IFE Welcomes New Directors Mecole McBride, Chris Cancilla, and Anel Ruiz.

Join Impact for Equity in welcoming three outstanding individuals to our Board of Directors:

Mecole McBride
Senior Program Officer – Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation

Mecole is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in community development, advocacy, and public safety. We are excited to add her criminal legal expertise to the Impact for Equity Board of Directors. 

Mecole is a dedicated leader in the pursuit of equitable public safety initiatives and community engagement. In her current role as the Senior Program Officer at the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation, she leads the Reimagining Public Safety Initiative, focusing on police reform and restorative justice grants. Mecole’s previous position as the Director of Advocacy at the Policing Project at NYU School of Law involved leading the Neighborhood Policing Initiative, an effort to enhance community-police relationships with the Chicago Police Department. With a background that spans leadership roles in organizations such as the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations and the Coordinator of the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability Coalition, she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and coalition building. 

Chris Cancilla
Professor
Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism

With Chris’s leadership and insights, proven success in building award-winning campaigns, and expertise in integrated marketing and brand building, Chris is an enormous asset to Impact for Equity.  

Chris currently teaches at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and he is dedicated to knowledge sharing and fostering the development of the next generation of creative professionals. Chris is also the former Creative Director at the Obama Foundation, where he played a pivotal role in integrating the foundation’s brand and storytelling. He has experience across a wide range of marketing disciplines and with organizations including Unilever, P&G, McDonald’s, Walmart, Intel, Diageo, MolsonCoors, and the CDC.   

Anel Ruiz 
Director of Engagement Communications
United Airlines

Anel brings communications and strategic leadership experience from the private, public and nonprofit sectors.   We are excited to add Anel’s wealth of expertise in leading communication strategies to the Impact for Equity Board.  

Currently, Anel serves as the Director of Engagement Communications at United Airlines, where she leads efforts to engage and connect with United employees in meaningful ways. Anel previously held roles as Mayor Lightfoot’s Press Secretary and the Public Affairs Director for the Chicago Department of Public Health. Anel has also served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of External Affairs at the Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and she has nonprofit experience at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Free Spirit Media.