Each year, the McGaw YMCA Board of Directors nominates a new cohort of individuals to serve on the Board and the Membership of the McGaw YMCA votes to elect new board members during the virtual Board Election. The proposed slate is listed below.
This year’s virtual Board Election will be held December 2 – 9. Current McGaw Y members will receive an email at 8:00 a.m. (CDT) on Monday, December 2, with a link to the virtual ballot to cast their vote. Â The polls will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 9.
The Board election results will be shared at the Annual Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the McGaw YMCA Chinnock Lounge. An online viewing option will be available for those who wish to attend virtually. RSVP for the Annual Meeting.
Current Board Members Up for Re-Election
The following slate of current board members is up for re-election during the Board Election.
One-Year Term:
- Marjorie Rallins
Three-Year Term:Â
- Brandon Buchanan
New Board Member Nominees (3-year Term)
The following slate of new candidates is up for election during the Board Election (presented in alphabetical order).
Denise Barreto is an entrepreneur, author, and TEDx speaker who is a leading 21st Century voice on inclusive leadership and storytelling challenging the status quo and building new, more inclusive narratives and environments across government, nonprofit, corporate and entertainment. After three years as Cook County Government’s inaugural dedicated lead of equity and inclusion, in 2023, Denise Barreto joined the Chicago Transit Authority as the agency’s first Chief Equity and Engagement Officer.
She was twice elected to the Board of Trustees for the Village of Lake in the Hills, IL leading the wave of childbearing age women of color in local elected office across the US back in 2009. She’s served on the Illinois Business Enterprise Council, Evanston Parks and Recreation Board and when not pursuing her life’s purpose of liberty and justice for all, she can be found in a park with her mini dachshund, Phoebe or on an excursion with her two adult offspring.
Denise is a lifelong “Y kid” who grew up at the now-closed South Suburban Y in Harvey, IL, and later became a member of the McGaw YMCA. Her journey with the Y includes engineering the Chicago Major League Soccer team’s sponsorship of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago-a true super fan moment. Now, she’s thrilled to reconnect with her Y roots in her adopted community of Evanston where she can support the mission at a hyperlocal level.
Peter Braithwaite joined Procurement and Payment Services at Northwestern as the Director of Procurement Diversity and Community Engagement in February 2022. Since then, Peter has focused on the development, implementation, and management of our overall procurement diversity strategy at Northwestern; with a focus on the 800M Ryan Field Project.
Peter has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kansas and is a transformational leader with more than 15 years of progressive experience in business development, community relations, and government. Peter most recently worked for Grainger as a Commercial Account Manager.
Peter served as the City of Evanston 2nd Ward Alderperson for 11 years and currently serves as a board member for the Chessmen Club of the NorthShore and the City of Evanston Chamber of Commerce.
Peter has been married for 25 years and has four children and has recently become a grandfather. He is committed to the McGaw YMCA mission and is looking forward to serving the entire Evanston community in this new capacity.
Carrie Charles spent the first 14 years of her professional career in public accounting, serving not-for-profit and healthcare clients. Since 2012, she has led her own consulting practice, concentrated on assisting not-for-profit organizations with variety of projects relating to financial reporting, internal controls and process improvement.
She has always felt a special connection to the Y, having been a member in her hometown and attending the local equivalent of Camp Echo (called Camp U-Nah-Li-Yah) for many summers. Because of these personal experiences, she appreciates the many ways the McGaw YMCA touches and enriches the lives of families in the Evanston community.
She was a Trustee of the Board of Chiaravalle Montessori School for six years, spending four of those years as Treasurer. She has been a member of the McGaw YMCA Business and Finance Committee since October 2023.
Mary Finn grew up in the New Jersey suburbs. After graduate school Mary left the Northeast and moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to begin her career as an English professor. In 1996 she and her husband, Harry Samuels, moved to Evanston, and both began to work at Northwestern University. Mary spent most of her career at Northwestern as an administrator in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, where she oversaw the College’s undergraduate program and taught in the English department. Mary and Harry retired from Northwestern in 2023.
The Finn-Samuels family has a long history with the YMCA. Both of Mary’s sons, Sean and Jacob Finn-Samuels, went to Camp Echo for a number of years. Both went on to be counselors, and Sean led a number of Echo trips. Jacob did a few stints as a lifeguard at the Y pool. Mary and Harry have swum regularly for years and were among the first to sign up gratefully when the Y opened its six lanes for six people every half hour during the pandemic. And of course, as is required now when retired, Mary has started to play pickleball.
Marlee Hendricks is Director of Public Health Administration at Cook County Department of Public Health, where she oversees the department’s Finance, Workforce Development, and Facility Operations units. She seeks to bolster the core infrastructure of the Health Department to empower our team members to better serve our communities.
Marlee has worked in payer, provider, consulting and government spaces. She has deep expertise in healthcare finance, organizational strategy, and the SaaS (software as a service) industry. Marlee is driven to improve the U.S. health system by crafting equitable and sustainable health policy through progressive financial stewardship and operational partnerships. She serves on multiple public health-focused boards in such roles as treasurer for the Health Connect One Board of Directors, steering/advisory partner to the Northshore University Health System on the Centering Midwifery Board of Directors, and patient stakeholder on the Furthering Equity through infant Education and Support (FEEDS) Community Advisory Committee and leadership team. Marlee earned a Master of Business Administration at Pepperdine University as well as a Master of Public Health degree and a bachelor’s in health science from DePaul University.
Marlee has previously attended the McGaw Y Annual Gala and served as a volunteer with the Y at the Evanston Juneteenth Parade. She is most excited for the opportunity to positively support the McGaw YMCA mission and community impact by contributing her financial acumen and commitment to service.
Gyata Kimmons is the founder and CEO of Ridge Strategy Group, a consulting company named after the street he grew up on in Evanston that specializes in public affairs, lobbying and business development. He also is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Revitalize Communities, Inc., a community based real estate development company. Gyata believes in service to community. He is a former elected official with the Village of Flossmoor Board of Trustees and also serves as Board Chair of the South Suburban PADS organization. Gyata is also a former Board member of the Paul W. Cain Scholarship Fund of the Evanston Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, a former Evanston Scholars mentor, and a former Evanston Township High School Foundation Board member. Gyata’s ability to work collaboratively and elicit the best from colleagues was honed during his days playing youth sports and later as Youth Lobby Supervisor at the McGaw YMCA. An advanced open water scuba diver, Gyata learned to swim at the Y where his daughters later also learned to swim. A graduate of Evanston Township High School, Gyata has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Hampton University and a Juris Doctor degree from the Howard University School of Law. He and his family now reside in Flossmoor.
Gyata’s connection to the McGaw YMCA began as a youth learning to swim and playing seasonal Y Club sports. He attended Y dances and worked as a Youth Lobby Supervisor during his senior year of high school. Later, he reconnected with the Y when his daughters took swimming lessons, and he became a donor.
Gyata is most excited for the opportunity to work collaboratively with fellow Board members by giving back to the Evanston community through the Y’s offerings. “I know of the storied history of the Emerson Street Branch and appreciate the way today’s McGaw YMCA both honors that history and looks to build bridges with today’s youth across Evanston.”
Peter Lewis founded LFL Advisers, an Evaston-based investment management firm, in 2005. His professional background is in finance and accounting. Peter previously served on the Board of Directors of Y.O.U. and continues to participate on its finance committee.
Peter grew up in Evanston, moved away for 23 years for college and career, and returned in 2012. He received a degree in economics from Amherst College and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Having lived three blocks from the McGaw YMCA for most of his childhood, Peter was involved in a myriad of activities there, from elementary school through high school, including Swim Team, Thousand Point Club, Camp Echo, Middle School Sports Clubs-as a participant and later a counselor-and Brillianteen. His stepmother and sister are past McGaw YMCA Board Members. Peter understands the important role that the McGaw YMCA plays in our community. He is most excited for the opportunity to serve an institution that was very important to him as a youth in hopes that it can continue to serve current and future members of the community.
Peter and his wife Rachel have two children, a junior at ETHS and a seventh grader at Haven. Their daughter attended the McGaw YMCA’s Children’s Center for two years.