After 13 years at The Chicago Bar Foundation, Karen Hamilton, Director of Finance & Operations, has left the CBF for an exciting opportunity to work at her local park district. Karen served in a variety of roles for the CBF from 2006-2013, and after a brief move out of state, she rejoined the CBF staff in 2016 as the Manager for Finance & Operations and later was promoted to the Director position. In her time at the CBF, Karen has played a central role in streamlining the CBF’s operations and finances and served as an invaluable resource to our board and staff and many partners in advancing the CBF mission. Karen continues to assist the CBF in a consultant role during the transition to her successor.
Jess Lingle joined the CBF in December of 2021 as the Director of Finance & Operation. In this role, Jess is responsible for the day-to-day management of the CBF’s finance, database and record keeping systems, and overall operations, as well as assisting with the CBF’s development and events. Prior to working with the CBF, Jess was an accountant with US Cellular, where he was responsible for daily accounting activities and preparing Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) financial statements. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Studies from the University of Missouri in 2014 and a master’s degree in Accountancy from DePaul University in 2016.
While it is bittersweet as Karen moves on to her next act, we wish her the best of luck in her new role and are thrilled to welcome Jess to the CBF team.