Board of Directors

Chair (Since 2013)
Harden Wright Consulting Group

Sean Harden has over 20 years of experience in leadership roles in both the non-profit and governmental sectors. His past responsibilities included managing large scale economic and workforce development projects for the city of Chicago.

In 2005, he was awarded the Innovative Solutions Award from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for leading one of the most successful community hiring initiatives in the city of Chicago, which resulted in over 1300 Chicagoans being placed into jobs. In 2006, he was appointed by former Mayor, Richard M. Daley to oversee interfaith and community affairs, and to serve as the City’s liaison to foreign dignitaries. In 2014, Mr. Harden started a boutique consulting firm, Harden Wright Consulting Group, that specializes in providing broad-based technical assistance and strategic planning to non-profit community development organizations, for-profit corporations, real estate developers, and municipalities.

President/Chief Executive Officer (Since 2012)
The Inner Voice, Inc.

Born and raised in Chicago, Jackie began her 29-year career with the City of Chicago in 1975 in positions including Mobile Crisis Intervention Worker, Shelter Clearinghouse Coordinator; Asst. Director of Legislative and Community Affairs; Director of Homeless Services; Asst. Commissioner, Division of Family Support Services; and Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. After retiring in 2004, Jackie consulted in workforce development and homeless services. In June of 2012 she joined the board of Inner Voice and became CEO that September. All of Jackie’s kids have paws and they all currently live in Logan Square.

Secretary (Since 2025)
Cook County, Office of Contract Compliance

Lisa Alexander has over 30 years’ experience in leadership roles, in both government and non-profit. She retired in 2021, after working for Cook County Government for thirty-three years. Lisa served as the Deputy Director for Cook County’s Office of Contract Compliance in her last position, working to promote racial parity, contract diversity and continued transparency with industry best practices. She has served as a board member of the American Contract Compliance Association (ACCA) for twenty years, an organization dedicated to ensuring equitable employment and contracting practices within the public and private sectors. Lisa has received outstanding recognition and several prestige awards, because of her unwavering selfless service. Her motto is, “if I can help somebody, then my living will not be in vain.” Since retiring in 2021, she has increased her individual commitment to giving back to the community and helping those that are disadvantaged.

Member (Since 2022)
Village Realty

Mona Lisa Echols is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience leading successful business ventures across industries. Her experience growing up on the Westside of Chicago shaped and nurtured her personal and professional aspirations to give back to her community. She started her career working at the Cook County Department of Corrections as a Substance Abuse Counselor in their men’s division. In this role, she had a front row seat to inequities in our nation’s penal system. Inspired to change the life trajectories of youth of color and decrease their odds of incarceration, she turned to early childhood education.  In 2000, Mona left her role at the Department of Corrections and started a home childcare service. She has grown that business to now include two commercial pre-schools on the Southside of Chicago that provide enriching educational experiences for upwards of 120 children and youth. She continues to mentor and support many of the students who have graduated from her schools and gone on to college. In addition to her work in early childhood education, her business portfolio includes her work as a real estate broker at Village Realty.

Member (Since 2022)
Local 6738 of the Brotherhook of Railway Carmen

Tyrone Minor is retired after a 42 year career on the railroad, where he served as a Business Agent for Local 6738 of Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, handling the day to day affairs of the Local for 21 years.  A servant-leader, he has served on a number of boards, including the Red Cross, Crusade of Mercy, and the Chicago Chamber of Commerce.

Member (Since 2013)
Chicago Department of Family & Support Services

Now retired, Jose dedicated his career to the City of Chicago Department of Human Services where he worked in community outreach, contract oversight, program design and implementation, and provided technical assistance.

Member (Since 2014)
Bonterra

A Veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Robert is now a highly skilled project manager with over 10 years’ experience managing small to large scale projects. He currently works on the Customer Success team for a fundraising platform for nonprofits.

Member (Since 2016)
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Job Corps., Workforce Development Specialist (PM/COR III)

 Jeffrey Lewelling brings more than two decades of public service and workforce development leadership experience to the Inner Voice Board of Directors. He currently serves as a Workforce Development Specialist with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Job Corps, Chicago Region 5, where he provides strategic guidance and oversight related to workforce development systems, program implementation, and collaborative partnerships.

Prior to joining the Department of Labor in 2020, Jeff served as Chief Performance Officer for Cook County under President Toni Preckwinkle, leading performance-based management initiatives focused on accountability, operational effectiveness, and results-driven government services.

Earlier in his career, Jeff spent 17 years with the City of Chicago, including leadership roles in performance management and business affairs. His work focused on improving citywide operations, overseeing regulatory systems, and advancing data-informed decision-making across departments.

Jeff is passionate about strengthening the systems and partnerships that help communities thrive. He believes workforce development, strong operations, and data-informed decision-making can create meaningful impact across both government and nonprofit sectors, and is proud to bring that experience and perspective to the Inner Voice Board of Directors.

Jeff holds bachelor’s degrees in History and English from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Master of Arts degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

Member (Since 2025)
Intentional Legacy Law Office

LaSheda S. Brooks, Esq. is a visionary real estate developer, a mission-driven company transforming vacant lots and buildings into thriving communities. A proud veteran and West Side Chicago native, she is dedicated to revitalizing urban neighborhoods, increasing property values, and ensuring veterans have access to luxury, disability-accommodated housing.

After 13 years of military service, LaSheda continues to live by the values of God, Family, and Service—principles that guide her development work. As a licensed attorney, she serves Black and veteran families by applying real estate and estate planning principles to protect their present and secure their future.

She actively promotes veteran access to VA home loans, property tax exemptions, and medical and educational benefits to help families build stability and generational wealth.

LaSheda holds a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law (2018) and a B.A. in Psychology, cum laude, from Northern Illinois University (2015). Outside of her professional life, she is a devoted mother to a 17-year-old daughter, a poet, and an avid traveler. Her work is rooted in a commitment to creating intentional spaces where families can thrive and leave a lasting legacy.

Member (Since 2024)
Founder and Executive Director of A Knock At Midnight NFP

Bishop Johnny Banks Sr., is founder and Executive Director of A Knock At Midnight NFP, a community based 501©3 not for profit organization. For the past 25 years he has been a community leader and activist, championing community and youth development, social justice and prevention education.

Bishop Banks is a Senior Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Preventionist, certified by the Illinois Certification Board in Substance Abuse Prevention. Through his work in schools, churches and the community, Bishop Banks has collaborated with institutions to instill truth, increase knowledge and heighten awareness of problems impacting spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health.

A renowned teacher and educator, bishop Banks’ expertise in youth development, relationships building, substance abuse and prevention education is outstanding.

Member (Since 2025)
Managing Director, AR2 Homes

Ri brings a unique blend of experience to the Inner Voice board, as a former marketing executive, real estate investor, and developer, now focused on creating fair, sustainable housing solutions. She’s deeply committed to challenging exploitative practices in real estate and making development work for everyone—not just the few. As the 2025–2026 Chair of the Chicago Association of Realtors’ Sustainability Committee, Ri champions green construction and energy-efficient building. She also serves on the 77 Leadership Diversity Committee, Commercial Forum, and the Financial Committee, using these platforms to promote fair housing as a tool for economic justice across Chicago.

Beyond real estate, Ri is active on the boards of several organizations, including the Chicago Tool Library, Co-op Ed Center, REJUVaNATION Equity Development Cooperative, PAWS Chicago, and CPR Rescue, where she advocates for climate action, cooperative economics, and animal rights. My professional and personal values are deeply aligned with the mission of Inner Voice, and I believe in addressing homelessness not just through shelter but through long-term, wraparound support that restores self-sufficiency and hope. What makes Inner Voice stand out to me is its comprehensive approach—housing assistance, job readiness, supportive services, and a deep respect for each individual’s humanity.

As a bi-national, bi-cultural immigrant, she brings an intersectional lens to her work with AR2 Homes, where community, equity, and long-term impact are at the heart of everything the team does.

Member (Since 2026)
EVP, Chief Compliance Officer for Wintrust

Christina Speh is EVP, Chief Compliance Officer for Wintrust leading the Compliance program for Consumer Compliance, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), and BSA/AML/OFAC. She has over 30 years of experience in Compliance and Risk Management in Banking as a banker, regulator, consultant, and technology vendor helping organizations make access to credit more fair, transparent, and respectful for their customers and communities. Her previous experience includes financial services compliance and risk management consulting, developing and deploying innovative banking compliance solutions at start-up and international RegTech companies, large and regional bank Compliance Program management and Consumer Compliance Policy work at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

Ms. Speh successfully launched the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and Fair Lending Colloquium creating the leading conference for CRA and fair lending practitioners. She is the co-chair of the ABA’s Bank Advisory Council. Christina regularly speaks and publishes on various topics including CRA strategy, fairness in lending, HMDA data integrity, Consumer Risk, Compliance Program Development, and leveraging automation to build strong Compliance Management Systems. She has extensive experience in the development of strong and resilient Compliance risk management programs that provide fair access to financial services, treat customers fairly, and comply with applicable laws/regulations.

Christina was selected for the 2023 cohort of the Daniel Burnham Fellowship through the Leadership of Greater Chicago. Ms. Speh has a B.B.A from Stetson University in Deland, Florida.