Executive Team
Brooke Braun – Co-Director of Marketing & Communications
Brooke is passionate about academics and enthusiastic about creating access to higher education. She began volunteering with Minds Matter Chicago this year and is a Director of MarCom, alongside a team that is five strong. In this role, Brooke serves as a primary liaison between the MarCom committee and other Management Team leaders, supporting communications needs for programming, board, and volunteer management. Brooke graduated with a dual-Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Media Studies from Ball State University and a Master’s in Business Administration from DePaul University. She works as a Content Marketing Specialist at Panduit Corporation, teaches Violin lessons for Simply Music Studios, and enjoys doing photography in her spare time.
Martina Davis – Director of Sophomore Summer Program
Martina joined Minds Matter Chicago in 2024 as a Director of the Sophomore Summer Program and is passionate about MM’s mission. Martina completed her studies in the UK and has a BSc from Durham University and a MSc from the University of Bath. Martina works as a Marketing Lead at Kraft Heinz.
Frank Fernandez – Co-Director of Data Analytics
Frank joined Minds Matter Chicago in 2024. He is a tenured associate professor of higher education. His research examines educational equity issues, including supporting college access and success for low-income, rural, first-generation, and underrepresented racial minority students. Frank is an incoming co-director of data analytics and to use existing and new data to document the benefits of MMC services on student outcomes, as well as pursue external funding for the organization. He is a graduate of Imperial Valley College, University of San Diego, Stanford University, and The Pennsylvania State University.
Lauren Kilty – Co-Director of Marketing & Communications
Lauren joined Minds Matter Chicago in October 2023 as an Advisory Board Member. She is passionate about making a lasting impact in all aspects of life, challenging the status quo, and connecting dots to empower others. With a purpose to uplift deserving individuals, Lauren is excited to fulfill her mission through this organization. In this role, Lauren further contributes to Minds Matter Chicago as a Co-Director of Marketing and Communication in 2024. She holds an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University (2017) and a BA in Marketing and Advertising from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2016). Lauren is a Manager at Salesforce within the Partner Experience and Transformation Team dedicated to capturing feedback and enhancing satisfaction within the Salesforce Partner Ecosystem.
Musa Killins - Director of IT
Ryan Kluck – Academic Program Director
When Ryan moved to Chicago in 2017, he was looking for ways to get connected into a Chicago community when he learned about Minds Matter. He joined as a mentor for a Sophomore and saw the tremendous impact the organization has on its students across the 3-year experience. He now serves as the Sophomore Program Director, delivering the program’s weekly curriculum and supporting students explore their ambitions and identity. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and holds an MBA from Northwestern University. He works as a Senior Manager within the healthcare consulting practice at Bain.
Mimi Li – Academic Program Director
Mimi began working with Minds Matter Chicago in 2020 as a mentor. She has a lifelong interest in human flourishing and supporting Minds Matter Chicago students and alumni in building lives they love and find interesting. Mimi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.
Erin Madigan – Co-Director of Junior Summer Programs
Erin believes in the transformative power of higher education and has worked as an educator for 5+ years. She graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology and earned her M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan in 2019. Erin works as an Academic Adviser in the College at the University of Chicago. In her free time she enjoys long walks in Chicago parks, fiber arts, and baking.
Chris Moy – Academic Program Director
Cami Oh – Managing Director
Cami began her involvement with Minds Matter Chicago in 2018, with an excitement to get involved in the Chicago community and work with the impressive students that come through the MMC program. After mentoring a wonderful mentee for three years, she served as an Associate Board member, led the Junior Class as Program Director for two years, and is currently acting as the Managing Director of the Management Team. In this role, Cami helps connect the dots between our leaders of operations and is a liaison to our Board of Directors. Cami graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Northwestern University and works as a Finance Lead at Kraft Heinz.
Dan Rowe – Co-Director of Data Analytics
Dan became a part of the Minds Matter Chicago community in 2023, as a mentor for two sophomores. This year, Dan is excited to expand his involvement by becoming one of the Co-Directors of Data Analytics, where he aims to leverage his analytical skills. Dan’s holds a BA in Economics and Creative Writing from the University of Chicago and is currently on the Management Team at McMaster-Carr.
Ishaan Patel - Co-Director of the Associate Board
Hannah Sim – Co-Director of Junior Summer Programs
Hannah is a third-year mentor and Junior Summer Program Co-Director for the 2024-2025 school year. Shortly after moving to Chicago in 2022, Hannah joined MMC as a Sophomore Mentor in the fall. The match day with her mentees sparked her interest in serving the upcoming juniors to share the excitement and joy that comes with the special day. Hannah aims to bring her first-hand experience and incorporate project management skills to provide support to the junior class throughout their pre-college summer program journey. Hannah graduated with a degree in Political Science from University of Michigan- Ann Arbor and works in NACI Regional Governance PMO at Oracle.
Matt Talarico - Director of Finance
Matt Unger - Academic Program Director
Sandie Xu – Co-Director of the Associate Board
Sandie joined Minds Matter in 2017 as a mentor and was inspired by the dedication and commitment that all mentors and mentees had to Minds Matter. Sandie has stayed involved with Minds Matter through various forms – from serving as a mentor in both Chicago and New York to working on different committees within the Associate Board. She is currently the Director of the Associate Board. Sandie graduated with a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a degree in Economics from Northwestern University. She works in Clinical Operations at Oak Street Health.
Associate Board
The Associate Board oversees the fundraising efforts of Minds Matter of Chicago.
Associate Board Members
Adam Landau
Alex Tomlinson
Alexandria Ramirez
Andrew He
Bobby Piluso
Brendan Griffin
Bryan Lippert
Claire West
Dan Flynn
Dane Chapman
Darsh Jalan
Diana Hyde
Eddy Gamboa
Idan Epstein
Jack Kim
Jordan Buranskas
Justin Storer
Kevin Doherty
Laura Xiquin
Maiya Cook
Manoj Immadi
Maria Ptouchkina
Melissa Loeb
Michael Almisry
Michael Heiser
Nicholas Porter
Nicole Krujis
Rafael Grigoryan
Sandie Xu
Spencer Oh
Starletta Keene
Stephanie Avalos
Supreet Grewal
Tina Zhang
Tram Kantor
Wali Khan
Zach Ozog