Meet our UtmostU Staff and Board
The UtmostU Staff and Board of Directors are made up of amazing people with a passion and expertise for guiding young adults toward every opportunity to succeed.
Meet The UtmostU Staff

David Bennett
Associate Executive Director

Christine Witnik
Sr. Manager of Operations

Jasmine Nelson
Manager of Post Secondary Coaching

Lydia Lara
Post Secondary Support Assoc.

Max Ebacher
Sr. Manager of Partnerships

Shayna Balting
Manager of Data Narration

Valerie Charles
Manager of Career Services

Kimberly Hawkins
Director of Advancement

Iyanla “La La” Smith
Social Media Intern
Meet The UtmostU Board of Directors

Patricia Ford
Executive Director
Steans Family Foundation

Patricia J. Redd
Retired Community Schools Initiative Leader, Chicago Public Schools

Greg Mooney
President
Comer Science & Ed. Foundation

Ronald Seymore
Advisory Managing Director
Enterprise Solutions, KPMG US

Daniel Johnson
Digitial Specialist
Microsoft

Mike Pincus
Retired Capital Markets and Commercial Banking Executive, BMO Financial Group

Eric Weinheimer
Senior Vice President and
Philanthropic Strategist Nonprofit Consulting Services
Bank of America

Tosha Downey
Sr Program Officer, State and Local Government Relations
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Thackston Lundy
Vice President of Workforce Pathways at Accelerate U, a division at National Louis University

Lauren Akainyah
Vice President of the Diverse Markets Channel, ADP