics and Masters of Information and Knowledge Strategy program. She is a Wiley Authorized Partner for Everything DiSC and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, as well as a Authorized Facilitator for Working Genius. She is working toward her ACC and has completed the Corporate Business Coaching program at Corporate Coach University.
Program Director
Aquabah Gonney
In a pursuit to change the status quo and strive for transformational change through innovation, Aquabah Gonney-Buckner has dedicated her 18-year career to teaching and leading in urban schools as a teacher, instructional coach, and turn-around school leader. As the principal of Lewis School of Excellence, Gonney-Buckner transformed her school from Level 2 (Intense Support) to Level 1 (good standing) by emphasizing a personalized approach to education, culturally responsive practices and social emotional learning, setting a new standard of excellence for students and a new vision of what school could be. In addition, Lewis School of Excellence achieved a 4.2% increase in student attendance and an 82% decrease in student discipline infractions. During the pandemic, Mrs. Gonney was featured in the Chicago Public Education Fund’s Principal Response to the Pandemic Report for her school’s bi-weekly culturally responsive teaching professional development for teachers and staff to discuss diversity, inclusion and equity in education. As a premier school in her network, she was featured in the book How Schools Work written by Arne Duncan, Former U.S. Secretary of Education under Barack Obama.
Aquabah Gonney-Buckner holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a Minor in General Art from Delaware State University and a Dual Masters in Childhood and Special Education from Wagner College. For the last six years, Mrs. Gonney-Buckner has used her passion for education to support other leaders within the field of education. She believes strongly in leaders working in tandem with other leaders to make strategic decisions. As a result, she started her company, Lead With Leaders LLC in 2023 to provide support to principals and district leaders from former and current leaders, to help navigate the challenges of leadership through Coaching, Consulting, and Professional Development. She has had the privilege of working with principals and school districts across the country to support school leadership. She is the recipient of two leadership awards for her work with the Black Principals Network as the Director of Programming for The Leadership Collaborative 2024. She is also a member of the International Coaching Federation and sits on the Board of Directors for the ICF Chicago Chapter as the Director of Programming where she uses her talents to curate professional learning for the coaching community in Chicago. Aquabah believes that despite what the saying says, it doesn’t have to be “lonely at the top'' if you have the right people at the top with you.
Membership Director
Jai Anand Sekar
Jai's path to executive coaching was shaped by more than two decades of navigating complexity - across technology consulting, strategy consulting and coaching with global organizations like Capgemini, Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) and Amazon Web Services. His first hand experiences when he held leadership roles across North America, Europe and India, informs how he helps leaders navigate their challenges across identity evolution, career pivots, cultural adaptation, and the search for sustainable success.
Jai's deep experience reflects in his coaching philosophy: 'Leaders don't need more advice - they need translation'. He practices Precision Inquiry Coaching - a methodology that combines the analytical rigor of management consulting with the depth of transformational coaching. Jai is also adept at creating genuine psychological safety for clients to confront complex truths. He focuses on making the abstract measurable and the emotional logical - helping analytical clients access their inner wisdom through the language they already speak before gradually expanding into emotional territory.
Jai works primarily with mid-to-senior leaders in consulting, technology, finance, healthcare, consumer goods, start-ups, education etc. who are redefining success on their own terms - moving from external validation to self-authored decisions. A Northwestern Kellogg MBA graduate, he is passionate about expanding access to quality coaching, mentoring emerging practitioners, and contributing to research-informed practice standards within the ICF community.
Outside of coaching, Jai remains active as a strategy consultant and a global consulting leader, bridging the worlds of business transformation and leadership development.
DEIB Director
Paul Steele
Paul’s introduction to coaching came while designing national programs in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) development in the Sultanate of Oman. He holds a master’s degree in Intercultural Service Leadership and Management from the School of International Training (SIT) and is a 2024-2025 Fellow with the American Express Leadership Academy for non-profit organizations. His professional experience has included the public, private and non-profit sectors across Japan, Korea, China, Oman and Chicago. He works full-time for Lions International, managing a team of 200 volunteer leaders across 80 countries in Europe and Africa; and is on the Advisory Board for Refugee Jumpstart.
Paul is a certified DEIB Chapter Leader through International Coaching Federation (ICF). He hold an ACC certification, and his coaching practice specializes in executive coaching, Small and Medium Enterprise leaders, group coaching, non-profit leaders, and on cross-culture career transitions.
At-Large Director
Lori Feldman
Dr. Lori Feldman helps leaders trust their value, lead with confidence, and amplify their impact so they can step into their next chapter as the fullest version of who they are. As an executive coach and founder of Papillon Leadership Coaching, she partners with high-achieveing professionals - particularly women - who are navigating growth transition, and reinvention. Her coaching philosophy centers on the belief that transformation isn't about becoming someone new, but about becoming more fully yourself.
Known for her blend of candor, compassion, and strategy Lori helps leaders navigate pivotal transitions, strengthen their influence, and communicate their value with conviction. She integrates evidence-based tools such as Hogan assessments, psychological safety assessments and frameworks, and personal branding methodologies to help clients uncover blind spots, build self trust, and lead with purpose and presence.
Before launching her coaching practice, Lori served for more than three decates at Purdue University Northwest ultimately serving as Vice Provost and Professor of Marketing. She co-founded Breaking the Glass Ceiling, a PBS-featured initiative highlighting the leadership journeys of women across a variety of industries. She also launched the Purdue Northwest Executive MBA Program, recognized by Fortune as a "best value" program.
In addition to her private practice, Lori is a Leadership Coach and Talent Management Executive with Executive Core, supporting leaders across Fortune 500 companies, universities, nonprofits, and government agencies. She holds a Ph.D. and MBA from the University of Michigan and is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation.
As a Member-at-Large on the ICF Chicago Board of Directors, Lori is committed to advancing the coaching profession and amplifying women's leadership - helping more leaders to level up without losing themselves in the process.
Stacy Jackson
At-Large Director
Valerie Rogers
At-Large Director
Wanda Williamson-Jackson
info@whatsnextsolutionsllc.com
Wanda brings a profound commitment to continuous learning and excellence as a Director-at-Large on the ICF Chicago Chapter Board.
With over 34 years in education, she cultivated a deep and varied expertise, successfully navigating and leading diverse environments as a teacher, special education case manager, counselor, department chair, and assistant principal. This extensive experience gave her the privilege of empowering individuals at every stage of life to unlock their potential and confidently navigate change.
This deep-rooted passion now drives her private coaching practice, What's Next Solutions LLC. Founded in 2023, the practice initially focused on midlife transitions for women but evolved by March 2025 to support professionals and executives of all genders seeking tools to lead with purpose and positive impact.
Wanda offers a unique, holistic coaching partnership, tailored to meet each client's individual needs. Her methodology integrates strategic assessment data (including her DISC certification) with a deep specialization in leadership development and emotional intelligence.
Her background is anchored by a Master's degree and certifications in Educational Leadership and Professional School Counseling, complemented by focused certifications in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mindfulness.
Wanda has completed the rigorous ICF-PCC Professional and Executive Coaching program and holds the ICF-ACC credential. Her exceptional career trajectory demonstrates the dedication she now brings to supporting the Chapter's mission.
