6 business leaders join DePaul University board of trustees

“With these new board members, DePaul has added an extraordinary assemblage of talent, expertise and commitment to a better world,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., president of DePaul. “Each values our Vincentian mission, and together they bring deep Chicago connections and global perspective. I am grateful for their dedication and service to our university.”

Therese K. Fauerbach is co-founder and CEO of The Northridge Group, a management consulting firm, specializing in advanced data analytics, end-to-end customer experience and cost transformation services. Under Fauerbach’s leadership, Northridge has earned a reputation as a leader in management consulting by providing real-world, practical solutions that drive measurable outcomes for clients with complex operational problems. Fauerbach leads by example and has established a consulting approach that places management by facts and honest discussion at its core. She advises C-level executives across the Fortune 100. She pays it forward, committed to social responsibility. Her philanthropic focus is on children, education and youth leadership. Among the organizations she supports are Mercy Home, Communities in Schools, Cristo Rey and the Year Up Technology Internship Program. Fauerbach holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Norbert College and an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. She serves on several boards, including The Goodman Theatre’s Business Council and The Cradle Foundation, one of the foremost adoption agencies in the country. She is a former chair of the board for The Chicago Network.

Ezequiel “Zeke” Flores is founder and CEO of Flying Concessions, an experienced airport retail, food and beverage concessionaire that focuses on the core competencies of food and beverage, retail development, airport concessions and merchandising. A lifelong Illinois resident, Flores understands the importance of being an active member of the community, including taking part in the political process. Growing up, he knocked on doors for a handful of candidates in his Southwest Side of Chicago. Flores co-chaired the economic development committee for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s transition team and later was appointed by the governor to the Illinois State Board of Investment, where he sits on the Audit & Compliance, Emerging Manager, and Investment Policy committees. Flores also serves as chairman of the board of Corazón a Corazón, a nonprofit organization that serves the Latino community in South Chicago, and is a member of the steering committee of the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition. Flores has been recognized as an emerging leader by the National Latino Education Institute, one of 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business and Negocios Now, and 14 Under 40 by DePaul University. Additionally, Flores has accepted the Latino Leaders Maestro Award in the category of entrepreneurship. 

Demetrios “Jim” Logothetis is a partner with Ernst & Young’s Assurance Practice in the Atlanta office. He has 37 years of experience, including 26 as a partner, providing audit and other services to a broad spectrum of both public and private companies. Previously, he served as vice chair of global accounts, managing partner Assurance and Advisory (Midwest region), North American leader for Ernst & Young’s German Business Center, and as the Consumer & Industrial Products Sector leader. He also spent six years in Europe, based in Germany, serving as the regional coordinating partner for several multinational companies. Logothetis represented the firm on the Midwest Tapestry Network, which consists of approximately 15 audit committee chairs representing Global 500 companies based out of the Midwest. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from DePaul University and an MBA in accounting, finance and international business from the University of Chicago, Booth Graduate School of Business. Logothetis is involved in civic, community and educational organizations. He serves on the advisory council of DePaul University’s Driehaus School of Business, the executive committee of the board of trustees for the American College of Greece, the board of Leadership 100, the national board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and as chairman the board of trustees for the Hellenic American Academy.

Jessica Sarowitz is the managing partner of Sarowitz Family LLC, a management company that oversees the entire portfolio of Sarowitz Family Holdings including entrepreneurial business interests, real estate, and investments in diverse industries such as domestic and international payroll, UK payroll, gluten free foods, technology, filmmaking and large-scale residential real estate holdings. Sarowitz is also the managing family director of the Julian Grace Foundation, her family's charitable foundation, which funds various philanthropic ventures including orphanages, innovative programs for foster children, technology labs, state-of-the art urban centers for arts education and vocational training, environmental causes, athletic programs, and various other educational and social justice programs both domestically and internationally. Sarowitz is passionate about correcting the source of a problem to help those in need, giving voice to communities who are marginalized and extremely resource-challenged, as well as providing people a stepping stone to transformative opportunities. She serves as a board member of Heart of the City and a board advisor to Chicago Center for Arts and Technology. Sarowitz graduated in 1991 from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

John Sheehy, most recently president of global client practice at Publicis Media, focuses on driving a consistent, connected and collaborative approach to how the agency thinks and acts across global network client teams, markets and centers of excellence. Clients turn to Sheehy for his experience matching talent, capability and technology to a business challenge. He has been a member of the Publicis family for 27 years, working both at headquarters and abroad, on both the creative and media side of the business. This has made him equally at home in fast growth emerging markets and comfortable in bringing together digital, data/analytics and content. Sheehy is a leader in remapping the way the organization brings its clients innovative thinking, partnerships and ways of working that deliver results and impact in real time.

Renee Velasquez Togher is president of Azteca Foods, Inc., Chicago, a family-owned business and leading manufacturer of tortilla products. She serves on the boards of MB Financial; Home Run Inn; ADL, Inc.; Illinois Manufacturers’ Association; the Teen Bridge Center; and is a member of The Chicago Network. Togher's past board participation includes the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Access Living, Mercy Hospital and National Museum of Mexican Art. She was awarded the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award in 2011 and has been recognized by Today’s Chicago Woman as “100 Women Making a Difference.” Togher received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

DePaul University’s board of trustees is responsible for shaping the strategies that best promote the fulfillment of the university’s mission and values. With more than 23,000 students and some 300 academic programs, DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, nonprofit university in the Midwest. It is nationally recognized for incorporating service learning throughout its curriculum and preparing its graduates for a global economy.

DePaul was founded in Chicago in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), a Roman Catholic religious community dedicated to following the ideals of St. Vincent de Paul, the 17th century priest for whom the university is named. DePaul’s tradition of providing a quality education to students from a broad range of backgrounds, with particular attention to first-generation students, has resulted in one of the nation’s most diverse student bodies. More information is available at www.depaul.edu.

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Carol Hughes

carol.hughes@depaul.edu 

312-362-8592 ​