Advisory Board
When Heather Becker became CEO of The Conservation Center in 2003, she approached long-time mentor Marshall Field V about the formation of an Advisory Board. Inspired by his wealth of knowledge and perspective, the two have since witnessed the Advisory Board grow to include 10 members, each adding to the development and continued growth of The Center. We are proud to have such support from our friends and community.
Please click on the photos below to see bios.
Norman R. Bobins
Norman R. Bobins is the chief executive of Norman Bobins Consulting LLC (NBC), which provides financial consulting services to various clients. Prior to founding NBC in 2008, Bobins spent 40 years in banking. He began his career at American National Bank and Trust Company in 1967. In 1981, he joined Exchange National Bank, which was acquired by LaSalle Bank. He retired from LaSalle Bank Corporation as chairman, president and chief executive officer in 2007. Bobins currently serves as the non-executive chairman of The PrivateBank and Trust Company and non-executive chairman of the board of Transco, Inc. He also serves on the corporate boards of AAR CORP., AGL Resources, Inc., Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. and RREEF America REIT II, Inc. Bobins is a former member of the board of education of the city of Chicago, having been appointed by Mayor Daley for four consecutive four-year terms. He is a member of the board of trustees of WTTW Communications, Inc., where he served as chairman for six years. Bobins is also a member of the boards of directors of the Auditorium Theatre, Brain Research Foundation, The Field Museum, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, Navy Pier, Inc., and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. In addition, he is a Life Member of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is the former chairman of the board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Bobins was appointed as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and completed his term of service in November 2013. Bobins earned his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin in 1964 and his M.B.A. from The University of Chicago in 1967. He and his wife, Virginia, reside in Chicago.
Norman R. Bobins
George Jones IV
George Jones has spent over 30 years in the Property and Casualty Insurance industry. He has been a leader in the Property Claims area at nationally known companies including USAA, Farmers Insurance, and Chubb. With those companies he led claim operations, compliance, vendor management and best practices initiatives, both domestically and in global operations. George’s long-standing relationship with the Conservation Center began with his work at Chubb where the Conservation Center was a perfect fit for the needs of Chubb’s successful clientele.
Most recently, George took over as the CEO of Westhill Global, an Insurtech startup based in Atlanta, GA. Westhill is bringing a technology driven solution to digitally disrupt the Property claim repair process.
George holds a BA in Management and Economics from Washington College, and an MBA from the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary.
He has served on numerous community boards include United Cerebral Palsy, and the American Red Cross. He currently serves on the advisory boards of several Insurance industry related companies.
George Jones IV
Ralph Senst
Ralph Senst began his career at IBM after graduating from The University of Michigan's Business School. He held a variety of positions during his 32 year career, most recently as Vice President for Global Alliances where he was responsible for a portfolio of global relationships. Prior to that role he created the Mobile e-business Services Practice area in IBM Global Services and was responsible for IBM e-business Strategic Initiatives.
Senst has been Chairman of the Redmoon Theater Board of Directors for the past 3 years. Some years ago he was also the Chairman of the Remains Theater Board of Directors. He currently serves on the EXPO Chicago Civic Committee and is on the Board of Directors of Rock for Reading, a literacy advocacy group.
Ralph Senst
Marshall Field V
Marshall Field V is the fifth generation of a Chicago family whose activities have included merchandising, real estate, publishing, communications and civic affairs.
Upon the death of his father in 1965, Field entered the family business, Field Enterprises, Inc., in Chicago. In October, 1969, he was elected Publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News, both of which were owned by Field Enterprises. He was 28 years old, the youngest publisher of any major newspaper in the United States. He remained Publisher until 1980. In 1972, Field became Chairman of Field Enterprises, a post he held until the company was dissolved 12 years later.
In June, 1984, Field established The Field Corporation to manage his various business interests. Over the years, these businesses have included Pioneer Press, Manistique Papers, Inc., Field Publications, Funk & Wagnalls, and Muzak. Field is Chairman of the Board of The Field Corporation. Field is also Chairman and President of The Old Mountain Company, Inc. which manages his private investments.
Field was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Art Institute from 1965 to 2012. He was elected President of the Board in November, 1987. In his second term, the title was changed to Chairman, a post Field held until November, 1993. During this period Mr. and Mrs. Field and the McCormick family established the Field-McCormick wing of American Arts in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Building. The two families also endowed the Field-McCormick Curatorship of American Arts at the museum. Field continues on the Committee on American Arts. In 2013, Field was named Governor Emeritus of the School of the Art Institute.
An avid fisherman, Field has a strong interest in conservation. He is active in various conservation organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, including serving as the Chairman of its National Council from 2002 until 2008. He is also a member of The Nature Conservancy, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and served as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University from 2006 through 2009. Field was elected Chairman of the Everglades Foundation in 2014.
In 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Field established the Jamee and Marshall Field Foundation which focused on environmental and conservation issues, the arts and culture, education and health care. In 2010, Mr. and Mrs. Field partnered with The Chicago Community Trust to convert their Foundation to a donor advised endowment fund. Field has served on various Committees of the Trust. In addition, Field is a member of the Board of Directors of The Field Foundation of Illinois, a foundation begun by his grandfather, which focuses on urban and community affairs and community welfare.
Marshall Field V
Diane Swonk
Diane Swonk – a prominent economist, recognized industry voice and sought-after business advisor – is Chief Economist at KPMG. Swonk, based in Chicago, leads the firm’s Office of the Chief Economist, which provides deep insights to clients on the economy and how it impacts strategy, growth and operations.
Swonk joined KPMG from Grant Thornton LLP, where she served as chief economist. She has more than three decades of experience in financial services and consulting and regularly briefs the Federal Reserve and its regional banks. Swonk also serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce economic advisory board and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Additionally, Swonk also advised the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) for the White House under three presidents and served two terms on the Congressional Budget Office’s panel of economic advisors. She was named a fellow by the National Association for Business Economics for her outstanding contributions to the field of business economics and was named among the 100 most influential economists in the world for her analysis of the pandemic. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Association for Corporate Growth.
Diane is deeply committed to educational attainment and diversifying the ranks of leadership. She serves on the board of the Posse Foundation in Chicago, an education and leadership program. She works extensively with the Yale Dyslexia and Creative Institute. She just joined the Harris Policy School Council at the University of Chicago after serving for 15 years on the Council for Booth School of Business. She also serves on the board of the Foundation for the National Association for Business Economics (NABE); she serves on the statistics committee for NABE to promote the quality and integrity of U.S. economic data.
She advises the University of Michigan Economics Department, where she earned her B.A. and M.A. in economics with top honors. She earned an MBA in finance and strategic planning with top honors from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Diane Swonk
Bob Glick
Robert Glick, throughout his forty-year career, relished solving complicated and unusual legal problems for his banking and corporate clients.
Bob Glick offered his guidance and expertise to The Conservation Center for over 13 years. He contributed to the success of The Center in immeasurable ways, and we remain grateful for the time and counsel he gave us.
Bob Glick
Christiane Fischer
Christiane Fischer joined Tokio Marine Highland in 2020 as President of the Fine Art Division. She is responsible for the strategic leadership and delivery of the division’s custom insurance solutions for the fine art market, including art dealer, exhibition, museum, and private and corporate collection coverages.
She joined Tokio Marine Highland after serving for more than 20 years at AXA Art Insurance Corporation, most recently as President & CEO. During her tenure, she built AXA into the market leader in specialty fine art insurance, growing the business from $22 million in gross written premium in 2004 to $65 million.
Christiane is a member of the board of trustees of the Isamu Noguchi Museum of Art, the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR), the Conservation Center, the Conservation Council of the Salomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the National Jewelry Institute.
Fischer lives in New York with her husband and their three daughters.
Christiane Fischer
William Lear
William Lear is Vice-Chairman of Athena Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (“AGES”), licensor of more than 60 advanced alternative energy, water and environmental technologies from around the world.
AGES accelerates the business models of these international enterprises by combining their technologies into unique solution sets to resolve specific environmental challenges wherever they are found. Cost-effective examples of these “institutional sized” applications range from treatment of virtually any type of sewage waste, to eliminating the need to truck and reinject “produced-water” from oil wells, to quadrupling survival rates in shrimp lagoons.
Mr. Lear has an extensive management background in commercial banking, investment banking and corporate finance advisory assignments. He has particular expertise in assisting emerging growth companies in telecom, medical diagnostics, finance, energy and the environment.
William Lear
Marilyn Katz
Marilyn Katz is the founder and president of MK Communications, Inc., a public relations firm which combines public policy goals with organizational strategies that bring public support and program realization. Katz founded MK Communications in 1982 combining public policy goals with organizational strategies that brought public support and program realization. She is the recipient of numerous awards for films and campaigns, and has received grants from both the Carol and Ping Ferry and Russell Sage Foundations for policy-related research projects. Katz is also the author of numerous articles and a book, The Glass House Tapes (Avon, 1973). She is a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and sits on a variety of boards and voluntary organizations.
Marilyn Katz
Helyn Goldenberg
Helyn Goldenberg joined Sotheby’s in 1987 and works with private collectors, museums, institutions and corporations in developing and defining collections of paintings and sculpture, providing access to the full range of Sotheby’s appraisal and auction services. Goldenberg, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art from 1981 to 1986, has a long involvement with the Chicago art world, and has a specialized knowledge of Contemporary Art. She has been associated with the Museum of Contemporary Art since its inception, developing the education program and serving on the Women’s Board as well as the Board of Trustees. A graduate of Northwestern University, she was previously affiliated with the B.C. Holland Gallery, and served as publisher and editor of the National Arts Guide. She currently sits on several civic boards, including the Chicago Central Area Committee, and is currently the President of The Arts Club of Chicago.
Helyn Goldenberg
David W. Ruttenberg
David W. Ruttenberg is the President of Lakewest, Inc., the Founder of Belgravia Group, Ltd. (real estate development companies), and a Partner in the law firm of Ruttenberg & Ruttenberg. For more than five decades, Ruttenberg has been actively involved in the development of residential, retail and commercial properties principally located on the north side of Chicago.
Ruttenberg is an active member of numerous Chicago area civic and charitable organizations. These activities include his role as a member of both the Cornerstone Advisory Council and the Executive Committee of the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. Additionally, he serves as a lifetime trustee of the Francis W. Parker School and former Board Chair, past trustee of the Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital, the Marwen Foundation, the Erikson Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of Northwestern University School of Law. He was the past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Chicago’s SSA #23 (a Special Service Area for North Clark Street).
David W. Ruttenberg
