Board of Directors

Bridget GainerCook County Board Commissioner – Tenth District
CCLBA Board of Directors Chairwoman

Bridget Gainer is the Commissioner on the Cook County Board for the 10th District representing the North Lakefront and Northwest side. Commissioner Gainer has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit, public and private sectors and her career has provided her a strong foundation in finance, human services and the workings of local government

Peter M. FriedmanPartner – Elrod Friedman LLP
CCLBA Land Transactions Committee Chairman

Peter Friedman has an accomplished and broad real estate and government law practice, representing both private and public sector clients in all phases of government operations, real estate finance, acquisition, development, zoning and land use matters. He is the co-founder of Elrod Friedman LLP and serves as the firm’s General Counsel.

Peter represents numerous Illinois local and state government agencies, municipalities, and counties on all aspects of government law, real estate, and development. Peter serves as City Attorney for the City of Des Plaines; as Village Attorney for the Villages of Lake Bluff and Winnetka; and as General Counsel to the Waukegan Port District (including the Waukegan Harbor and Marina and the Waukegan National Airport). He is General Counsel to the Chicago Association of Realtors and special outside counsel to the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois. He has represented the state of Illinois and the Illinois Medical District on significant public-private partnerships involving large multiuse developments as well as infrastructure and public transportation projects. He has also handled cyber security and related technology issues.

On real estate and transactional projects in Chicago, throughout Illinois and nationwide, Peter’s private sector clients include property owners, pension funds, tenants, developers, and private equity groups. For these clients, Peter works on a broad range of real estate and transactional projects, including annexation, zoning, and development agreements, TIF and SSA financing, tax incentive and abatement agreements, mixed-use and multi-family developments, and public-private partnerships.

Peter has special knowledge and experience in environmental law as well as internal investigations related to procurement matters, regulatory compliance, employment issues, fraud, corporate governance, and criminal misconduct.

Peter has defended numerous lawsuits challenging local zoning and land use controls. He has handled several local government lawsuits involving civil rights, annexation disputes, contract actions, environmental enforcement, and numerous First Amendment claims. For both public and private sector clients, Peter has argued cases in Federal District and Appellate Courts and at all levels of state court, including successfully before the Illinois Supreme Court.

Peter served as co-counsel and ethics officer for the transition team of former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner. As part of this representation, he advised the administration on all issues related to Illinois ethics, procurement, personnel, employment, and government law.

Appointed by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, Peter serves on the board and as vice-chairman of the Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) and as Chairman of the CCLBA’s property acquisition committee.

Xochitl FloresBureau Chief – Cook County Economic Development

Xochitl Flores is the Bureau Chief of Economic Development for Cook County. In this role, Flores oversees the activities of the three departments within the Bureau, which include the Department of Planning and Development, Building and Zoning, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.  She is responsible for leading the work of the Bureau, collaborating with the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago to develop and implement initiatives to grow the regional economy.

Diane LimasBoard President – Communities United

Diane Limas serves as the Leader and Board President for Communities United, a non-profit social justice organization located on the northwest side of Chicago.  Communities United strives to be a “learning organization,” continually developing our analysis of economic, racial, gender, LGBTQ and disability justice as critical lenses through which we approach our work.

Joy ArugueteChief Executive Officer – Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation

Ms. Aruguete has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation for 26 years. In this capacity, she supervises operations for this 54-year-old award-winning nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to community controlled development, the preservation and management of affordable housing, economic development centered on job creation, comprehensive community planning and engagement, and the development of community leaders. Ms. Aruguete manages corporate, subsidiary and affiliate business operations of over $25 million annually and oversees the work of 80 staff members who carry out Bickerdike’s mission.

Katrina ThompsonMayor – Village of Broadview, Illinois

Kelly BurkeMayor – Village of Evergreen Park, Illinois

Kelly Burke was elected mayor of the Village of Evergreen Park in May 2021. She has been a village resident for 29 years; she and her husband, Terry, have three children. Kelly was a village trustee for two years; during that time she helped negotiate balanced budgets that prioritize residents’ safety and health and initiated a pilot tree-planting program.

Kelly spent seven years as a trustee on the Evergreen Park Library Board, serving as president during the extensive renovation of the library building. Kelly has volunteered in Evergreen Park for many years, notably with Most Holy Redeemer Parish. She started a Mock Trial program for area grade school students and volunteers with the Restorative Justice program for freshmen students at Leo High School.

Michelle CarrIllinois Director – The Nature Conservancy

Michelle Carr joined The Nature Conservancy in 2013 after 16 years as an advisor at Goldman Sachs. In keeping with the Conservancy’s global mission “to conserve the lands and water on which all life depends,” Michelle leads strategic efforts to advance critical conservation work in Illinois and throughout the region. Her civic and professional experience helps the Conservancy bridge the gap between conservation and economic decisions to protect important places and change the way people and institutions use nature.

Sheila Chalmers-CurrinVillage President – Village of Matteson, Illinois

Her leadership began in 1999 when she was appointed by then-Mayor Stricker of the Village of Matteson as the Fire and Police Commissioner of Matteson Illinois. This was an appointed volunteer position. In recognition of the great work she did in Matteson, she moved on to become the Director of The Fire and Police Commission for the State of Illinois. Sheila was elected as the first African American female to become the President of the Fire and Police Commission for the State of Illinois. While serving as President, Sheila was awarded the most prestigious Doc Wilson award for advancing the organization by implementing budget changes and adjustments to balance to overall organizations budgets.

O. Victoria Lakes-BattleExecutive Director, Chicago Region – IFF

O. Victoria “Vickie” Lakes-Battle has been at the forefront of commercial and mission-based lending for over 30 years and has developed a recipe for equitably serving communities: time + proximity + authentic partnerships. When you think of Vickie, you think of a master connector who is acutely aware of the nuances in building strategic alliances and partnerships that bolster relationships, systems, and equity within communities and organizations.

With a never-ending reserve of expertise in community development, finance, and executive leadership Vickie Lakes-Battle leads with equity, purpose and strategy in everything she does. 

Cherryl ThomasPresident & CEO – Ardmore Associates, LLC

Cherryl Thomas has over 40 years of experience successfully directing, managing, maintaining and administering various high-profile projects and budgets. She founded Ardmore Associates in 2003 and merged with The Roderick Group in 2018 to form Ardmore Roderick, where she currently serves as Chief Strategic Officer.

Cherryl has worked for the City of Chicago Departments of Public Works, Water, Aviation and Buildings, and as Deputy Chief of Staff for Infrastructure in the Mayor’s Office. She retired as Commissioner of Buildings for the City of Chicago to accept an appointment by President Clinton as Chairman of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board.

She received her Bachelor’s in Biology and Chemistry from Marquette University. Received her Master’s in Physiology from University of Illinois. Received her Honorary PHD from Boston College. 

Michael KaplanSenior Associate – Related Midwest

In his role as a senior associate, Michael Kaplan assists with the daily management and coordination of all tasks associated with Related Midwest’s on-going affordable and mixed-income projects. Michael brings over ten years of experience in real estate and over six years of experience in affordable housing finance, preservation, and development. Michael has closed on over $320 million of financing and managed over $100 million worth of construction, and currently oversees a portfolio of over 2,000 units. Michael has experience working on a variety of project types, including public-private partnerships, affordable housing preservation, mixed-income housing, and mixed-use development; as well as experience working with federal, state, local and private financing vehicles. Michael received his Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Thurman “Tony” SmithSenior Vice President – PNC Bank
CCLBA Finance Committee Chairman

Tony Smith is the Senior Vice President and Community Development Market Manager for PNC Community Development Banking. In this capacity, Mr. Smith leads PNC’s efforts in strategic investments, lending, public service, technical assistance and financial education.

Dr. William S. McClinton, Ed.D. MBASouth Suburban Representative

Dr. William S. McClinton is a 20-year veteran of the United States Navy. He is the President and CEO of McClinton life Sciences Inc. (MLS) a company specializing in distribution and supply chain logistics of packaging components and medical laboratory supplies. MLS also specializes in the distribution of chemicals used in the development and manufacturing of medical supplies, personal care products, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

William holds a Doctoral degree in Social Entrepreneurship and a Master’s in Business Administration, with minors in Organizational Leadership and Human Resources from Governors State University. He also holds a Master’s and Bachelorette degree in Education from Southern Illinois University with minors in Workforce Education and Curriculum Development.