The Evanston Chamber is proud to recognize its award recipients for their outstanding contributions to their business and community.
Businessperson of the Year
Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated remarkable leadership and commitment to the Evanston business community by actively engaging in events, meetings, advocacy, volunteerism, and participation in the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. This is typically a business owner, executive, proprietor, or entrepreneur.
- 2022 Lenice Levy, Good To Go Jamaican Cuisine
- 2021 Heather Bublick and D’Andre Carter, Feast & Imbibe, Soul & Smoke
- 2020 Sandy Chen, Koi
- 2019 Jill Kushner-Bishop, Multilingual Connections
- 2018 Robert Yohanan, First Bank of Evanston
- 2017 Shaun Chinsky, Good’s of Evanston
Community Leadership Person of the Year
Recognizes an individual who has actively participated in making Evanston a better place for its residents and institutions through civic engagement, innovation, leadership, recruitment, and/or partnership. This person can be an Evanston resident, business owner, employee, educator, artist.
- 2022 Ande Breunig, Founder, Our Evanston
- 2021 Meleika Gardner, Evanston Live TV
- 2020 Richard (Dick) Peach
- 2019 Neil Gambow, Mayor’s Employer Council
- 2018 Keith Terry
- 2017 Elizabeth Tisdall, Mayor of Evanston
(photo credit Ven Sherrod)
NonProfit/Public Service Person of the Year
Recognizes an individual in the public or not-for-profit sector who has distinguished themselves by working to advance Evanston through their organization, generating awareness of challenges or initiatives, and creating and responding to new opportunities or challenges by motivating local individuals or organizations to get involved. This person can be a leader, employee, or board member of a not-for-profit, cultural institution, government institution, or public service organization.
- 2022 Ann Sickon, Senior Executive Advisor, Center for Independent Futures
- 2021 Monique Jones, Evanston Community Foundation
- 2020 Steve Newman, Evanston Scholars
- 2019 Michele Berg, Rotary International
- 2018 Joanna Pinksy, Art Encounter
- 2017 Bea Rashid, Evanston Dance Ensemble
See the complete list of Evanston Chamber Award Winners.