A Virtual Experience Welcome From

9th Annual Make Room For Debate

Today’s Debaters. Tomorrow’s Leaders.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020 A Virtual Experience Welcome from

Welcome to our 9th Annual Make Room for Debate luncheon. We are delighted you’ve virtually joined us to Support Student Success, to help Cultivate Future Leaders, and contribute to Building a Stronger Chicago. Our Champion of Debate, Wintrust Founder and CEO, Ed Wehmer is being honored today for his dedication, belief, and investment in youth and Chicago.

Chicago Debates is bridging the opportunity gap for Chicago Public School (CPS) students by providing them with an after-school program that supports their academic, career, and leadership success. Competitive debate strengthens reading, teaches content knowledge and develops 21st century skills like research, analytical, and critical thinking. It also supports students’ social/emotional development. Debate is research proven to increase GPAs, graduation rates, college readiness and school engagement.

Chicago Debates is celebrating 23 years of providing debate to students in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. Starting with just five schools and 35 students in 1997, our goal this year is to serve over 1700 students across 95 Chicago Public Schools. We support middle and high school students in CPS, with a focus on high poverty areas where the need is the greatest. Last year, 78% of our students attended a Title I School, meaning 50% or more of the students received free or reduced lunch.

Today, you will experience just how impactful debate is as you hear directly from students whose lives have been transformed by the activity. Thank you to our event sponsors and to each of you for supporting Chicago Debates and investing in our future leaders.

With Gratitude,

David Nadig, Board Chair Dr. Toinette Gunn Allstate Insurance Company Chicago Debates Senior VP & Deputy General Counsel Executive Director

1 Program Participants

Ed is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wintrust (Nasdaq: WTFC). Founded in 1991, Wintrust is a financial services holding company, based in Rose- mont, Illinois, and is currently the second largest bank group headquartered in the state. Through its family of community banks, and a number of related companies and divisions, the Company provides tradi- tional commercial and community banking services, wealth management guidance, commercial insurance premium financing, mortgage origination, short-term accounts receivable financing and certain admin- istrative services. Wintrust provides cus- tomer and community-oriented, personal Ed Wehmer, Founder & CEO and commercial banking solutions to those Wintrust Financial Corporation located in and around Chicago, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. start Lake Forest Bank & Trust Company, the first Wintrust bank. Ed graduated from Georgetown University in 1976 and is a certified public accoun- Ed is a member and lead independent tant. director of the board of directors of Stepan Company (NYSE) in Northfield, IL. He also Ed’s primary career focus has been bank- serves as Chairman of the Board of North- ing, beginning at the accounting firm Ernst western Memorial Foundation at North- & Young, LLP, where he specialized in western Medicine, on the audit committee banking focused mainly on bank mergers of Northwestern Memorial Health Care, is and acquisitions for seven years. After a trustee for Lurie Children’s Hospital and leaving Ernst & Young, Ed was senior vice Foundation, and Vice Chair on the Board president and chief financial officer of River of the Finance Committee of the Archdi- Forest Bancorp, a $4 billion bank holding ocese of Chicago. Ed is also a director of company in Chicago, Illinois from 1985 to The Catholic Extension Society of America. 1991. While there, he was also president of the firm’s largest subsidiary, Lincoln Na- Ed and his wife, Dorothy, live in Lake Bluff, tional Bank, in Chicago. He left in 1991 to Illinois.

2 Program Participants

Sherly is a bilingual, urban school leader with ten years of educational experience serving as an educator and administrator focused on equity and access at the class- room, school, and district level.

Most recently, Sherly served as the Deputy Chief of the Office of Teaching and Learn- ing where she focused on advancing the district’s commitment to academic progress through major initiatives such as the Curriculum Equity Initiative. Prior to her role as Deputy Chief, Sherly served as the principal for William P. Nixon Elementary School and spent her tenure building trust Dr. Sherly Chavarria throughout her school community while Chief of Teaching and Learning developing a shared instructional vision, strengthening community relations and activities, and improving the school’s operational functioning. As a principal, Sherly also was a member of multiple district leadership com- mittees, including the Principal Advisory Council, SQRP Steering Committee, Instructional Equity Working Group, and Leadership Framework Working Group.

Sherly was a teacher at National Teachers Academy where she was recognized for her leadership with the Madeleine Maraldi Award for Teacher Leader Excellence. Sherly holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in psychology and cultural social anthropology, a master’s degree in teaching from National Louis University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

3 Program Participants

Will has been organizing since 1999 and has been an organizer with The People’s Lobby and its predecessor organizations since 2008. Will’s accomplishments include organizing The People’s Lobby’s successful campaign to raise the minimum wage in a number of Cook County suburbs from $8.25 to $13 and leading a campaign of mass actions and civil disobedience that played a major role in the closure of $125 million in corporate tax loopholes in Illinois. Will grew up in Chicago and began organizing as a high school student in the Chicago Public Schools, where he started an organization of students across the state working for a more just education system, Will Tanzman, Executive Director successfully changing citywide standard- The Peoples Lobby Chicago Debates Alumnus ized testing policies and practices. Will also Whitney Young 2000 serves as Council President at First Luther- an Church of the Trinity in the Bridgeport community. To get in the mood for a direct action, Will is always up for Rage Against the Machine.

4 Program

David Nadig, Introduction & Sponsor Allstate, Senior VP & Deputy General Counsel Acknowledgement Chicago Debates Board Chair

Dimarvin Puerto Debate: More than an Activity Chicago Debates Alumnus Lane Tech College Prep Class of 2020

Chicago Debates Feature Video

Mayor Lori Lightfoot City of Chicago Special Messages Dr. Janice Jackson CEO Chicago Public Schools

Ed Wehmer Wintrust Founder & CEO Champion of Debate Honoree Fireside Chat: Supporting Student Success, Dr. Sherly Chavarria Chief of Teaching & Learning Cultivating Future Leaders, & Chicago Public Schools Building a Stronger Chicago Will Tanzman, Executive Director The Peoples Lobby Chicago Debates Alumnus, Whitney Young 2000

Resolved: Dailyn Davis & Catherine Smith Everyone Should Be Interested Chicago Debates Alumnae in Supporting Debate Lindblom Math & Science Academy Class of 2020

Dr. Toinette Gunn, Executive Director Champion of Debate Champion of Debate Honoree Award Presentation Ed Wehmer, Wintrust Founder & CEO

Dr. Toinette Gunn Closing Remarks Executive Director

5 PLACE PLATINUM AD HERE

Our differences make us stronger.

Allstate is proud to sponsor Chicago Debates' Make Room for Debate 2020.

6 Make Room for Debate Champions of Debate

2019 Lisa Madigan Former Illinois Attorney General, Kirkland & Ellis

2018 Andrea Zopp CEO, World Business Chicago

2017 David Axelrod Director, University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics

2016 Terry Mazany President and CEO, Chicago Community Trust

2015 Beth Swanson Vice President of Strategy and Programs, Joyce Foundation

2014 Gery Chico Partner, Chico & Nunes

2013 Toni Preckwinkle President, Cook County Board

2012 Tom Wilson CEO, Allstate Insurance Company

7 iManage is Proud to Support Chicago Debates

We applaud Chicago Debates for instilling Chicago youth with the critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills that are inspiring them to be thinkers, speakers, and leaders of tomorrow.

8 9 Participating Schools

2019/20 CHICAGO DEBATES MIDDLE SCHOOL

CHICAGO RIVER CONFERENCE (11) LAKE MICHIGAN CONFERENCE (8) Agassiz Elementary School CICS Wrightwood Elementary School Beasley Academic Center Goethe Elementary School Boone Elementary School Hale Elementary School Brooks Academic Center Hedges Elementary School Frazier International Magnet School KIPP One Academy Kershaw Elementary School Owen Scholastic Academy Kilmer Elementary School Sadlowski Elementary School Lindblom Academic Center Wadsworth Elementary School Peirce School of International Studies Skinner North Classical School NAVY PIER CONFERENCE (8) STEM Magnet Academy Brighton Park Elementary School Columbia Explorers Academy GRANT PARK CONFERENCE (6) DePriest Elementary School Audubon Elementary School Haines Elementary School Bell Elementary School McCutcheon Elementary School Lincoln Elementary School Nash Elementary School South Loop Elementary School Salazar Elementary Bilingual Center Skinner West Elementary School West Park Academy of Fine Arts and O. A. Thorp Scholastic Academy Technology

2019/20 CHICAGO DEBATES HIGH SCHOOL

BLUE CONFERENCE (6) North Lawndale College Prep Lincoln Park High School Proviso West High School Phoenix Military Academy Richards Career Academy Pritzker College Prep Schurz High School Solorio Academy High School Senn High School Taft High School Urban Prep Bronzeville Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center RED CONFERENCE (10) SILVER CONFERENCE (8) Chicago Vocational Career Academy Acero Garcia Curie Metropolitan High School Bogan Computer Technical High School Goode STEM Academy Brooks College Prep Hancock College Prep Chicago H.S. for Agricultural Sciences Harlan Community Academy High School Thomas Kelly High School Hubbard High School Kennedy High School Morgan Park High School Kenwood Academy Phillips Academy High School Lindblom Math and Science Academy South Shore International College Prep Washington High School MAROON CONFERENCE (14) Amundsen High School REGIONAL CIRCUIT CONFERENCE (6) Back of the Yards College Prep Evanston Township High School Chicago Military Academy Bronzeville Jones College Prep Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High Lane Tech College Prep School Northside College Prep Juarez Community Academy Walter Payton College Prep Lake View High School Whitney Young High School Little Village Lawndale High School Noble Academy 10 What Our Students Are Debating

This year’s topic is more relevant today than ever. Our students will spend the entire debate season reimagining their community and government responses to crime. By April 2021, our debaters will be subject matter experts on the topic of Criminal Justice reform and primed advocators for change.

2020-2021 Topic: Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, or sentencing.

• Cash bail’s effect on poor and minority communities • The effectiveness of requiring and regulating police body cameras • The balance between police accountability and citizen privacy • The technology police use to prevent crime and deploy forces • The relationship between over-policing and mass incarceration on economic inequality • Tradeoffs between police funding and education funding in state and local budgets • The constitutional power of states and responses to COVID-19 • The proper role of police in providing social services

2019-2020 Topic: U.S. Army Sales • Restricting arms sales to Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE • American arms in the war on drugs in Latin America • China as a rival for international influence and as an arms seller • Foreign policy’s role in the 2020 Presidential election • Proliferation by American allies and our security guarantees • Conditional arms sales and demands for economic and democratic reform

2018-2019 Topic: U.S. Immigration Policy • Reducing restrictions on visas • Border security • Immigration’s impact on global trade • Recruiting foreign high skilled labor • Refugees and asylum seekers • Pathways to citizenship

11 Ways to Make a Difference

12 The Resolution Society

Members of The Resolution Society provide life-changing gifts and are the bedrock of supporters for Chicago Debates. Join The Resolution Society by making a gift of $1,000 or more, and receive the benefits listed below. Of course, these benefits are just a small token of our appreciation. The real benefits come in knowing that you are helping to bridge the opportunity gap for Chicago Public School students by providing them with an after-school program that supports their academic, career, and leadership success.

Judge $1,000 - $2,499 • Chicago Debates T-shirt of the year! • Photo collage of this year’s debate tournaments • Exclusive end-of-year newsletter featuring an interview with a current student Coach

Coach $2,500 - $4,999 • All of the benefits above, AND: • An opportunity to present awards at a tournament

Debater $5,000 - $9,999 • All of the benefits above, AND: • Access to a special student debate training conducted by Chicago Debates

Champion Circle $10,000 – $19,999 • All of the benefits above, AND: • Guided tour of a school debate practice with our expert program staff

School Sponsor $20,000 – and beyond • All of the benefits above, AND: • Get connected to the school your dollars are supporting through progress updates and opportunities to attend debate practices.

13 GOLD+ SPONSOR

We proudly support

Chicago Debates in its mission to empower young people to find their voice

Make Room For Debate 2020

NEW YORK WASHINGTON HOUSTON PALO ALTO SAN FRANCISCO CHICAGO PARIS LONDON FRANKFURT BRUSSELS MILAN ROME

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14 Giving Voice to Chicago’s Youth

An enthusiastic supporter of Chicago Debates, Faegre Drinker supports their mission of empowering youth to find their voice.

Congratulations to Edward Weimer on his well-deserved recognition as a 2020 Champion of Debate.

15 Special Thanks and Partnerships

Chicago Public Schools

Dr. Janice Jackson, CEO LaTanya McDade, Chief Education Officer Dr. Shirley Chavarria, Chief of Teaching and Learning Sylvia Nelson Jordan, Manager of Academic Competitions Dannette Porter, Coordinator Academic Competitions

National Association for Urban Debate Leagues

16 Kirkland & Ellis is proud to support Chicago Debates

and their 9th Annual Make Room for Debate Luncheon

Kirkland & Ellis LLP | 300 North LaSalle, Chicago, IL 60654 +1 312 862 2000 | www.kirkland.com

17 Supporters and Donors

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Marguerite Dixen

Patron

Doug Bacon Mandy Polonsky Reginald Hill

Leader

The Walker Family

18 SILVER+ SPONSOR

SILVER+ SPONSOR

WE’RE PROUD TO SUPPORT CHICAGO DEBATES Enjoy the 9th Annual Make Room For Debate Luncheon!

Being your community banks means doing our part to give back to the local charities and organizations that unite and strengthen our area. We’re particularly proud to support Chicago Debates and its dedication to bringing debate programs to schools across the Chicagoland area to empower students and provide them with opportunities to develop skills for lifelong success. wintrust.com/findus

Banking products provided by Wintrust Financial Corp. banks.

19 20 EMPOWER Chicago Debates Honoring 2020 Champion Of Debate Edward J. Wehmer, Wintrust President & CEO

Barack Ferrazzano proudly supports Chicago Debates in its 25-year mission to empower Chicago’s youth with the skill of debate.

A special congratulations to this year’s honoree Ed Wehmer for his dedication to building a stronger Chicago.

bfkn.com

PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE CHICAGO DEBATES

Little Rock | Rogers | Jonesboro | Austin

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C | Jeffrey H. Thomas, Managing Director MitchellWilliamsLaw.com

21 I N V E S T

I N Y O U R

T E A M . Seyfarth is proud to sponsor the 9th Annual Make Room YOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET IS YOUR EMPLOYEES. for Debate. Canary HR Consultants specialize in partnering with companies to provide strategic guidance, leadership and HR Solutions. At Seyfarth, we are committed to playing an active, positive We can help you effectively put your HR pieces together. role in the communities where we work and live. We believe Call us today for a free 30 minute consultation. that leadership means taking the initiative to help people.

With more than 900 lawyers across 17 offices, Seyfarth provides advisory, litigation, and transactional legal services to clients worldwide. As the firm has grown, so have our opportunities to give back to our communities.

GJC is proud to sponsor the 2020 Make Room for Debate Luncheon Honoring Ed Wehmer, Champion of Debate

The McClellan Family Foundation, whose mission includes continuing the spirit of community, giving, & service, which were instilled as McClellan Family values by Rev. John & Mrs. Reola McClellan GJC is an independent CPA firm and professional service corporation, are proud to sponsor the servicing the Chicago and Detroit metropolitan areas. 9th Annual Make Room for Debate Luncheon as an investment in Chicago youth & in support of our founder, Mercantile Exchange • 30 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2200 • Chicago, IL 60606 • (312) 212-4330 Dr. Toinette McClellan Gunn gjc-cpa.com

22 SILVER+ SPONSOR

2020

23 SILVER+ SPONSOR

Massey & Gail knows well that academic debate can shape lives and careers. That’s why we’re proud consistently to support the urban debate movement and Chicago Debates. Congratulations to Champion of Debate Ed Wehmer!

24 Vedder Price is proud to sponsor the Make Room for Debate Luncheon. BANNER WITCOFF Congratulations to this year’s is a proud supporter of honoree, Ed Wehmer, Wintrust President & CEO! CHICAGO DEBATES and the MAKE ROOM FOR DEBATE LUNCHEON

VedderPrice Chicago New York Washington, DC London San Francisco Los Angeles Singapore vedderprice.com Vedder Price P.C. is affiliated with Vedder Price LLP, which operates in England and Wales, Vedder Price (CA), LLP, which operates in California,and Vedder Price Pte. Ltd., which operates in Singapore.

AlixPartners is a results-driven global consulting firm that specializes in helping businesses successfully address their most complex and critical challenges. We are proud to support Chicago WHEN Debates and join IT REALLY in saluting this MATTERS. year’s honoree.

You commitment to empowering Chicago youth and strengthening the alixpartners.com community is an inspiration to us all.

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25 Chicago Debates Team

Board of Directors

Amanda Amert Eli Kay-Oliphant Wilkie Farr & Gallagher Massey & Gail

Daniel Clary Johnni S. Rodgers Bel Brands

John Hammond Aneesh Sohoni McDermott Will & Emery Teach for America

Rachel Haig Cindy Stuyvesant Kirkland & Ellis Wintrust Financial Corporation

Tony Howard, III Onur Surgit Chicago Public Schools Citi Financial

Femi Masha Christopher O. Wheat Husch Blackwell LLP National Resources Defense Council

David Nadig, Chair Tania White Allstate Insurance Company Canary HR Consulting

Staff

Anthony Bolden Flynn Makuch Director of Programs Program Officer for School Support

Kylah Eatman Jazmine Mercado Development Associate Program Officer for School Support

Dr. Toinette Gunn Ayesha Patel Executive Director Program Officer for School Support

Lauren Hince Victoria Yonter Volunteer & Outreach Manager Program Officer for School Support

Jennifer Jones Communications & Engagement Manager

PO Box A3464 Today’s Debaters. Tomorrow’s Leaders. Chicago, IL 60690 312-427-0524 www.chicagodebates.org

26 Chicago Debates Team

Associate Board

Amit Bindra Nick Greiner Prinz Law Firm, P.C. McDermott Will & Emery

Dan Charles Sharone Mitchell Boeing Illinois Justice Project

Onica Matsika Carlos Penikis Ice Miller Charles River Associates

Cara Bader Louis Reeves Illinois Department of Commerce Beam Global & Economic Opportunity Nina Ruvinsky Joe Deegan Loeb & Loeb, LLC Jobs for the Future Ulric Shannon Renee Fell Civitas Education Partners Asonye & Associates Josh Wolken Matt Fisher EY MoloLamken, LLP

David Gobberdiel Performance Trust

PO Box A3464 Today’s Debaters. Tomorrow’s Leaders. Chicago, IL 60690 312-427-0524 www.chicagodebates.org

27 Chicago Debates Team

Board of Directors

Amanda Amert Femi Masha Wilkie Farr & Gallagher David Nadig Daniel Clary Johnni Rodgers Rachel Haig Cindy Stuyvesant John Hammond Onur Surgit Tony Howard Aneesh Sohoni Eli Kay-Oliphant Chris Wheat Tania White Staff

Anthony Bolden Flynn Makuch Director of Programs Program Officer for School Support

Kylah Eatman Jazmine Mercado Development Associate Program Officer for School Support

Dr. Toinette Gunn Ayesha Patel Executive Director Program Officer for School Support

Lauren Hince Victoria Yonter Volunteer & Outreach Manager Program Officer for School Support

Jennifer Jones Communications & Engagement Manager

Associate Board

Amit Bindra Renee Fell Carlos Penikis Dan Charles Matt Fisher Louis Reeves Onica Matsika David Gobberdiel Nina Ruvinsky Cara Bader Nick Greiner Ulric Shannon Joe Deegan Sharone Mitchell Josh Wolken, EY

PO Box A3464 Today’s Debaters. Tomorrow’s Leaders. Chicago, IL 60690 312-427-0524 www.chicagodebates.org

28 WINSTON & STRAWN PROUDLY SUPPORTS ———— Chicago Debates and its 9th Annual Make Room for Debate Virtual Luncheon We are honored to participate in this extraordinary event, and we commend today’s honoree, Ed Wehmer— President and CEO of Wintrust—on his commitment to nurturing a new generation of engaged and committed citizens.

NORTH AMERICA EUROPE ASIA winston.com

Results that transform.

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29 Marguerite Dixen “Debate changes lives! Chicago Debates enables young people to learn the art and craft of civil public discourse and the Euromonitor International importance of listening to both Market Research sides of an issue. Thanks to ev- Your Strategic Partner for Company Growth eryone who supports enabling voices and enhancing opportunities in a way that shaped my life and I hope the lives of a new For more information about Euromonitor International’s full range of reports, visit www.euromonitor.com generation.”

David & Cynthia Nadig

“Congratulations to the coaches and students. HONORING Without their commitment, Chicago Debates for empowering Chicago’s hard work and success, there next generation of would be no debate program. advocates They are the true champions of debate.”

30 At the top Dentons is proud to sponsor of our voice. the 9th Annual Make Room

DLA Piper is proud to sponsor for Debate Luncheon the 2020 Make Room for Debate luncheon. Dentons. The world’s largest global elite law firm.*

dlapiper.com dentons.com

David Mendelsohn, 444 West Lake Street, Suite 900, © 2020 Dentons. Dentons is a global legal practice providing client services worldwide through its member firms Chicago, IL 60606 | Attorney Advertising | MRS000157322 and affiliates. Please see dentons.com for Legal Notices.