Our Mission

is Prosperity for DuPage

Choose DuPage is the collective voice of our County’s business community. Together, we open a dialogue between private- and public- sector leaders, so our economy continues to thrive.

We support and promote the DuPage Difference the high quality-of-life, business-friendly environment, premier location and skilled workforce that call our County ‘home’. It’s the Difference that makes DuPage County the proven and premier global business location.

For the future of our economy, the prosperity of our people and the legacy of our County, we are Choose DuPage.

greg bedalov

A Legacy of Making

The Right Choices

It was 2005, and the local economy was shifting rapidly.

The public and private-sector leaders of DuPage knew that needed a long-term action plan, a commitment among the area’s decision-makers. For the good of their neighbors and the prosperity of local commerce, the County’s first economic development alliance was formed.

Under the banner of Choose DuPage, we’ve fostered a collaborative public/private partnership, encouraged commercial enterprise and made the right choices for the future of DuPage.

The Goals of Choose DuPage

  • Grow, retain and attract businesses
  • Support county-wide economic development initiatives
  • Address policy issues critical to the needs of the regional economy

read our plan

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eric Rhodes
President
WWW.ADVOCATEHEALTH.COM

Sean Toolan
Director of Operations
WWW.ALSTONCO.COM

John Miller
Chief Financial Officer, Sr. Vice President, Finance
WWW.AAP.ORG

Sarah Higgins
Deputy Director, Government Relations
WWW.ANL.GOV

Christian Molinaro
Director, External Affairs
WWW.ATT.COM

Tom Cross
Executive Director, Institute for Collaboration

Meg Howes
Vice President for Development

Lisa Vivoda
Sr. Director of Development
AURORA.EDU

Anna Ball
CEO

Todd Frauendorfer
Treasurer and Corporate Secretary
WWW.BALLHORT.COM

Paola Sprenzel
Vice President of Business Development
 

Anthony Izzi
Vice President, Construction
WWW.BEARCC.COM

Mark McHorney
Interim Chief Advancement Officer
 

Phil Hardy
Director of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships
WWW.BEN.EDU

Matt Brotschul
Co-Owner and Partner

Ryan Potts 
Co-Owner and Partner
WWW.BROTSCHULPOTTS.COM

John Calamos
Founder, Chairman and Global CIO
WWW.CALAMOS.COM

Ken Witkowski
Senior Vice President
WWW.CALAMOSREALESTATE.COM

Starr McCaffery
Director, Communication Strategy
WWW.CITYGATECENTRE.COM

John Cook
President – CBIZ Employee Benefits Division
WWW.CBIZ.COM

Tyke Spencer
Benefits Consultant

Seth Lillenberg
Benefits Consultant
WWW.CBIZ.COM

Dan Persa 
First Vice President
WWW.CBRE.COM

Andrea Rodgers
Senior Vice President, Guest Experience and Operations
WWW.CZS.ORG

Christopher B. Burke
President

John Doria
Director of Government Affairs
WWW.CBBEL.COM

Christine M. Hammond, Ph.D.
Interim President


Joe Cassidy
Assistant Provost of Workforce and Economic Development


Wendy McCambridge
Director, Legislative Affairs/Special Assistant to the President


WWW.COD.EDU

Anthony M. Signorella
Director, Government Affairs

Sean McCarthy
Vice President, Business Development & Strategic Initiatives


WWW.BUSINESS.COMCAST.COM

Edward M. Sitar, III
Manager, Economic & Business Development
WWW.COMED.COM

Dan Allen
Executive Director
WWW.CISCO.ORG

Julie Hokin Watts
Director of Client Development
WWW.CORPCONC.COM

Mike Kelch
Chairman and Founder

Ted Lindholm
President
WWW.CORTERRASOLUTIONS.COM

Chris Pohlman
Partner/Managing Director
WWW.CREATIVEPLANNING.COM

Bert Nuehring
Partner

Susannah Heitger
Principal, Public Sector Consulting
WWW.CROWE.COM

Michael Connelly
External Affairs Manager, Central Area
WWW.CROWNCASTLE.COM

Hugh Elliott
Principal

Nick Pollastrini
Manager
WWW.DUGANLOPATKA.COM

Beth Marchetti
Executive Director
WWW.DISCOVERDUPAGE.COM

The Honorable Deborah Conroy
DuPage County Board Chair

The Honorable Yeena Yoo
DuPage County Board, District 2

Joan Olson
Chief Communications Officer
WWW.DUPAGECO.ORG

Amber Quirk
Regional Superintendent of Schools

Lisa Schvach
Executive Director
WWW.DUPAGEWORKFORCEBOARD.COM

Michael R. Sitrick, CFRE, JD
President & CEO

Nicki Anderson
Director of Strategic Partnerships
www.dupagefoundation.org

The Honorable Richard Veenstra
Mayor, Village of Addison
WWW.DMMC-COG.ORG

Joseph C. Dant
President, South Region and Institutes
WWW.ENDEAVORHEALTH.ORG

Leo Wright
Senior Vice President
WWW.FHPASCHEN.COM

Ron Lunt
Partner

Paul O’Connor
Partner
WWW.HAMILTONPARTNERS.COM

Greg Liss
Vice President – Regional Banking Relationship Manager Sr.
WWW.HUNTINGTON.COM

Michael Roth
Partner
WWW.ICEMILLER.COM

Dan Wagner
Senior Vice President, Government Relations

Anna Maria Kowalik
Senior Vice President, Director of Business Development, Inland Green Capital LLC
WWW.INLANDGROUP.COM

Michael Houston, CCM, LEED AP BD+C
Vice President

Melissa Hoffmeister, P.E.
Vice President
WWW.JACOBS.COM

Kevin Kalus
Market Executive, Middle Market Banking

Jordan Hennessey
Vice President, Commercial Banking
WWW.JPMORGANCHASE.COM

Ryan Butt
Dean, College of Business and Graduate School of Management

Brandon Hoeft
Executive Director of Development, Office of Advancement
WWW.LEWISU.EDU

Bill Vorhies
Partner

Courtney Healy
Vice President, Strategy & Accounts
WWW.MACLYNGROUP.COM

Richard Price
Chairman & CEO

Laura Sullivan
Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Services
WWW.MESIROW.COM

Anna Duan
Senior Director, Supply Chain Stewardship & Risk Management

Barry McGoldrick
Chief Procurement Officer
WWW.MOLEX.COM

James Adler
Executive Vice President

Mark Moran
Executive Vice President, Industrial Services
WWW.NAIHIFFMAN.COM

Rick Trujillo
Chief of Staff to President & CEO
WWW.NICORGAS.COM

Ann Hall
Vice President, Administration, Community Affairs


Katharine Bertani
Director, Strategy
WWW.NM.ORG

Glenn Mazade
Senior Vice President
WWW.OLDNATIONAL.COM

Christine Rose
Community Relations Representative
WWW.PACEBUS.COM

Frank Cerrone
President, CEO
 

Susan DiMeo Sargent
Senior Vice President
WWW.PANAMERBANK.COM

Karyn M. Charvat
Executive Director
WWW.POWERFORWARDDUPAGE.COM

Emily Shupe
Litigation and Employment Attorney

Heather Kramer
Litigation Attorney
WWW.RATHJEWOODWARD.COM

Ramsey Elshafei
President

Jeremy Szybowicz
Leasing Manager
WWW.RE-DS.COM

Kim Godden
Vice President of Legal, Government Relations

Valerie A. Bruggeman
Director, External Affairs
WWW.SUPERIORAMBULANCE.COM

Jill Koski
President & CEO

Alicia LaVire
Vice President, Marketing and Guest Experience
WWW.MORTONARB.ORG

Stephen P. Mares
Vice President, Commercial Banking
WWW.USBANK.COM

Naveen Venkatapathi
Managing Director

Carol Fleishman
Senior Client Executive
WWW.WAVICLEDATA.COM

Robert Hutchinson
President
WWW.WHEATONBANK.COM

Bradley A. Paulsen
Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer, PK-12 Education Practice Leader

Jim Mark
Managing Director, Private Markets & Chief Strategy Officer
WWW.WIGHTCO.COM

David Andalcio
CEO
WWW.WYNNDALCO.COM

MEMBER EMERITUS

Founding Member

greg bedalov

Greg Bedalov
President & CEO
(331) 401-5819 | gbedalov@choosedupage.com

As President and CEO of Choose DuPage and Chair of the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership, Greg Bedalov leads economic development efforts within DuPage County and across Northeastern Illinois.

A longtime advocate for regionwide collaboration, Bedalov previously served as President & CEO of Choose DuPage from 2010-2015. He later served as Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway and President of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA). In 2019, he returned to his leadership role at Choose DuPage.

Under his leadership, Choose DuPage has implemented numerous programs that support local municipal development, including initiatives focused on improving sustainability, equity, quality of life, supply chain management, and opportunities for small businesses.

As Chair of the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership, Bedalov partners with private- and public-sector leaders from across Northeastern Illinois to drive economic growth, advance equity and support regionwide prosperity.


rita haake

Rita Haake
Senior Vice President, Economic Development
(331) 401-5817 | rhaake@choosedupage.com

As Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Rita leads efforts to support the organization’s economic development strategy with a specific focus on business attraction, retention, and expansion. Prior to her role at Choose DuPage, Rita spent 25 years serving the business community as the leader of the College of DuPage Business Development Center. Her primary expertise has been assisting businesses in expanding their government contracting efforts. Rita graduated from Northwood University with a degree in Business Administration.


cindy klima

Cindy Klima
Vice President, Economic Development
(331) 401-5818 | cklima@choosedupage.com

As Vice President of Economic Development for Choose DuPage, Cindy is responsible for implementing and leading the organization’s economic development strategy. This includes engaging in business attraction activities and working with municipalities to support economic development initiatives throughout the county.

Cindy has broad experience working with municipalities throughout Chicagoland to support their economic development strategies, and previously worked as the Chief Communications Officer for the Illinois Tollway. Cindy graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She is a member of several civic organizations and community associations.


lisa spaeth

Lisa Spaeth
Director, Investor Relations
(331) 401-5815 | lspaeth@choosedupage.com

As Director of Investor Relations, Lisa is responsible for assessing the changing needs of the DuPage County business community, helping to create and communicate the Choose DuPage vision, and developing a strategy to foster and grow board membership.

Lisa joined Choose DuPage in 2024 and has over fifteen years of experience working in fundraising and nonprofits. She attended the University of Iowa and is actively involved in a variety of community service and volunteer organizations in DuPage County.


courtney healy

Teresa O’Brien
Manager
(331) 401-5820 | tobrien@choosedupage.com

Teresa joined Choose DuPage in 2019 and has led several of the organization’s strategic programs and initiatives including the Reinvest DuPage Small Business Relief Grant Program. Teresa’s other responsibilities include meeting and event planning, as well as providing overall support towards the mission and goals of Choose DuPage. Prior to joining Choose DuPage, Teresa worked as an HR generalist in the commercial real estate development and manufacturing industries.


courtney healy

Courtney Healy
Marketing & Advertising
(331) 444-1601 | courtney@maclyngroup.com

Choose DuPage partners with MACLYN, a boutique advertising agency located in Naperville, for marketing services including creative branding, advertising, strategic planning, and communications. Courtney has been working with MACLYN and Choose DuPage since 2011, and has a bachelor of science in marketing from DePaul University.