Board Members

Anne Evens

Chief Executive Officer

Anne Evens, M.Sc., Ph.D., is the CEO of Elevate, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Elevate works to promote and create equitable access to clean, healthy, safe, and affordable heat, cooling, power, and water in every community. Under her leadership since 2006, Elevate has grown into a national force for climate equity. Anne also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health and is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. 

Anne has more than thirty years of experience across the nonprofit and government sectors. Her career is centered around advancing public health and economic development.  She served as lead researcher for both the Chicago Climate Action Plan and the Regional Energy Plan for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), shaping two of the region’s most significant environmental policy frameworks.  

Anne holds a B.S. from Cornell University in Applied and Engineering Physics, a M.Sc. from the University of Pennsylvania in Engineering Management and Appropriate Technology, and a Ph.D. in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from the University of Illinois Chicago. She is an alumna of the Harvard Business School’s program. 

Anne is the recipient of the 2022 Health & Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2022 Heinz Award for the Environment.

Bob Weissbourd

Board Member

Bob Weissbourd is the President of RW Ventures, LLC, a Chicago-based economic development firm he launched in 2000. RW Ventures specializes in technical analysis of urban assets and markets, and in building the products, enterprises, and initiatives needed to grow urban and regional economies sustainably.  

Bob brings more than thirty years of experience leading economic development work across dozens of cities and neighborhoods. Over his career, Bob has been a lead developer of several significant economic development institutions and initiatives, including the Center for Financial Services Innovation, MetroEdge, and the Metropolitan Business Planning Initiative, which he co-managed with the Brookings Institution.  

Bob joined Elevate’s Board in 2001 as the founding Board Chair. In addition to Elevate, he has served on the Boards of City Colleges of Chicago, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and Businesspeople in the Public Interest (BPI).  

Bob holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. 

Carlos Martín

Board Member

Carlos Martín, Ph.D., is the Vice President for Research and Policy Engagement at Resources for the Future (RFF), a nonpartisan research organization focused on environmental, energy, and natural resource policy.  

Carlos has more than 25 years of experience leading research and policy work in the fields of energy efficiency, climate mitigation and adaptation, housing, and disaster management and recovery. In previous roles, Dr. Martín served as Director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies and as a Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; as a David M. Rubenstein Fellow at the Brookings Institution; and as a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute. 

Carlos joined Elevate’s Board in 2024. In addition to Elevate, he serves on several National Academy of Sciences committees and the Boards of Insurance for Good, National Housing Trust, and Resilient Cities Catalyst.  

Dr. Martín holds a B.S. in Architecture (BSAD) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and both an M.Eng. and Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. 

Chinwe Onyeagoro

Co-Vice Chair

Chinwe Onyeagoro is the CEO and Co-Founder of PocketSuite, a mobile platform that helps independent professionals manage bookings, payments, and client communication.  

Over her career Chinwe has served as Chief Strategy Officer at Great Place to Work and has co-founded two ventures: O-H Community Partners, which raised more than $120 million for nonprofits and for-profit clients through grants, loans, tax incentives, government subsidies, and equity financing; and FundWell, a fintech platform that matched small businesses with financing options and provided financial health coaching. 

Chinwe joined Elevate’s Board in 2010. In addition to Elevate, Chinwe serves on the boards of TREND CDC and Broadstreet Services. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and Lambda Alpha International and is a Henry Crown Fellow of The Aspen Institute. She has received awards including Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40, an Emerging Leaders Award from the Anti-Defamation League of Chicago, and the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Women of Achievement Award.  

Chinwe holds a B.S. in Economics and East Asian Studies from Harvard University. 

Dave Shryock

Board Member

Dave Shryock is the owner of Reliable Water Services, a Wisconsin-based commercial water heating company, and the founder of SB Partners Capital Fund.

Dave has over three decades of experience in financing small businesses and has spent his career putting capital to work for small businesses and under-resourced communities. After his time as CEO of South Shore Bank in Chicago, one of the country’s pioneering community development banks, he founded SB Partners Capital Fund, a private equity fund focused on small business investment. Over its twelve years, the fund raised $25 million from investors, returning $57 million. The Fund focused on small businesses, and seven of its eight portfolio companies were owned or led by women or people of color.

Dave joined Elevate’s Board in 2017. In addition to Elevate, he serves on the Boards of Metal Flow Corporation and of the Slovak American Foundation.

Dave has a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University and an MBA in Finance and Organizational Behavior from Yale School of Management.

Jamal Lewis

Board Member

Jamal Lewis is a policy strategist and clean energy advocate with nearly a decade of experience advancing equitable electrification, healthy housing, and climate resilience. Jamal’s mission is to promote energy and climate strategies that benefit diverse communities.

Jamal previously was the Senior Director of Implementation at Rewiring America, where he worked to accelerate and scale up building electrification across the country. He also has served as Director of Energy, Climate and Health at the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, where he worked with states and localities across the country to advance electrification, healthy housing, and energy efficiency programs and policies.

Jamal joined Elevate’s Board in 2026. In addition to Elevate, Jamal serves on the board for the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) and the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). Jamal was named a 2024 Climate Changemaker by the New York Times, a Young, Gifted & Green 40 Under 40 award recipient for leadership in Environmental Justice, and an ACEEE Linda Latham Scholar. He is a Clean Energy Leadership Institute Fellow.

Jamal has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Health in Molecular Epidemiology from Columbia University.

Jennifer Tescher

Co-Vice Chair

Jennifer Tescher is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Financial Health Network. Under Jennifer’s leadership, the Financial Health Network has grown into the country’s leading authority on consumer financial health, bringing together nearly 500 organizations around a shared commitment to improving financial well-being.

Jennifer also hosts the EMERGE Everywhere podcast, where she interviews leaders at the intersection of financial health, innovation, and policy. She is also a fellow at the University of Chicago Leadership & Society Initiative.

Jennifer joined Elevate’s board in 2016. In addition to Elevate, she serves on the boards of FORWARD, Attune, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Zeal Capital Partners, and the Chicago chapter of Facing History & Ourselves. She received Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 Award in 2006.

Jennifer holds a B.S.J. and M.S.J. in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

John Cleveland

Board Chair

John Cleveland is the President and co-founder of the Innovation Network for Communities (INC), a nonprofit dedicated to social innovation and large-scale systems change. INC has a focus on how communities can cut greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience, and respond meaningfully to climate change. He also serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, a network of business and civic leaders working alongside the City of Boston to implement its Climate Action Plan.

John’s career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Before founding INC, he served as Vice President of IRN, Inc. Previously, he worked as Director of Continuous Quality Improvement at Grand Rapids Community College and as Director of the State of Michigan’s industrial extension service, the Michigan Modernization Service. John is the co-author of three books on climate change, social innovation, and urban systems change.

John joined Elevate’s Board in 2017.

John holds a B.A. in City Planning from Yale University.

Kimberly Lewis

Board Member

Kimberly Lewis is the Executive Vice President of Equity and Engagement at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority on health and well-being in buildings, organizations, and communities. She is also the Chief Equity Officer of Havenz Network LLC. Across both roles, her work focuses on how market transformation begins with people, and that climate and sustainability progress cannot happen without centering equity and belonging.

Kimberly spent nearly two decades at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), where she held a series of senior leadership roles from 2003 to 2020. Previously in her career, she built and ran Greenbuild International Conference & Expo into the largest sustainability conference in the world. She also created and led the global Women in Green (WIG) mentorship programs, summits, and events across the globe.

Kimberly joined Elevate’s board in 2020. In addition to Elevate, she serves on the Executive Committee of PACENation, the Property Assessed Clean Energy financing network. Kimberly was named a White House Champion of Change for Clean Energy in April 2011, and received the GB&D Magazine 2018 Women in Sustainability Leadership Award.

Kimberly has a B.A. in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Hood College.

Leah Turnbull

Treasurer

Leah Turnbull is a Managing Director at BMO, where she serves as the National ESOP Practice Lead within BMO Corporate Advisory. She brings more than 15 years of experience helping businesses navigate ownership transition and complex financial structuring.

Leah began her career at Duff & Phelps (now Kroll) in their investment banking group, where she provided fairness and solvency opinions to shareholders and Board of Directors. She then joined the Principal Financial Group as part of their ESOP consulting practice, focusing on financial analysis including repurchase obligation studies and feasibility studies. From 2014 to 2021, she was at J.P. Morgan in their ESOP Advisory Group, where she guided clients through the full lifecycle of an ESOP.

Leah joined Elevate’s Board in 2021. In addition to Elevate, Leah serves on the Finance Advisory Committee for The ESOP Association. She is also an active member of The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), and the ESOP Sustainability Coalition (ESCA).

Leah has a B.S. in Finance, Spanish, and International Business from the University of Louisville.

Margaret O’Dell

Board Member

Margaret O’Dell is a fellow, writer, and editor for PFC Social Impact Advisors, a consultancy that helps foundations, impact investors, and civic organizations do meaningful work on the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

For twenty years, Margaret served as Program Officer for the Environment at the Joyce Foundation, one of the Midwest’s most influential philanthropies. She oversaw the Foundation’s energy and environment grant portfolio. Before the Joyce Foundation, Margaret served as Associate Director for Foundation Relations at the University of Chicago.

Margaret joined Elevate’s Board in 2014. In addition to Elevate, Margaret currently serves on volunteer boards including the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Surface Transportation Policy Project.

Melissa Lavinson

Board Member

Melissa Lavinson is the Executive Director of the Office of Energy Transformation (OET) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Appointed by Governor Maura Healey in 2024, she is responsible for the execution of Massachusetts’ clean energy transition.

Melissa brings more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of energy, government affairs, and sustainability policy. Previously, she served as Head of Corporate Affairs for National Grid New England. Melissa was also Senior Vice President of Federal Government and Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy at Exelon Corporation, and Senior Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs at Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Melissa joined Elevate’s Board in 2026. She also serves as an advisory board member for the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability.

Melissa holds a B.A. in Economics from Hamilton College.

Scott Bernstein

Board Member

Scott Bernstein is the co-founder of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), a nonprofit in Chicago dedicated to sustainable development that was the original parent company of Elevate. Nearly five decades later, he remains connected to the organization as Founder and Director Emeritus, Innovation.

Under Scott’s leadership, CNT has become a national leader in urban sustainability, pioneering data-driven approaches to energy, water, transportation, and housing affordability that have influenced policy and practice across dozens of cities. Scott was appointed by President Clinton to the President’s Council for Sustainable Development, where he co-chaired its task forces on Metropolitan Sustainable Communities and Cross-Cutting Climate Strategies. Locally, he helped create the Chicago Climate Action Plan under Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Scott joined Elevate’s Board in 2017. In addition to Elevate, Scott serves on the boards of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU).

Scott has a degree in Engineering and Political Science from Northwestern University.

Susan Page Estes

Board Member

Susan Page Estes is an entrepreneur, technologist, strategic problem solver, and artist whose career spans biochemistry, financial software, digital manufacturing, 3D technologies, and embedded systems design.

Susan is a founding partner of DesignHouseChicago, an organization committed to revitalizing local manufacturing through design, technology and education. Her efforts utilize existing machines to help create jobs and educate people on skills needed for prototyping and manufacturing. Previously, Susan led OnCom Partners, a global software and services firm focused on strategy, spinouts, and commercialization. She also spent more than a decade at UBS Investment Bank, where she served as Managing Director of Global Technology Expertise, advising technology strategy and investment.

Susan joined Elevate’s Board in 2009. In addition to Elevate, Susan serves as an advisory board member of the ATHENA Fund.

Susan has a degree in Chemistry from Miami University.