The CAPE Board of Directors can be depended upon to share their many years of experience and knowledge to help to steer the organization to success. Board members come from a wide variety of different professional backgrounds who share the desire to bring the positive influences of arts education into more classrooms.
Officers
Kyle Johnson
President
Kyle is passionate innovator who creates inclusive environments for successful software development and product go-to-market strategies. Kyle currently works at Adobe, focusing on the use of generative AI in creativity.
Kirti Parakh
Vice President
Kirti is a Managing Director at Deloitte with over 20 years of experience in finance transformation and public accounting, serving both public and private companies across various industries. Since joining the CAPE board in 2022, Kirti is deeply committed to advancing equity in education for students in underserved communities.
Timothy John Slomka
Treasurer
Tim is a CPA and MBA grad specializing in finance and accounting. Tim is the VP of Finance at Redwood Logistics, LLC. Tim joined CAPE in 2023 and also services on his kid’s school finance board.
William Estrada
Secretary
William Estrada’s art and teaching is a collaborative discourse that critically re-examines public and private spaces with people to engage in radical imagination. He presents on community programming, arts integration, and social justice curricula. He is a visual art teacher at Telpochcalli Elementary and faculty at the School of Art and Art History at UIC.
Directors
Richard M. Assmus
Mayer Brown LLP
Richard M. Assmus is an intellectual property partner at the law firm Mayer Brown LLP, and has served on the Board since 2007. Rich served as President of CAPE from 2015-2019.
Adam Engle
Adam is the Director of the Fund for Equitable Business Growth, a multi-funder collaborative housed at the Chicago Community Trust that invests in a marketplace of services and products to support entrepreneurs of color in Chicago.
Carrie Olivia Adams
University of Chicago Press
Carrie Olivia Adams is a poet, the Promotions and Marketing Communications Director for the University of Chicago Press, and the poetry editor for the small press Black Ocean.
Lisa Zambrano Anderson
Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
Lisa Zambrano Anderson is a CPA with over 20 years of finance and banking experience. She has served on several non-profit boards.
Mekia Hearn
AVID Center
Mekia is a distinguished leader with extensive experience in non-profit organizations, Mekia has held various roles, including Secretary, Fundraising Chair, and Service Project Chair.
Neel Pandya
Research Triangle Institute
Neel is a non-profit leader with extensive experience in designing and executing programs in healthcare, education, and youth development.
Olivia Manning
PwC
Olivia is a seasoned technology consultant and product manager for all things data, deeply committed to bridging the gap and driving impactful solutions for arts and STEM education.
