BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Melissa Macek has a background in Accounting/Finance.   She has worked for multiple Fortune 500 companies including Avery Dennison, McKesson, and Baxter Healthcare.  While at Baxter, she was also very involved in college recruiting process and led the recruitment process at three schools.

Melissa holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a general management focus.  Her undergraduate degree is from Indiana University with a major in Accounting.

Melissa is the past president of the Women’s Board for Mt. Sinai Hospital whose mission it is to raise money for the hospital so that it can continue to provide health care to individuals to do not have public or private insurance.  She has also involved with the Kellogg Women’s Executive Network and served as Treasurer of Friends of Lincoln as well as Friends of Payton.

Melissa has lived in the Mid-North Neighborhood since 2007 and has a daughter who attended Lincoln Elementary School and who is currently at Walter Payton High School.  She has traveled extensively and worked in Europe while working for Baxter.

George Atkinson

Craig Varga

Craig Varga has lived in Lincoln Park since 1977.  He graduated from Northwestern University Law School in 1979.  He has practiced law since then, first with a large law firm, and then with a boutique commercial litigation defense firm, Varga, Berger, Ledsky, Hayes & Casey.  He has concentrated on financial services matters and business litigation.  He has long served as General Counsel for the Illinois Financial Services Association, and in that capacity has been extensively involved in public policy and legislative forums at the local, state and national levels.  He is also an active participant in various national professional associations, trade groups and trade publications.

Craig and his wife Noelle Brennan, a plaintiff’s employment and civil rights attorney, live on the 2100 block of Cleveland and are parents of twin boys who attend Lincoln Elementary School.

Craig has reduced his law practice in recent years to assist with his sons.  Craig also devotes lots of his time to his undergraduate school, Washington & Jefferson College, where he serves as Trustee and as a Board Officer.

Michelle Hoppe Villegas

Michelle Hoppe Villegas is a 40 year resident of the Mid-North Community. She is an ardent devotee of preservation and architecture.  She and her husband raised their family in the Mid-North community where their children attended Park West Nursery School, Lincoln Elementary School and Walter Payton High School. She was an active volunteer on the Local School Council, PTA, tennis coaching staff, and chaired key committees, including the 2006 renovation of Lincoln Playground. She later fought for its preservation, emphasizing its dual use and significance to the Mid-North community. She has consistently advocated for strong public schools, equity in education, and social justice.

She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota and pursued graduate studies in Genetics and Immunology at the University of Michigan.   She later studied Art, Art History and Architecture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Michelle co-founded Indivisible Lincoln Park, which later merged to form Indivisible Lakeview Lincoln Park. As an Indivisible leader and MNA Board member, she has organized candidate forums, GOTV efforts, and also served as political advisor for state and local election campaigns. Her efforts have included the mobilization of neighbors to protect green spaces, preserve historic landmarks, and rescue architecturally significant buildings. Her advocacy for responsible use and preservation remains a central focus of her work on the Mid-North Association Board.

Marshall Eisenberg

Marshall is a founding partner of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP.  Marshall is a director of Sally Beauty Holdings, a NYSC Company, the Jel Sert Company and many other private companies.  Marshall has served on the Board of Visitors of the University of Illinois, College of Law and served on the board of MidNorth Association when Oz Park was designed and Grant Hospital was expanded.

Marshall received his J.D. with honors from the University of Illinois, College of Law in 1971, where he served as a Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review, was elected to the Order of the Coif and was an Income Tax Instructor in the Accounting Department.  He received an M.A.S. in 1968 from the University of Illinois, where he served as a teaching assistant in Accounting.  He received his B.S. from the University of Illinois in 1967, was admitted to Beta Alpha Psi and became a Certified Public Accountant.

Marshall and JoAnn have lived on Cleveland since 1971.  His sons, Adam and Max, are Latin Alumni who live in London and San Francisco with their families.

James Ciccotti

James Ciccotti is a Mid North resident spanning more than 25 years. He is also a long-time retail business owner in Lincoln Park and understands the beauty and vibrancy of this unique neighborhood. He has been a staunch advocate for landmarking and preservation in Lincoln Park. He supports the efforts of organizations like Preservation Chicago and Mid-North Association, where he has served on the Board of Directors for several years.

His early professional career includes a transformative experience studying fashion design at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He later embarked on an internship in Milan, which segued into 16 years of freelance work that included designing accessories and menswear for top designers, including Japanese designer Giuliano Fujiwara. Ciccotti returned to Chicago in 1997 to teach at SAIC, and later taught Fashion Design Principles at Columbia College Chicago for more than 20 years. In 2000, he founded James Ciccotti Bridal Shoes & Accessories featuring wedding shoes and handbags under his own label.

Art, fashion, and design have always played an inspirational and important role in his life and career. His Lincoln Park boutique has recently expanded to include art, antiques, lighting, and home decor. His appreciation for architecture in both Italy and Chicago has driven his passion for preservation of this historic neighborhood.

June Rosner

June Rosner is a long time community resident of Lincoln Park and along with her late husband, Dr. Marvin Rosner, has been active in the community for many years.  By becoming a Mid-North Member, June is following in his footsteps.  Marv Rosner was treasurer and President of the Mid-North Association before moving on the Presidency of the Lincoln Park Conservation Association.  June is President of June Rosner Public relations, a boutique PR firm whose clients range from mid-size companies, law firms and social agencies to public issues, major art shows, medical associations and hospitals.

Dan Hubicki

 

Stacy Scarpino

 

Denise Bindelglass-Morris

Denise Bindelglass Morris has been living in the Mid North District since the mid 1980’s, first as a recent college graduate and now as a homeowner on Cleveland Ave with her husband and three children. Denise has long been dedicated to the local community, having served on the Boards of the Oz Park Baseball Association and The Old Town School of Folk Music, been an involved parent volunteer at Lincoln Elementary, a Booster Parent at Lincoln Park High School and taught religious education at Saint Michael’s of Old Town for eight years.

Professionally, Denise has spent the majority of her career in the Human Resources field, leading progressive organizations towards the goal of creating a vibrant and effective global work culture. Denise is proud to have led the HR function for a number of Chicago-based brands across Technology, Ecommerce, Publishing and Financial Services.

Most recently, Denise made a career transition in order to more closely and directly align her prior HR background with her community. She is the Director of Extracurriculars at Lincoln Park High School where she oversees Athletics, Clubs and other initiatives to enrich student life across the diverse student body of over 2,200. She also leads and coordinates most fundraising efforts through family engagement, campaigns and donor strategies for this 150 year old
IB-focused public high school.

Denise received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She also spent 6 years as an Adjunct Professor at the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University where she created and taught a career development course for engineering students.