The board of the Chicago Poetry Center is comprised primarily of volunteer members who donate their time, talent, and resources to supporting the ongoing success of the organization. In addition to our volunteer members, there are two formal positions for active Poets in Residence teaching in the organization’s residency program. Additional volunteers support the work of the board on a committee-specific basis, without being full members. If you are interested in joining the Chicago Poetry Center board, reach out to our Executive Director at beth@poetrycenter.org.
TOBY ALTMAN
ISABELLE DIENSTAG
ANA ESPINOZA
SARAH FREE
SHIVANI GUPTA
KANDICE HEAD
DARSHITA JAIN
Darshita Jain is a Chicago-based poet, art critic, an arts administrator and a voracious consumer of content, matched only by her need to critically converse about the said content. Her work takes the shape of exhibition direction, art journalism, writing, performance, and non-profit arts administration.
Darshita currently works as the Director of Outreach and Artist Programs at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago. Darshita is the co-founder of Povera, one of the first spoken word poetry collectives in Gujarat, India. Her writing appears in Sixty inches from Center, Chicago Reader, Hooligan Magazine, Adroit Journal and more. One line from a poem she loves: “The world keeps ending and the world goes on” – Franny Choi
CLA
YTON NEIGHBORS | Secretary
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 has over 8 years of capacity building, fundraising, and programmatic expertise across the sector. Clayton currently serves as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Forefront, where he manages the grant, membership, and sponsorship areas in support of the organization’s revenue generation goals. His superpower is keeping plants alive!
NOEL PEREZ-WHITE
TANNER PRUITT
TIMOTHY DAVID REYTimothy David Rey is a writer/ performer who works in poetry, plays, and monologue (both fictional and autobiographical). He teaches creative writing and performance throughout the city of Chicago and suburbs. He is a 2015 Semi-Finalist for the Guild Literary Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award, and one of the winners of Project Exploration (The Poetry Center of Chicago 2004). He is the co-founder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011). Timothy’s plays and performances pieces have been seen and heard at venues throughout Chicago as well as out of state and in Panama. Timothy’s writing has appeared in magazines and journals including ‘60 Inches From Center,’ and ‘After Hours: The Chicago Journal of Writing & Art.’ His book of poetry and performance, Little Victories, was published in 2012 by NewTown Writers Press. Timothy has performed at Steppenwolf Theater (Lookout Series), New York City’s International Fringe Festival as well as The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts.
KEVIN ROONEY
| President
Kevin is a data and technology geek with a poet’s heart who serves as the Chief Administrative Officer at West Monroe. His superpower is connection—to people, to concepts, to technologies. If he were stranded on a deserted island, one poet he would pick for company would be Robert Frost. Kevin is a happily married father of two, almost full grown kids; he is a volleyball player and a high school coach. One line of poetry he thinks about: The steps towards tomorrow are taken today.
NINA SUDHAKAR | Acting President
Nina Sudhakar is a writer, poet, and lawyer. She is the author of the award-winning short story collection Where to Carry the Sound (University of North Texas Press, 2024), the poetry chapbooks Matriarchetypes (Bird’s Thumb, 2018) and Embodiments (Sutra Press, 2019), and her work has appeared in literary journals, anthologies, and the 2023 exhibition “Testimonies on Paper” at the South Asia Institute. She also serves as the Dispatches and Book Reviews Editor at The Common. For more, see www.ninasudhakar.com. Nina’s superpower is maintaining a capacity for wonder & awe, and if she were stranded on a deserted island, she would choose Aracelis Girmay, Donika Kelly, and Bhanu Kapil to be with her.
NAIM
AH THOMAS
KAY WHITCHURCH
Kay Whitchurch is a painter, entrepreneur and healer based in Chicago. She runs her own interior design practice centered around personal space as a healing modality. In previous iterations of her life, she founded and operated an arts immersive travel company in Cuba and spent years advising businesses on their marketing strategies and voice. If she could only eat one thing for the rest of her life, it would be fresh mozzarella on focaccia (eaten on a sunny bench in Rome).
JOHN MOHR | Treasurer
John is the CIO at the MacArthur Foundation. As a leader of the department (and within the Foundation management team), John provides oversight, vision, planning, development, and strategy for the Foundation. He is responsible for developing a strong and sustainable information technology infrastructure.
Prior to joining the MacArthur Foundation in 2012, John was the Director of the Web Services department, then the Director of Academic Systems at the University of Chicago. He also led the Project Management office and the implementation of the Alumni Development system. Prior to that, John led IT teams at early stage technology companies in Seattle, Washington.
John is currently in a band, the “Deep Tunnel Project”.
JOY YOUNG
Joy Young is a poet and educator born and raised in Chicago. If she were in a band, it would be called Taurus Girl Vibes. She holds a BA in Fiction from Columbia College Chicago and MA in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University. If stranded on a desert island, one poet Joy would enjoy for company would be Sarah Kay. Joy’s superpower is ingenuity: being resourceful and optimistic. Joy loves this line of poetry from Ode to The Selfie by Megan Falley and Olivia Gatwood: Today, you could see the resemblance to your ancestors, could tell you are a direct descendant of stars. Joy’s work has appeared in the literary journals Poetry East and Lunch Ticket, and also in a collaborative art therapy project at the InnerSpace Studio of Homan Square and LOCUS: VIII Gallery Showcase at The Martin.
SCOTT KRUEGER | In Memoriam, 2019 – 2022
Scott had 30+ years of experience as an advertising executive and attorney before founding Krueger Coaching and Consulting. His superpowers were empathy and emotional intelligence. His coaching focused on career transitions, enabling individuals to find purpose, leverage strengths, embrace areas of opportunity, and unleash possibilities. One poet Scott chose for company on a deserted island was Oscar Wilde. Lines Scott loved from Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure:” Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt. Scott’s intuitive nature and keen ability to see patterns and disparate connections allowed him to live in spaces that are not clearly black or white; if he were in a band, it would be called “Living in the Grey.” Scott’s family (and his great pride) includes his wife, a marketing, e-commerce, and human resource executive in Silicon Valley and his three sons, all of whom embrace their creative talents.
MARY ELLEN WOODS | In Memoriam, 2022 – 2024
Mary Ellen was a reformed Corporate Information Technology leader. She completed the Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI) Fellowship and was working on her next passion – helping young people get to and through their college education. She wrote in prose but loved the work of the Chicago Poetry Center. If she were to be stranded on a deserted island, one poet she would choose for company would be Shakespeare, and if she were to start her own band, she would name it MEW’s band of Merry Makers.
