The Unscarred Board
Sandy Spatz has been an organizer since she was 10 and an actor since she was 8! If she had only known the now infamous words of wisdom she learned from a business coach-- that our true calling is often based on what we enjoyed doing as children, she could have saved a lot of time.; but we all have our journey. She is still an actor and about 18 years ago began dabbling in the business of organizing; helping people create peace and space for themselves. Sandy has also served as President of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL as well as the co-chair for the congregation’s Capital Campaign retiring a 4.4 million dollar building loan.
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Shalita is a devout entrepreneur who enjoys hearing people’s stories, advocating for the less fortunate, and serving wherever she’s planted. Her roles include Real Estate Investor, owning/managing 10 properties for 17 years, Licensed Real Estate broker who hosts free seminars to teach the art of Real Estate Investing for 1st time home buyers, Party planner and equipment renter, Licensed Insurance producer who educates consumers on the importance of insurance and guides them in choosing the right plans to cover their home, auto, and life, Substitute teachers all across Chicagoland, Actress and performer Most importantly she is a loving wife to a hardworking husband, and a mom to 4 amazing children, who, when freed from her duties, she enjoys traveling, singing, and writing songs.
Karen Semone
mARGARET O'Conor
Margaret O'Conor is an established community leader with a passion for the non-profit sector. She holds a Master's Degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor's Degree in psychology from the College of Santa Fe. Margaret currently leads Common Pantry as their Executive Director and is also a longtime collaborator with Big Teeth Productions. With a strong track record for fundraising and working with stakeholders around missions she is passionate about, Margaret is excited to support Elise and help ensure the stories of those in Unscarred can be shared with the world.​
Shalita Ativie
Karen Semone has had a 20+ year career in creative services digital innovation and storytelling most recently at Salesforce. Karen works with top customers to reinvent their transformation strategy and future-proof against the quickly changing world. She uses the power of Wordcraft visual elements and multimedia to change hearts and minds about where innovation is headed. Before Salesforce, Karen worked in both the start-up and agency worlds on iconic brands such as IBM McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and more. She is also an active volunteer in Chicago, sitting on the board of Concordia Place, a non-profit focused on supporting families in need.
lESLIE eDELMAN
Leslie Edelman is currently an Executive Creative Producer at Link Logistics. Known for her diverse creative background and strategic acumen, she is a moth to the light, when bringing ideas to life. Her journey began in photojournalism but turned towards film after a pivotal first job colorizing movies for Ted Turner. Leslie thrives on innovation, finding inspiration in the many facets of business, science/technology, and storytelling. Her short films and parodies have won the highest honors at Hermes and Viddy awards. While many agency projects have won top honors at Cannes, Clio, and Graphis.
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Native Chicagoan Maria Lefkow Sorensen is proud to serve as the Executive Director for The John and Susan Dewan Foundation, a family foundation founded in 2000. In this role, she is responsible for the Foundation's day-to-day operation and shaping the organization's future through vision, values, leadership, and strategy. Before joining the Dewan Foundation in late 2022, she was the Chief Development Officer at the Noble Network, Chicago’s largest charter school network. At Noble, Lefkow Sorensen led the fundraising efforts, which provided critical resources that further the Network’s mission of catalyzing educational equity for 12,000 students in Chicago.
Maria Lefkow SorensEN
