The Top 50 Chicago Women Leaders of 2026
Chicago is a “systems city”: global corporate headquarters and exchanges sit alongside some of the nation’s most consequential public institutions, universities, foundations, and civic engines. That means influence here doesn’t just come from a CEO title-it comes from who controls capital, talent pipelines, healthcare access, energy and infrastructure decisions, legal frameworks, and the civic partnerships that keep a region competitive.
This ranked list is an editorial snapshot of 50 women shaping the greater Chicago metro-from Fortune-scale executives and founders to leaders in law, finance, healthcare, tech, philanthropy, higher education, tourism, and civic life.
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#1 Penny Pritzker
Few Chicago leaders sit at the intersection of private investment, real estate, and civic capacity the way Penny Pritzker does. As founder and chairman of PSP Partners and its affiliates, she influences where long-horizon capital flows-into companies, projects, and platforms that can shape jobs and growth across the metro. In a region where development, affordability, and business expansion are all “capital questions,” her footprint is both economic and civic.
#2 Mellody Hobson
As a top leader at Chicago-based Ariel Investments, Mellody Hobson stands out for combining market influence with real civic force. She helps steer institutional investment strategy while also shaping what gets funded-across businesses, communities, and emerging bets like women’s sports through Ariel’s initiatives. In Chicago, where opportunity gaps remain stubborn, her influence shows up in the long game: ownership, investment discipline, and community-facing leadership.
#3 Christine A. Leahy
CDW’s scale as an IT solutions powerhouse-based in the Chicago suburbs-means its leadership decisions ripple through the metro’s tech workforce, vendor ecosystem, and enterprise modernization agenda. Christine Leahy’s role matters because IT is now “critical infrastructure” for every sector (healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government). When CDW grows, invests, hires, and partners, it accelerates Chicago’s competitiveness across the entire business landscape.
#4 Debra A. Cafaro
Ventas sits in one of the most consequential intersections of our era: the longevity economy and healthcare real estate. Debra Cafaro’s long-running leadership of this Chicago-based S\&P 500 company influences how senior living, outpatient care, and related assets evolve-shaping construction, investment, and care-delivery ecosystems that employ thousands. In a city-region with major healthcare institutions and an aging population, this is quiet but significant power.
#5 Toni Preckwinkle
Cook County is one of the region’s biggest operating platforms-touching public health, justice, taxation, and large-scale services. As Board President, Toni Preckwinkle’s decisions influence the climate in which businesses recruit and retain talent: safety-net services, system performance, and regional stability. In Chicago, “economic growth” and “public systems” are inseparable, which makes this role a true center of gravity.
#6 Julie Morita, MD
The Joyce Foundation is one of the Midwest’s most strategic philanthropic institutions, and its Chicago influence is outsized: it helps set agendas, fund solutions, and convene coalitions across issues that directly affect workforce and business confidence. Under Dr. Julie Morita’s leadership, Joyce is a lever for what gets scaled-especially where public funding and private partnership need to meet.
#7 Andrea Sáenz
Chicago has no shortage of ideas; what it often needs is aligned execution across sectors. The Chicago Community Trust functions as a major connector and allocator of philanthropic resources, helping turn community priorities into funded action. Andrea Sáenz’s influence is amplified by convening power-bringing business, government, and nonprofits into the same room to move from intention to implementation.
#8 Dr. Ngozi O. Ezike
Sinai Chicago is one of the metro’s defining institutions for safety-net care and community health. Dr. Ngozi Ezike’s leadership matters because workforce health, neighborhood stability, and healthcare access are business issues in practice-affecting attendance, productivity, and family security. Her profile also bridges public health and care delivery, making her a uniquely influential figure in how Chicago responds to complex health and equity challenges.
#9 Lynne Fitzpatrick
If you want a fast read on Chicago’s unique role in the global economy, start with CME. As President and CFO, Lynne Fitzpatrick holds a high-leverage seat at the heart of derivatives markets-where risk management and price discovery shape real-world decisions in agriculture, energy, and finance. Locally, CME’s gravity supports talent pipelines, civic investment, and a financial ecosystem that keeps Chicago globally relevant.
#10 Jeanne Jones
Chicago’s growth ambitions-electrification, data centers, transit modernization, industrial competitiveness-depend on reliable energy systems and disciplined finance. As CFO of Exelon (headquartered in Chicago), Jeanne Jones influences capital allocation and long-term planning across a major utility and energy platform. This is one of the roles that quietly determines how prepared the region is for the next decade of economic change.
#11 Deidra C. Merriwether
Grainger is an essential player in the industrial and facilities backbone of American business-supplying what keeps operations running. As CFO, Deidra Merriwether sits at the intersection of capital discipline and operational scale in a company with national reach and Chicago-area roots. Her influence is “everywhere and nowhere”: it shows up in business resilience, supply chain reliability, and steady execution.
#12 Joan Bottarini
Hyatt’s Chicago headquarters connects the metro to global travel, hospitality investment, and major events economics. As CFO, Joan Bottarini helps steer how Hyatt invests, grows, and navigates macro shifts that affect downtown vitality-conventions, hotel development, tourism flows, and corporate travel. Chicago’s brand and visitor economy are meaningful economic engines, and Hyatt’s decisions are part of that system.
#13 Jill Griebenow
Cboe is one of the institutions that makes Chicago Chicago-a market-structure cornerstone with national and global impact. As CFO, Jill Griebenow influences investment capacity, strategic priorities, and the financial footing behind innovation in trading and market infrastructure. That matters locally because financial-market institutions anchor talent, philanthropy, and a specialized economy that few regions can replicate.
#14 Ornella Barra
Walgreens Boots Alliance is a metro-area headquartered giant with direct, day-to-day touchpoints for consumers and communities. Ornella Barra’s international operations role matters because it shapes scale decisions: supply chains, retail health strategy, partnerships, and how a legacy retailer adapts to a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. In a region where retail employment and healthcare access both matter, this is real operating influence.
#15 Lanesha Minnix
In highly regulated sectors, legal leadership can be as consequential as product leadership. As global chief legal officer, Lanesha Minnix influences governance, risk posture, compliance, and strategic decision-making across a complex healthcare-and-retail enterprise. That “guardrails role” can determine how boldly a company moves-especially in periods of transformation and public scrutiny.
#16 Kate Gebo
United’s Chicago presence is foundational-O’Hare, corporate operations, and a vast regional workforce. Kate Gebo’s HR and labor portfolio sits right where big-company leadership becomes tangible: contracts, culture, retention, training, and operational stability. In a union-intensive, service-critical industry, this role shapes thousands of Chicago-area careers and the reliability of a major transportation hub.
#17 Desirée Ralls-Morrison
McDonald’s Chicago headquarters is a command center for one of the world’s most influential brands and franchise systems. As chief legal officer, Desirée Ralls-Morrison helps steer the legal and governance architecture behind global operations-issues that touch franchising, brand protection, and corporate responsibility. In Chicago, where McDonald’s is both employer and civic actor, this is a key seat at the table.
#18 Tiffanie Boyd
The “people function” at McDonald’s is not a back-office role-it’s a global-scale operational lever affecting hiring, leadership development, frontline experience, and workforce strategy. Tiffanie Boyd’s remit influences what opportunity looks like across an enormous employment ecosystem tied to Chicago’s corporate identity. When the world’s biggest employers shift people strategy, other employers often follow.
#19 Teresa Wilton Harmon
Chicago remains a legal capital, and Sidley is one of its flagship firms. Teresa Wilton Harmon’s office leadership matters because major deals, disputes, and regulatory strategy run through firms like Sidley-affecting how capital moves, how companies manage risk, and how emerging sectors (like digital assets) are governed in practice. This is influence through the rulebook.
#20 Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda
UIC is one of the region’s most important workforce and research institutions-especially in a metro where talent development is a competitive advantage. As Chancellor, Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda influences how a major public university aligns with employers, trains future professionals, and contributes to research and innovation. When universities connect tightly to industry needs, the entire regional economy becomes more resilient.
#21 Jennifer W. Steans
As President and CEO of Financial Investments Corporation, Jennifer Steans has built a disciplined investment and stewardship platform that backs growth and strengthens long-term value. Her civic leadership as board chair of Navy Pier helps keep one of Chicago’s most visible public attractions financially strong and community-focused, supporting tourism, jobs, and the city’s brand.
#22 Larita Clark
Larita Clark leads the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority with deep operational and financial expertise, ensuring McCormick Place and related venues remain world-class engines for conventions and events. By prioritizing sustainability, revenue performance, and visitor experience, she helps drive hotel demand, small-business activity, and citywide economic momentum.
#23 Kristen Reynolds
As the leader of Choose Chicago, Kristen Reynolds champions the city’s global destination brand and works to win the meetings, conventions, and leisure travel that fuel local spending. Her tourism industry track record and partnership-building translate into measurable economic impact for hotels, restaurants, and cultural institutions across the region.
#24 Christine DeBiase
Christine DeBiase provides strategic legal and governance leadership for Allstate, helping the company navigate regulation, risk, and complex stakeholder expectations. By enabling confident decision-making and responsible growth, she strengthens a major Chicago-area employer’s resilience and trust with customers, regulators, and investors.
#25 Andréa Carter
Andréa Carter shapes Allstate’s talent strategy and culture, building the connected, high-performing workforce required to serve customers and innovate at scale. Her leadership in attracting, developing, and retaining people turns human capital into competitive advantage, boosting performance and strengthening Allstate’s long-term impact in the region.
#26 Jennifer Murillo
Jennifer Murillo has guided Discover’s brand and customer strategy with a steady focus on insight-driven marketing and clear, human communication. By connecting product value to customer needs and trust, she has helped strengthen a major financial services franchise and elevate Chicago-area marketing leadership on a national stage.
#27 Kimberly Evans
Kimberly Evans drives enterprise sustainability, inclusion, and social impact at Northern Trust, aligning purpose with business strategy and stakeholder outcomes. Her work advances responsible finance through community investment and philanthropy, helping a cornerstone Chicago institution deliver measurable benefits well beyond the balance sheet.
#28 Laura Schumacher
Over a distinguished career in life sciences, Laura Schumacher has guided complex legal and external affairs work at AbbVie and its predecessor with clear judgment and principled leadership. By pairing strong governance with a deep understanding of the industry’s public responsibilities, she has helped protect innovation and build lasting trust among patients, regulators, and shareholders.
#29 Anna Paulson
Anna Paulson is recognized for research and policy leadership that connects rigorous economics to real-world decisions affecting financial stability and growth. Her work advising senior leaders and elevating insights on banking, insurance, and the regional economy helps business and community leaders navigate uncertainty with better information.
#30 Eileen O’Neill Burke
Eileen O’Neill Burke brings decades of courtroom and judicial experience to leading the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, emphasizing professionalism and fairness in the justice system. By strengthening public safety and trust in institutions, she influences the stability that businesses, neighborhoods, and families rely on to thrive.
#31 Joanna K. Horsnail
Joanna Horsnail leads Mayer Brown’s Chicago office while advising on complex construction and project finance matters that shape major infrastructure and development. Her combination of deal-making rigor and inclusive leadership helps move transformative projects forward, supporting growth for clients and the broader Chicago economy.
#32 Lisa Madigan
Lisa Madigan brings a rare blend of high-stakes litigation skill and public service credibility, shaped by her tenure as Illinois’ long-serving attorney general. Her work protecting consumers and strengthening accountability has had lasting economic impact, and she continues to bring that same strategic discipline to complex matters for major organizations.
#33 Monica Reed, MD
Monica Reed leads UChicago Medicine AdventHealth with deep clinical and operational expertise, advancing high-quality care across hospitals and outpatient settings. By focusing on access, patient experience, and performance, she strengthens a critical health system that supports workforce wellbeing and regional economic vitality.
#34 Karen Freeman-Wilson
Karen Freeman-Wilson has positioned the Chicago Urban League as a powerful driver of opportunity by expanding pathways to jobs, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility. Her public-sector leadership and relentless focus on equity translate into stronger communities and a more inclusive regional economy.
#35 Suzanne Yoon
Suzanne Yoon has built Kinzie Capital Partners into a respected private equity platform, using disciplined investing to help lower middle market companies scale sustainably. By partnering with management teams to drive operational improvements and long-term value, she helps create jobs and strengthens Chicago’s role as a center of middle-market leadership.
#36 Samara Hernandez
Samara Hernandez expands access to early-stage capital through Chingona Ventures, backing founders who build technology businesses in large, often overlooked markets. Her investing and mentorship help turn bold ideas into companies, widening who gets to innovate and amplifying Chicago’s influence in the national startup ecosystem.
#37 Desirée Vargas-Wrigley
Desirée Vargas-Wrigley has consistently turned entrepreneurship into community impact, leading TechRise to help underrepresented founders access funding, customers, and the support needed to scale. As a proven founder and innovation leader, she strengthens Chicago’s startup pipeline and helps ensure the region’s tech growth is broad-based and inclusive.
#38 Dr. Meera Raja
Meera Raja advances Chicago’s deep-tech ambitions by convening researchers, industry, and investors around breakthrough fields with the potential to reshape the economy. Her focus on building equitable pathways from science to commercialization helps translate innovation into new companies, skilled jobs, and long-term regional competitiveness.
#39 Kristi Ross
Kristi Ross has helped build one of Chicago’s most influential fintech platforms, combining education and technology to make investing more accessible and actionable. Her entrepreneurial track record and commitment to mentorship strengthen the city’s innovation community while demonstrating how customer-first design can drive sustained growth.
#40 Amanda Lannert
Amanda Lannert has led Jellyvision’s evolution into a standout Chicago software company, helping employers and employees make smarter benefits and health decisions through clear, engaging technology. Her emphasis on values-driven growth, mentorship, and community investment has amplified the company’s footprint and reinforced Chicago’s reputation as a hub for mission-led innovation.
#41 Stephanie Klein
Stephanie Klein has built and scaled tech-enabled consumer finance businesses, bringing modern analytics and disciplined execution to responsible credit access. By pairing innovation with a focus on customer outcomes, she has expanded opportunity in a difficult market segment and demonstrated how fintech can drive both growth and inclusion.
#42 Talia Mashiach
Talia Mashiach is a fintech builder who created Eved to modernize accounts payable and payments for the events, media, and entertainment industries. By simplifying complex workflows and improving financial control for organizations, she delivers real operational leverage and sets a high standard for product-led leadership in Chicago’s tech scene.
#43 Feyi Olopade Ayodele
Feyi Olopade Ayodele co-founded CancerIQ to help health systems identify and manage patients’ genetic risk, turning precision medicine into practical preventive care. Her leadership accelerates earlier detection and smarter population health strategies, creating impact that improves outcomes while reducing long-term costs across the healthcare ecosystem.
#44 Lori Greiner
Lori Greiner is a prolific inventor and entrepreneur whose product innovations and disciplined commercialization have helped shape modern consumer retail and direct-to-consumer selling. Through her investing and mentorship of founders, she has helped countless small businesses scale ideas into brands, reinforcing Chicago’s reputation for practical, market-tested entrepreneurship.
#45 Stephanie Izard
Stephanie Izard has built an iconic restaurant portfolio by pairing award-winning culinary creativity with disciplined business execution. Her concepts attract visitors, create jobs, and elevate Chicago’s national food reputation, proving that hospitality leadership can be both culturally influential and economically powerful.
#46 Nykia Wright
Nykia Wright leads the National Association of Realtors with a steady, change-ready approach shaped by experience running complex organizations at pivotal moments. By focusing on modernization, accountability, and member value, she strengthens an institution that influences housing markets and consumer confidence across the country from its Chicago base.
#47 Janet Malzone
Janet Malzone guided Grant Thornton through a period of growth and heightened expectations for audit quality, reinforcing trust in financial reporting for the market. Her leadership combined operational rigor with strategic investment in people and innovation, strengthening a major professional services employer and advisor with broad influence in Chicago’s business community.
#48 Arla Lach
Arla Lach leads Grant Thornton’s Central region audit practice with a reputation for building high-performing teams and delivering consistent quality across a complex client portfolio. By developing talent and advancing client service strategy, she helps businesses make confident decisions and supports Chicago’s role as a center for trusted advisory leadership.
#49 Natalie Kotlyar
Natalie Kotlyar brings strategic clarity to BDO by leading industry-group efforts that help clients navigate sector-specific disruption with practical insight. As board chair, she reinforces strong governance and performance across the firm, amplifying BDO’s impact on middle-market growth and the broader business ecosystem.
#50 Emily Chase, RN
Emily Chase leads operations at University of Chicago Medicine with a clinician’s perspective and an executive’s discipline, translating mission into measurable performance and patient experience. Her ability to align caregivers, technology, and process improvement strengthens one of the region’s most important health systems and supports the resilience of Chicago’s healthcare workforce.
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