Chairman, Illinois District Export Council
Founding Executive Director, Chicago Regional Growth Corporation
177 N. State Street, Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60601
Tom was recently appointed founding Executive Director for Chicago Regional Growth
Corporation, the newly-formed regional economic development organization working on behalf
of the City of Chicago and the seven counties in northeastern Illinois to generate inclusive
economic growth and prosperity across the region. Most recently, Tom served as founding
Managing Director for Metro Chicago Exports since 2015.
Prior to joining Metro Chicago Exports, Tom was International Director at Solo Cup Company,
where he has over 25 years of international experience including the creation of an export
initiative and was instrumental in building the International Division with locations in North and
Central America, Europe and Asia.
Tom was appointed to the Illinois District Export Council by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce
and serves as its Chair. In addition, he was recently elected to serve represent the Midwest on the
National District Export Council Steering Committee. He currently serves on the boards of the
International Trade Club of Chicago and the Central Asia Productivity Research Center. He is a
native of Chicago and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Fairfield
University and his MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
