The State of Illinois is in the midst of a budget and pension crisis – one that threatens to undermine its progress and the future of its workers. Illinois needs real reform before the situation becomes unsustainable – and young professionals who are informed on the issue and understand its implications.

This summer, we’re bringing together a panel of experts from private business, public policy, and local government to explain why debate surrounding this issue has become contentious and ground to a halt. They will also put forth what they see as potential substantive reforms and next steps, giving our members an opportunity to hear about what plans the city could implement to fix this issue, and how future business leaders can get involved.

We need advocates on behalf of the great city of Chicago! Join us to learn more and network with fellow professionals who care about keeping the city’s future bright. We look forward to seeing you this summer. 

About the Speakers

Ted Dabrowski is a vice president of policy and spokesman for the Illinois Policy Institute, where he develops and recommends solutions to Illinois’ economic and fiscal problems. Prior to joining the Institute, Ted spent 16 years with Citigroup in Mexico and Poland. His roles at Citibank Poland included head of the corporate and investment banking division, treasurer, and sales and trading head.

Ted is a first-generation American born in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and earned an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Ted received his bachelor’s degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Marc Levine is the Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI). Levine was appointed to the ISBI by Governor Bruce Rauner in January 2015. Prior to his appointment, Levine was the co-founder and managing partner of Chicago Asset Funding, LLC, a boutique investment banking and asset management firm. He has a wide range of experience from companies and banks in Illinois, California, and Florida, where he oversaw financial transactions at a number of levels. He also served on the Board of Directors of General Motors, Navistar, and other technology startups and communication companies. He is a CPA, earned his degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and also earned an MBA from Northwestern University.

Sheila A. Weinberg, CPA, is the founder and CEO of Truth in Accounting, whose mission is to compel governments to produce financial reports that are understandable, reliable, transparent and correct. Since 2002 Ms. Weinberg has led Truth in Accounting's research initiatives. Because of her expertise in governmental budgeting and accounting, Ms. Weinberg has testified before the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), the Government Accounting Standards Board, and numerous state legislative hearings on matters of proper government accounting.

Ms. Weinberg earned her Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Denver, and she received her certified public accountant (CPA) credential in 1981. 

Moderator

Aaron Renn is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and an economic development columnist for Governing magazine. During his 15-year career in management and technology consulting, he was a partner at Accenture and held several technology strategy roles and directed multimillion-dollar global technology implementations. Renn holds a B.S. from Indiana University, where he coauthored an early social-networking platform in 1991. In 1998, he launched one of the nation’s first blogs, the Weekly Breakdown, to cover the Chicago Transit Authority.