Auditorium Theatre Welcomes Six New Members To Its Board Of Directors

Ann Nash, Auditorium Theatre Board Chair, and Rich Regan, Chief Executive Officer of the Auditorium Theatre, are pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Aden, Tremaine Atkinson, Trudi Gentry, Annette C.M. Guzman, Nicole Hayes, and Leroy Nix to the Auditorium Theatre Board of Directors, effective immediately, for the 2022-2025 term.

"We are excited to have such tremendously talented, energetic, and diverse individuals join our incredible Board to present arts that reflect all of our community and restore our National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre! As audiences and artists return to our stage, these new Board members bring renewed commitment to our vibrant future," said Nash.

About the Auditorium Theatre's New Board Members

Mike Aden is a Senior Consultant for Harmer Financial Solutions, a Chicago-based provider of financial reporting and corporate accounting services. In that role he provides interim financial leadership to a variety of US-based businesses undergoing merger, acquisition, or other types of change. While working on his undergraduate degree, he had a part-time job as assistant to his university's Director of Performing Arts. As a team member who welcomed a national touring production of Dreamgirls to their campus, Mike got to see first-hand the process of taking a show from semi-truck to stage and back again and has been fascinated by theater administration ever since. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of Strawdog Theatre Company.

Tremaine Atkinson is an accomplished senior executive, entrepreneur, and advisor with more than 30 years of success across the investment management and distilled spirits industries. His areas of expertise include investment management operations and compliance, beverage product development and distribution strategy, and acquisitions. He holds a key leadership position as Co-Founder, CEO, CFO, and Head Distiller of CH Distillery, launched in 2012 with the goal of becoming Chicago's premiere grain-to-bottle vodka distillery. Additionally, Tremaine has also served as a Partner, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer for LSV Asset Management, a Chicago-based institutional equity management firm with $80B in assets under management.

Trudi Gentry is an Account Supervisor at FCB Chicago. She has a background in marketing and media sales and previously served as a Sr. Account Executive for iHeartMedia from 2010 to 2021. Gentry is a graduate of Columbia College (BA in Arts Management) and completed her Master's in Integrated Marketing Communications at Roosevelt University. Born and raised in Chicago, Gentry has a passion for photography and enjoys attending music events. In her spare time, she has volunteered with various health organizations.

Annette C.M. Guzman's career has included experience across the private, public, and academic sectors, with a particular interest in legal services and government operations. As the current Budget Director for Cook County, Guzman has managed the County's budget during the pandemic, including the administration of roughly $2B in federal funding distributed to the County to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and stimulate economic recovery. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Deputy Chief Administrator and Chief of Staff for the City of Chicago's Independent Police Review Authority/Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) from 2016-2018. And based on this work building COPA, Guzman was appointed the Deputy Assessor - Chief Administrative Officer in 2018 for the newly appointed Cook County Assessor, Fritz Kaegi. Rounding out her professional experience is time practicing corporate finance at Sidley Austin LLP and working with the administration at the University of Chicago Law School on diversity issues. She currently serves on the Governance Committee of the Board of Directors for BPI Chicago, and in the past, has served on a variety of boards dedicated to education and social service needs.

Nicole Hayes is an experienced liaison in federal, state, and local politics as well as the owner of Pier 31 Restaurant. Starting in 2008, Hayes has served as the liaison between the City of Chicago Aldermen, administrators, and laborers, interpreting and negotiating union contracts. She works with community and business groups, elected officials, delegate agencies, and other community stakeholders. She was the President of Laborer's Local 1001 for 8 years. As owner of Pier 31 Restaurant since 2012, Hayes oversees all aspects of customer service delivery. Active in her community, Hayes has served as the Director of Brightstar Community Outreach Corporation; Board member of the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership; and Recording Secretary of LiUNA Women's Caucus. She has also held leadership roles in the Laborers' Annuity and Benefit Fund, Jack and Jill of America, Local School Council-Murray Language Academy, Parent Teacher Organization-Murray Language Academy, and liaison for United Negro College Fund and the City of Chicago. Hayes obtained her education at Southern University, Baton Rouge.

Leroy Nix is director of Market Strategy for Southern Company Gas, responsible for developing growth strategies in regulated jurisdictions served by Southern Company Gas utilities. Since joining the company in 2009, Nix has held roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as director of Federal Governmental Affairs in Washington, DC. In this capacity, he worked closely with national elected officials, community leaders, and stakeholder groups on issues related to energy and environmental policy. Prior to joining the Federal Governmental Affairs department, he served as area manager of the Birmingham Division and as corporate affairs manager at Alabama Power Company. Before joining the company, Leroy was employed with Bayer Properties, a commercial real estate development company. Nix holds a Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Montevallo in Alabama and earned his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. He serves as a member of several boards and organizations, including the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees, Renasant Bank Community Board, and the Society of International Business Fellows.

For a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

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