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The Openlands 2024 Annual Luncheon
Thursday, October 17, 2024
We gathered for the 2024 Annual Luncheon, where we united under the banner of “Conserving Nature for Life.” This premier event is consistently recognized as the number one gathering of the conservation community in the region. Last year, we welcomed nearly 1,000 influential individuals, including elected officials, civic and environmental leaders, and community partners. The 2024 event lineup assures another unforgettable occasion. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, click to view our luncheon sponsorship package below or contact Lai Smith at development@openlands.org.
2024 Gerald W. Adelmann Conservation Leadership Award Recipient: Arnold L. Randall
Arnold L. Randall is the Executive Director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. He joined the Foundation in January 2024 after serving as General Superintendent of the Forest Preserves of Cook County for 13 years. Arnold made notable strides in guiding the Preserves to being a more transparent, accountable, and strategic agency. He helped increase tenfold the amount of land under active restoration and increased visitors with a focus on inviting a more diverse audience to enjoy the Preserves. A thoughtful and engaged leader, he has a long history in public service, including serving as a Director in the Office of Civic Engagement at the University of Chicago, Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago, and in leadership roles with the Chicago Park District. Randall holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. A lifelong Chicagoan, Arnold enjoys exploring our rich and diverse local natural areas and traveling with his family.
2024 Keynote Speaker: Dr. J. Drew Lanham
A native of Edgefield, South Carolina, Dr. J. Drew Lanham is the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, which received the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Southern Book Prize and was a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal. Most recently, he is the author of Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts. He is a birder, naturalist, and hunter conservationist who has published essays and poetry in publications including, Orion, Audubon, Flycatcher, and Wilderness, and in several anthologies, including The Colors of Nature, State of the Heart, Bartram’s Living Legacy, and Carolina Writers at Home. Dr. Lanham is a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. An Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University, he and his family live in the Upstate of South Carolina, a soaring hawk’s downhill glide from the southern Appalachian escarpment that the Cherokee once called the Blue Wall.
Supporters
Our deepest gratitude goes to our luncheon co-chairs.
Thank you to our sponsors who make our Annual Luncheon possible.
Premier Sponsors
The Negaunee Foundation
Emerald Sponsors
Kimberly Duchossois
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Decor Sponsors
Advocate Sponsors
List of Donors
In-Kind Sponsors
Luncheon Host Committee
Gloria Castillo and Steve Koch, Co-Chairs
Jerry Adelmann
MarySue Barret
Allan Bell
Lee Bey
Tim Brown & Jill Riddell
Joe Ferguson
Denise Gardner
Sean Garret
Eleanor Gorski
Graham Grady
Amanda Hanley
Patrick Hanley
Martina Keller
Suzanne Malec-McKenna
Hank & Wendy Paulson
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
Margot and Thomas Pritzker
Alexa Rice
Carol Ross Barney
Laura and Ricardo Rosenkranz
John Rogner
Adele Simmons
Judith Stockdale/Jonathan Boyer
Nancy Sutherland/Jim Mikkelsen
Doug Voigt
Karen Weigert
Chris Wu
