The Advisory Board

Tonya Fitzpatrick is as an award-winning broadcaster, speaker, author, entrepreneur, humanitarian and sought-after media personality. Tonya was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Policy at the U.S. Department of Education. Before that, Tonya served under a federal defense contract as the Senior Legal Advisory for the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In her capacity as Executive Producer of World Footprints radio, Tonya has formed strategic partnerships with organizations like the United Nations Global Initiative to fight Human Trafficking (UN-GIFT), Stanford University/Washington DC-based Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), Sustainable Travel International, CARE International, and Pack for a Purpose, among others. Tonya and her co-host husband, Ian, have interviewed high-profile guests like Robert Kennedy, Jr., Ken Burns, Rajmohan Gandhi, Stefanie Powers, David Rockefeller, Jr., and many other celebrity and newsmakers who share similar values for sustainability, conservation, human rights and philanthropy. Tonya and Ian also authored a chapter in a new book with Stephen Covey, Dr. Tony Alessandra and Patricia Fripp entitled Success Simplified. Tonya earned a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School and a Diploma from East China University of Politics and Law. She was awarded a fellowship at Michigan State University in the Michigan Political Leadership Program.

Keith Lasko is President of arcD+C, an architecture and consultancy practice, and President of Taproot Development a real estate development umbrella firm, with projects nationwide. Keith founded both firms with the goal of providing a unique focus in collaborating with commercial, healthcare and residential clients in discovering ways to improve business, their practice, their home by fully understanding needs, culture, personality, long and short term goals. His reputation is based on spot-on creativity, client service and as a touchstone for excellence. He has had the great fortune of serving a breadth of clients, from many of our business and social elite to leaders in the non profit sector. Keith continues to follow a passion in assisting non profits at many levels. In addition to his participation with I Am 4 Kids, he currently is honored by serving as a member of the Board of Advisors for Catholic Charities and StreetWise in Chicago.

John Ambrogi is a partner at McCracken & Frank.  He has been handling the intellectual property legal needs of clients for over nineteen years.  John has honed his skills through his direct experience in protecting, evaluating, enforcing, and defending intellectual property rights secured by patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, both domestically and internationally. 

Franco S. La Marca is a financial advisor to a core group of successful families at Merrill Lynch & Co. in downtown Chicago, Illinois.  His clients include entrepreneurs, business leaders, and even professional athletes.  Outside of his professional life, much of Franco’s personal life is committed to various not-for-profit causes, including several created by his clients.  In 2010, Franco founded Aviator’s Night for Sight:  a fundraiser for the Illinois Eye Bank in conjunction with Net Jets, raising more than $30,000 and held at a private airplane hangar for over 250 guests.  His enthusiasm for helping others now extends to I AM 4 Kids. Following graduation from Lake Forest College, Franco attained his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School and continued his international studies at both Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan and the University of Sydney Faculty of Law in Australia.  Today, Franco combines his Law and Finance experiences as a regular speaker on ethical questions surrounding both industries.  He’s presented for the Chicago Bar Association, ICLE, and the MidAmerica Club to name a few.

Beatrice Davis owns Sassy B. Worldwide Productions. Prior to that, she served as tour manager, entertainment coordinator and consultant for some of the world’s best-known athletes and entertainers, including: Ray Charles; Dennis Rodman; Elton John; B.B. King & Liza Minnelli. Bea integrated her strong educational background (in hospitality, business and fashion), into successful ventures within event promotions, including international consulting, tour coordination, promotional campaigns, go-to-market strategies and even music and film production. Bea also brings journalistic experience to the table: She has hosted radio shows for Stuttgart Stadt Radio Worldwide Entertainment News and has written for DJ Magazine & German Dance Magazine. Bea remains committed to giving back to the community. Her non-profit affiliations include: Athletes Against Drugs; The Rising Sun Ranch; Children’s Medical Research Foundation; Single Working Women's Affiliate Network (SWWAN); Toast To Humanity; and The SumoKids Foundation.

 Michael F. Rhodes is a lifelong entrepreneur with a strong history of identifying favorable market trends and capitalizing on those inclinations by developing disruptive technology. Mike has an extensive and successful background in Strategic Planning and Rapid Deployment of aggressive start-up initiatives in cost and time sensitive environments. Mike founded FreeDrive.com, (an enterprise funded by Motorola, EMC, & EDS) that grew from 1 to 134 employees; Zero to 19.5 Million users; and Zero to $20 Million in Gross Revenues in just 18 months. Mike is also on the Board of Children’s Memorial Hospital.

Shafer Suggs was drafted in the second round of the 1976 NFL draft by the New York Jets. He was a 5 year starter at strong safety for the Jets and was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Mr. Suggs is currently serving his second term as the President of the Retired Professional Football Players Association and is a motivational speaker across the country. Since his retirement from the NFL, Shafer has spent over thirty three years working as a senior sales and marketing executive with such companies as Motorola, DHL Worldwide Express, Cintas Corporation, and OfficeMax. He is currently working with the 2010 U.S. Census as a Partnership Specialist in the Sports Collaborative Program.

Jess Loren is the founder of Mix Media Solutions LLC. a social Media Marketing, Digitally-Enriched, Media house, located within Chicago’s new Incubator, “The Syncubator”. She has worked with large companies such as The Career Education Corporation, Nextel Communications and The Cortiva Institute. Jess is educated from Indiana University Bloomington as well as Loyola University Chicago with studies in Advertising and Public Relations. She thrives on new ideas and the ability to make them a reality. She is a young individual who truly believes in her entrepreneurial skill set to make her projects and her client’s projects nationally recognized powers of innovation. She serves as the Social Media Adviser to the I AM 4 Kids Foundation.

Kate Mazzarella-Minshall attended Fordham University, Manhattan Campus, and transferred to The New School in New York City where she has a B.A. in Media Studies. She has worked in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, nine of which were spent in the Catering and Convention Services Department at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the past ten years she has been the Director of Events for the Las Vegas Harley-Davidson Cafe. In 2003 Kate was awarded "Caterer of the Year” by NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). As a freelance writer, she has written several articles for print magazines and online websites and she is a member of the mentor program for UNLV (University of Nevada Las Vegas).

Jared Silver is an entrepreneur, sales copywriter, results oriented marketer, video producer, advertising photographer, and the Founder and President of AT-A-GLANCE MARKETING, INC. He is an elite provider of visual content and video-driven Internet marketing strategies for individuals and businesses. Jared’s penchant for detail and portraying his subjects in a genuine, honest manner has earned him the moniker “Straight Shooter.” Jared’s images have appeared around the globe. He boasts an impressive clientele across a wide range of industries. His experience, insights and robust suite of services place him in an elite category of content provider.

Gail Brown is a Nutrition Coach & Wellness Educator with Shaklee Corporation. She has been counseling and teaching people how to improve their health for nearly 15 years. Gail suffered from acute asthma and allergies. With the help of lifestyle changes and Shaklee products, Gail’s turned her health around. As a result, it is her mission to help others learn how to take charge of their health and their future. Gail has a special passion for helping families learn how to "grow healthy kids". Gail believes that given the nutrients they need, children can grow to their maximum height, flexibility and strength, avoid childhood illnesses, experience proper brain development and have abundant energy.