Blurb about why Forefront rocks, caption for photo
Members of the Forefront team.
Members of the Forefront team.

Monique B. Jones, President & CEO
mbjones@myforefront.org • 312-327-8945

Monique B. Jones, LCSW is a visionary leader with an extensive background in mental health, violence prevention, philanthropy, and gender & racial equity. With over 20 years of experience in her career, her civic interests span the intersections where the lives of those most vulnerable fall victim to structural oppression and inequity. Monique most recently served as the President & CEO at the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF), making her the second CEO and first African American since its founding in 1986. During her tenure, she was successful in diversifying the board, staff, and community investments to reflect the voices of the community.

Previous to ECF Monique served as Director of Programs for the Chicago Foundation for Women, leading the establishment of the 100% Project for gender equity. She also served as the Director of Violence Prevention for the Cook County Department of Public Health and Clinical Director for the Jane Addams Hull House Association. Monique is a graduate of The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a B.A in Social Work and The University of Texas at Austin with a M.S. in Social Work. She completed the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management executive program at the Harvard School of Business. In her self-care moments, she enjoys running with her Peloton Tread family, golfing, sewing, and showing appreciation for life with her husband, daughter, and Yorkie in Chicago.

Derek Stovall-Leonard, Chief Financial Officer
stovall-leonard@myforefront.org • 312-327-8910

Derek joined the Forefront family in May 2018, with a strong background in accounting, finance, and strategic planning. His career has spanned myriad industries including: pharmaceuticals, consumer products, education, hospitality, and associations. He earned a BS in finance from Wiley College, as well as an MBA from Temple University. He has also studied strategic leadership at Penn State University. Derek finds joy in giving back to his community and does so through his service as a trustee of his alma mater and is a member of his church’s Finance Commission and Scholarship Committee.

Lisa May Simpson, Chief of Staff
lsimpson@myforefront.org • 312-327-8931

Lisa joined Forefront in 2012. Prior, she served as an independent coach, facilitator, and consultant for a variety of individuals and organizations and held a variety of roles at Arts Alliance Illinois. Lisa has trained as a facilitator and educator with Kansas Leadership Center, Interaction Institute for Social Change, and the Institute of Cultural Affairs in the U.S.A., and holds a BA in theater from Western Washington University. She currently serves on the board of Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center where she also trains in Seido karate.

Holly Ambuehl, Director, Policy and Government Affairs
hambuehl@myforefront.org

Holly is a seasoned public policy expert and advocate, with twenty years of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. Most recently, Holly worked for Illinois Partners for Human Service as the Central Illinois community organizer and statewide public policy manager, representing over 100 nonprofit organizations at every level of government. Holly achieved a master’s degree in social work from Boston College, with a concentration in community organizing, policy, planning, and administration. She is a Phoenix native and mountain lover but currently lives happily with her husband, son, and mountain dog in a 105-year-old house in the mostly flat Normal, IL.

Doris Bowens, Manager of Membership and Member Engagement
Membership@MyForefront.org

Doris Bowens is a tenured former Bank Manager Executive for 33 years. She has experience in bank acquisitions, finance, building client relationships, client retention and excellent customer service. Doris attended Jackson State University with studies in Management. She later became Membership Director of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis servicing multiple Doctoral accredited professionals around the world with membership and continuing education. Doris is passionate in making sure each and every member is rewarded with the benefits of their membership. She spends her off time with her husband and family cooking, listening to Jazz, decorating, and travel.

Christina Caputo, Knowledge Services Manager
ccaputo@myforefront.org

Christina Giovannelli Caputo joins Forefront as the Knowledge Services Manager. She has over 20 years’ experience in education and librarianship. A graduate from Dominican University with advanced degrees in Studio Art and Education, she began her career as a teacher with experiences in private and public schools. After completion of her Master’s in Library and Information Sciences from Dominican University she transitioned into librarianship. Caputo quickly became noticed in the library arena for her dedication and advocacy for inclusive and equitable services while she was a Youth Services Librarian at Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Her work and teachings with American Library Association has united administration, libraries, and school districts to work cohesively across the nation to support schooling diversity. She is known for increasing the professions awareness on schooling diversity and library partnerships through, publications, presentations, and professional development groups. During the Covid-19 pandemic she was recruited by the Center for Educators and Schools, a division of the New York Public Library as an Outreach and Partnership Librarian to teach librarians across New York how to create pathways between library branches and schools. She has taught at the university level, most recently the University of Wisconsin Madison. She is a mom to 4, the founder of All Learners Welcome (ALL), author of Library Services to Homeschoolers, a Guide, and constant advocate for youth everywhere.

Niyisha Foley, Administrative Coordinator
nfoley@myforefront.org • 312-327-8916

Niyisha joined Forefront in October 2017, where she provides front line customer service and primary support for administration and finance. She has worked in administration in the nonprofit sector for over 2 years and always ensures kind and friendly reception. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management and administration from Governor’s State University. Outside of the office, she volunteers her time at her daughter’s school, is a girl scout troop leader, and team mom on her daughter’s cheer team.

James Hayakawa, Racial Equity & Network Coordinator
jhayakawa@myforefront.org

James Hayakawa (he/him) is a recent graduate of Ball State University in Muncie, IN. He is originally from Northern California and moved to Chicago in 2023. James is a theatre artist and is excited to use his background in advocating for racial justice within the arts in this new position at Forefront. In his spare time, James loves board games, history, and music.

Suzy Lee, Senior Director, Programs and Learning
slee@myforefront.org 312-327-8914

As part of the Program Team, Suzy’s focus areas include Forefront’s flagship series and services for grantmakers, advisors, and nonprofits. Suzy previously served as the Senior Manager of Children’s Nutrition Policy at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and led the Illinois No Kid Hungry campaign. Prior to that, Suzy served as the Vice-Chair of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Association and was responsible for policy research, program evaluation, and development. Suzy actively volunteers for many organizations and is a member of the Hanover College Alumni Recruitment Team. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Hanover College, and a Master’s of Public Administration from DePaul University School of Public Service. When she’s not working or volunteering, you can find her in her garden, trying a new ice-cream recipe, or playing with her English bulldog. Follow her on Twitter @ClassicLee_Suzy.

Emily Long, Program Services Manager
registration@myforefront.org • 312-327-8943

Emily assists in the development and execution of Forefront trainings, workshops, and other educational programs and manages the Peer Skill Share program. Previously, Emily worked on the communications team for the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and fine art from Loyola University Chicago and a Certificate in Historic Preservation from Northwestern University.

Alec Lopata, Policy Coordinator
ALopata@myforefront.org

Alec works on our Policy Team to deepen our impact on behalf of our stakeholders statewide. He joins from Freedman Consulting, where he worked with philanthropic clients to advise on the policy landscape around their work and develop public-private partnerships. He was also a Dunn Fellow in Governor Pritzker’s Office, working on budget and economic policy. He helped lead a local racial justice movement in his hometown of Deerfield, Illinois, and was campaign manager for a slate of park district candidates there. He is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College with a BA in Government with a Public Policy Sequence. In his free time, he enjoys going to as many Cubs games as possible and finding the best restaurants in Chicago.

Kenneatha Montgomery, Director, Philanthropic Networks
kmontgomery@myforefront.org • 312-327-8922

Kenneatha (also known as Key) supports efforts in managing, organizing and promoting programs to engage Members in Peer Networking, Collective Action Groups, and educational opportunities. She has several years of experience in health promotion and program expansion to increase the accessibility of services for resource-limited populations. She earned a Bachelor of Science in applied health science and a Master’s of Public Health from Indiana University Bloomington. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing Bikram yoga, which allows her to embrace life one pose at a time.

Clayton Neighbors, Director of Institutional Advancement
cneighbors@myforefront.org 312-327-8949

Clayton Neighbors is a nonprofit professional with a passion for serving under-resourced communities and building capacity and organizational effectiveness within the social impact sector. He brings over 8 years of capacity building, fundraising, and programmatic expertise to the Director of Institutional Advancement position at Forefront, where he supports revenue generation as part of the organization’s External Affairs team. Prior to joining Forefront, Clayton was an Associate Director, Managed Organizations at Arabella Advisors, where he managed a portfolio of nonprofit projects by providing operational expertise and financial and compliance oversight. Clayton previously served as the Director of Development at Vivent Health and Manager, Fundraising & Partnerships at Global Impact, with both roles focused on fundraising and partnership development. Clayton earned his Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from The New School, and Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Loyola University Chicago. In his spare time, Clayton enjoys oil painting, visiting new bars and restaurants in Chicago, and traveling.

Kate Piatt-Eckert, Mission Sustainability Initiative Director
kpiatteckert@myforefront.org (312) 327-8932

Kate Piatt-Eckert has twenty years of experience in theatrical production and administration, most recently serving as Executive Director of Steep Theatre where she served on the boards of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. As the fifth generation involved in the operations of an historic house museum in central Ohio, Katesupports her family business as the Director of Communications at Piatt Castle. She is driven by a desire to explore the complex intersections of art, community development, public policy, data-driven decision-making, and human-centered non-profit governance. Kate has a B.A. from Reed College and a Master’s of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Sharmin Shahjahan, Racial Equity Collective Director
SShahjahan@myforefront.org

Sharmin serves as our Racial Equity Collective Director. She brings with her experience in government, non-profit and corporate environments. After earning a degree in Finance at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Sharmin (pronounced shar-meen) worked as a Pricing Leader at GE Healthcare where she helped expand rural healthcare in Bangladesh. In 2016, she broke barriers by becoming the first Asian American, non-Christian, and also first immigrant to serve on Hanover Park’s City Council. There, she drafted the diversity, equity, and inclusion ordinance, championed language access, and focused on public-private partnerships to better serve the community. As vice chair of the National League of Cities Human Development Committee, she gave a Capitol Hill Briefing to emphasize local economic impact of immigrants. Sharmin continues to work as a community leader as part of School District U46’s United U-46 Campaign developing recommendations on equitable education. She serves as an advisor to suburban newspaper, Daily Herald’s Editorial Board and she is also an Associate Director at Volunteers Association for Bangladesh focusing on increasing access to quality rural education.

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