Meet the team

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Brian has spent over 30 years organizing for justice and equity in diverse communities. Half of that time has been with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), where he led campaigns on housing, immigration, healthcare, workers’ rights, and more. He rejoined JCUA in 2020 to strengthen development, communications, and engagement strategies.

Previously, Brian served as Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois, where he helped secure landmark democracy reforms like Same Day and Automatic Voter Registration. Earlier in his career, he worked on environmental justice issues including urban agriculture, lead poisoning, and toxic waste.

Brian holds a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Bachelor’s in Public Affairs and Environmental Science from Indiana University.

Briang@fotp.org

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Egna serves as the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Friends of the Parks, where she also leads the Nature Along the Lake (NAL) education program on Chicago’s South Side.

She brings unique expertise and energy to her work with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a background as both an educator and environmentalist. Egna is especially passionate about connecting young people to the natural world and believes parks are essential for learning, recreation, and community well-being across every Chicago neighborhood.

Egnas@fotp.org

ADVOCACY AND POLICY MANAGER

Hannah is the Advocacy and Policy Manager at Friends of the Parks, where she leads policy strategies, advances advocacy efforts, and partners with communities to ensure that every Chicagoan has access to clean, safe, and vibrant parks. She holds a Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Health Behavior Science from the University of Delaware.

With a background in public health, community-engaged research, and environmental justice, Hannah brings expertise and passion to her role. She is committed to addressing the root causes of inequity, elevating community leadership, and advancing health justice by protecting and expanding Chicago’s parks and green spaces. For Hannah, parks are more than amenities—they are vital to our neighborhoods' health, joy, and well-being.

Hannahw@fotp.org

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT

Kevin is the Director of Operations and Engagement at Friends of the Park. In this role, he oversees organizational operations, finances, the PAC Fiscal Sponsorship Program, and the Internship Program. Before joining FOTP, Kevin spent over 13 years at a non-profit mental health and research clinic, bringing deep experience in fostering supportive, mission-driven environments.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Purdue University, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Robert Morris University, a Master of Arts in Psychology and a PhD in Psychology from The Chicago School. Kevin is committed to creating inclusive spaces where people of all backgrounds feel valued and connected. He believes parks are powerful tools for improving mental health, reducing stress, and strengthening communities by offering safe, welcoming spaces for connection and engagement.

Kevinw@fotp.org

Board Chair

Bronwyn brings deep experience in park advocacy and nonprofit leadership to her role as Friends of the Parks Board Chair. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, she grew up exploring parks, climbing trees, and camping—values that continue to guide her leadership today. As President of the Midway Plaisance Advisory Council (MPAC), Bronwyn is a powerful advocate for protecting Frederick Law Olmsted’s historic South Side park. Under her leadership, MPAC successfully stopped a proposed parking garage on the Midway and became a leading voice for park equity, transparency, and environmental stewardship.

A recipient of FOTP’s 2019 VIP Award, Bronwyn champions accountability, racial equity, and climate resilience in Chicago’s parks. She also serves on the Boards of the Promontory Point Conservancy and the Olmstead Network. Bronwyn holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, where she holds an MA in International Relations and earned her PhD in Comparative Human Development.

Vice Chair

Lauren, a proud Hyde Park resident, raised her family surrounded by some of Chicago’s most iconic parks—Jackson, Washington, and Burnham—and draws daily inspiration from Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Lauren is deeply rooted in her community. As a co-founder and board member of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and the Hyde Park Art Center, her favorite park, Promontory Point, holds special meaning as a place of beauty, connection, and reflection. Committed to Friends of the Parks’ mission, Lauren is a passionate advocate for equitable access to nature and public spaces that bring people together and strengthen Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Vice Chair

Deborah is a seasoned non-profit leader and fundraising expert who currently serves as adjunct faculty in the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at UIC. Her lifelong love of Chicago’s parks began with summers at Foster Avenue and Rainbow Beaches, family time at Bixler Playlot, and countless miles biking the Lakefront Trail. Having lived in cities without strong park systems, she deeply values what Chicago’s green spaces bring to urban life. On the FOTP Board, she contributes her expertise through management-focused committees that strengthen the organization’s advocacy and community work.

Treasurer

Thurman is a Vietnam War Coast Guard veteran, a retired Cook County tax assessor, and a commercial real estate broker. Growing up in Englewood, he spent his youth at Ogden Park, where he learned to swim and play sports and first experienced community life—he even saw Dr. Martin Luther King speak there. His favorite park today is Marquette Park, reflecting his lifelong connection to Chicago’s green spaces.

Secretary

Nancy Juda joined the Friends of the Parks board in 2018 to advance her commitment to equitable access to nature across Chicago. A founding steward of a community garden in Lincoln Park, she believes every Chicagoan should have opportunities to connect with the city’s natural spaces. Over the years she has worked for or served on the boards of several organizations that are dedicated to empowerment, environmental sustainability, equity, and community building.

With a working artist and art instructor background, Nancy brings a creative lens to her advocacy for environmental sustainability, community building, and park equity. She continues to find inspiration and beauty in Chicago’s vibrant public parks.

Board Member

Frederick N. Bates has been a practicing attorney for nearly five decades. He brings deep experience in international business, labor, and tort law and a lifelong commitment to public service. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, he has dedicated significant time to pro bono work representing clients in criminal and civil cases. Fred also taught American Legal History for over a decade at DePaul University and has led seminars on labor law, antitrust, and legal ethics.

He currently serves as a trustee for several nonprofit organizations, including Friends of the Parks, Victory Gardens Theatre, and the Newberry Consort. A lifelong park lover and Jackson Park native, Fred is also a life member of the Sierra Club and a steadfast advocate for environmental stewardship and equitable access to public spaces.

Board Member

Lorraine Pedersen Chavez is a first generation college student, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Columbia University in New York City with Honors in Political Science. She is a National Academy of the Sciences/ Ford Foundation Minority Dissertation Fellow from the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago with her M.A. also from that department. She organized the first Earth Day at her high school and recently served as an elected officer of the Midway PAC in Chicago.

Board Member

Pete Leki has served on the Friends of the Parks board for several years and has collaborated with the organization for over two decades as an ecology teacher and educator with Nature Along the Lake. Pete holds an interdisciplinary degree in Ecology, Education, and Neighborhood Studies from Northeastern Illinois University. Pete believes Chicago’s parks and natural areas are essential sanctuaries for physical and mental health and advocates for restored nature in every neighborhood across the city.

Board Member

Sheldon Bernard Lyke is an Associate Professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he teaches property law and natural resources law. He graduated with honors from Princeton University, earned a law degree from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the preservation of parks, public lands, and the commons, and he has published on social justice and public space in outlets such as the Chicago Sun-Times.

A member of the Ada Park Advisory Council, Sheldon combines academic expertise with community advocacy, bringing a legal and civic lens to questions of access, stewardship, and shared space. Born in Riverdale on Chicago’s South Side, he now lives in River North and has visited 19 national parks, reflecting a lifelong engagement with both neighborhood parks and national landscapes.

In addition to his academic and civic work, Sheldon is a conceptual audio-visual artist working under the name B.R.K.F.S.T. His creative practice uses music, text, and visual storytelling to explore public space, race, sexuality, memory, and civic responsibility, often complementing his legal scholarship and advocacy around parks and the commons.

Board Member

Rene D. Luna joined Chicago ADAPT in 1984 and played a key role in the grassroots campaign to make CTA buses and trains wheelchair accessible, leading to a 1988 human rights ruling requiring systemwide access.

In 1987, he joined Access Living as a community organizer and disability rights advocate. Over nearly 30 years, he served in leadership roles including Director of Programs, retiring in 2016. During this time, Rene helped advance major civil rights victories, including passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Rene also organized with SEIU and disability advocates to raise wages for home care workers, worked with parents to secure inclusive education in CPS, and led advocacy for immigrants with disabilities. He has published policy research on disability and employment issues, supports a single-payer healthcare system, and serves on the board of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. He holds degrees from DePaul University and North Park University.

Board Member

Nicole Machuca is a Chicago-based community engagement specialist and environmental social scientist with two decades of experience working at the intersection of social and environmental issues. A Chicago native with strong ties to neighborhoods across the city, shaped in part by her time with Friends of the Parks as an extern and intern from 2006 to 2008 and later as Director of Environmental Education and Neighborhood Parks from 2014 to 2019, she is committed to ensuring equitable access to recreation and nature. She is an Environmental Social Scientist on the Keller Science Action Center’s Chicago Region Team at the Field Museum.

She has been deeply invested in protecting Chicagoland’s cultural and ecological assets, contributing to Friends of the Parks’ Phase II Playground Safety Study in 2008 and the State of the Parks Report in 2018. She co-founded the Montrose Lakefront Coalition, established the first Friends of the Chicago River Chicago River Day event at Hegewisch Marsh Park in 2019, and currently volunteers on the Steelworkers Park Advisory Council.

Board Member

Troy McMillan is a passionate advocate for parks. She believes these spaces bring people together and foster community, health, and joy. Troy champions equitable access to Chicago’s parks and lakefront with a special focus on the Last Four Miles, which would add nearly 500 acres of new parks and beaches and extend the lakefront trail from Evanston to the Indiana border. Any park is a Troy favorite; however, she volunteers and continues to support the Berger Park Cultural Center, the Broadway Armory, and the West Ridge Nature Park.

Board Member

Rett Nelson is an environmental attorney, educator, and advocate with decades of experience protecting public health and natural resources. He served as an attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago from 1985 to 2021, including as Regional Counsel for EPA Region 5 from 2015 to 2021. In addition to his federal service, Rett taught environmental law at Loyola University Chicago from 2003 to 2014. Rett holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Environmental Studies from Carleton College. He is a member of the Illinois and Colorado Bars.

Beyond his legal career, Rett has been deeply engaged in environmental storytelling and public service. He accepted an Emmy Award on behalf of the Aldo Leopold Foundation for the documentary Green Fire and has performed the national anthem at both Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field. Rett lives in Chicago and has been committed to environmental justice and land ethic advocacy throughout his career.

Board Member

Leonard Rau has over 25 years of agency-side brand and communications experience, with a global perspective shaped by work in London and Chicago. He is a brand and marketing leader with deep integrated and multi-channel experience across B2B and B2C clients, balancing customer insight with business needs for brands including Allstate, Coca-Cola, IBM, McDonald’s, United Airlines, and Western Union.

Leonard also brings nonprofit leadership experience, including 12 years as Chair of a Chicago Public Schools Local School Council, where he helped raise $1M for the Stanton Park redevelopment, and consulting work on branding and communications projects across Chicago and beyond. His work consistently connects strong strategy with meaningful community impact.

Board Member

Credell Walls is the Director of the Sand Ridge Campus with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, where he has served in multiple roles for more than 13 years. His work centers on youth empowerment, environmental education, and community engagement. Previously, Credell worked with Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program and the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, supporting young people as advocates for nature and leading impactful community initiatives. His leadership and service-learning work have been featured on national television and radio.

Credell holds a B.A. in Nonprofit Management from DePaul University and an M.A. in Biology from Miami University’s Project Dragonfly Program.

Board Member

Frances Kahn Zemans’ career centered on the justice system through teaching, research, and public service, with a focus on judicial independence, judicial selection, and judicial ethics. She completed her graduate work at Northwestern University.

She served as Executive Vice President and Director of the American Judicature Society; taught political science at the University of Chicago; conducted research as an Affiliated Scholar at the American Law Institute; and served on the Board of Editors of the Justice System Journal. Her publications include The Making of a Profession and numerous articles on judicial independence.

Her public service included roles on the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, the Chicago Police Board, the Task Force on Judicial Conduct and Ethics in Cook County, and the board of the ACLU of Illinois.