Lincoln Central Association (LCA) is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the Chicago neighborhood bounded by Lincoln Avenue, the former Ogden Avenue, North Avenue, and Halsted Street. It was founded to unite people within the neighborhood to build and maintain a secure and stable family neighborhood, to improve the physical and social condition of the community, and to undertake programs to foster accomplishment of those goals.

LCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2010

President
Rodger Owen
Rodger has lived in the Lincoln Central Association area for over 20 years. He is the President of a custom home building firm that works in the Lincoln Park and Gold Coast areas and is a licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker. He is President of the Bright Promises Foundation for children, the oldest organization in Illinois. He is a member of the Society of Architectural Historians, a previous member of the USO, the Dearborn Garden Walk, contributor to the Redmoon Theater Organization and Lake Forest Academy. He was a member of the Board of the Tavern Club and is a current member of the Chicago Yacht Club. He is a graduate of Lake Forest Academy, Indiana University and University of Chicago-MBA with further studies at Universidad de Madrid, Spain and Universite d’Aix-Marsaill, France.

Vice-President
Deirdre Graziano
Deirdre Graziano is a long time LCA resident and past board member. She currently is on LCA's Zoning Committee, the Armitage Halsted Landmark Committee and represents LCA on Children's Memorial Community Relations Committee. She has been on several school boards and school councils including Park West Cooperative, St. Clement and Metro High School. She has advanced degrees from Loyola and Erikson Institute. She is a retired child development specialist who has worked with teachers, children and families in multiple settings including Head Start, Juvenile Court, and Chicago area schools. She has taught at DePaul, Loyola and Kendell College. Two of her children are Chicago public school teachers. All her children attended local schools. She has been invested in the community for many years and would be honored to service her community.

Secretary
David Varnerin
Dave is currently serving as Secretary and was Treasurer from 2000 - 2006. He has been a resident of Lincoln Park and a member of the Lincoln Central Association since the mid-1970's. Dave is a retired Vice President of the Harris Private Bank. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Near North Chapter of Lyric Opera Chicago and Treasurer of Lincoln Park Pacers (Running Club). Dave does volunteer work involving income tax preparation for the working poor through the Center for Economic Progress and financial planning for seniors through Catholic Charities of Chicago. He lives on the 1900 block of North Cleveland Avenue.

Treasurer
Joan Simmons (2009-2010)
Joan has been a Lincoln Park resident since 1980. For the last 19 years she has lived with her family on Mohawk Street. Most of her volunteer work has focused on education. While her son was attending Lincoln Park Cooperative Nursery School she was treasurer (chief financial officer) for the school. At Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, Joan was PTA President from 2000-01 and was PTA Treasurer prior to that. She currently serves as Secretary of the Parents’ Association at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and from 2003-05 was a member of the school’s Middle School Council. Joan has practiced law for almost 20 years, including seven plus years working in a large downtown law firm and almost eight years working in-house. In addition, she taught at DePaul University College of Law for one year. For the last two years she has practiced law on a part-time basis. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Joan worked for seven years as an urban economist for a metropolitan planning agency. She has also taught college classes in economics.

Corresponding Secretary
Jennifer Uson
Jennifer lives on the 1800 block of North Hudson Avenue with her husband, Douglas Glick, their two daughters, and dog. She is a finance director at Tribune Company and a graduate of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Jennifer also co-chairs the Asian Group for the Northside Parents Network.

Director
Sally Drucker
Sally was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and has a strong appreciation of the history and architectural significance of the city and its neighborhoods. After raising her family in Wilmette and relocating with them to London for five years, she moved to Lincoln Park in 2006. She now resides in the 2000 block of Cleveland Avenue with her Westie, Abby. Together they have embraced the parks, their neighbors and the friendly retailers who make Lincoln Park so inviting. Sally recently began her own business, Drucker Mediation Services, serving the field of alternative dispute resolution. Her background is diverse – commercial lending, agribusiness finance, and cross-cultural consulting. Her passion for conservation led her to The Nature Conservancy where she served as trustee for 10 years in Illinois. She also was instrumental in establishing the New Trier Rowing Club now serving over 120 high school students. Sally has three children, all in their twenties, who love to come visit her in this vibrant community called Lincoln Park.

Director
Richard Harris
Richard Harris has lived in Lincoln Park since 1979 and resides on the 2000 block of North Cleveland Avenue with his wife and two sons. Richard is the managing broker of the Harris Realty Group and general council with the Harris Company. Prior to his involvement in real estate, he held senior creative positions at Leo Burnett Advertising, Foote Cone & Belding, DDB Needham and Ogilvy & Mather. He is a Board member of Universal Peace Plan and Kids Day. Richard has served on LCA’s Board for the past 4 years.

Director
Steve VanderVoort
Steve has lived in Lincoln Park since 1972 and currently resides with his wife in the 2000 block of North Halsted. He has raised two daughters in Lincoln Park, both of whom attended Lincoln Park High School. Currently he is a Senior Financial Representative with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. Prior experience includes positions at The Equity Group and Deloitte & Touche. He is President of the Dickens Court Condominium Association, and is completing a six-year term on the Board of the University of Michigan Club Of Greater Chicago where he holds the position of Treasurer..

Director
Thomas McGavin (2009-2010)
Tom has lived in Lincoln Park since 1973 and has resided in the 1900 block of Cleveland Avenue with his wife since 1980. He is currently a Broker Associate at Rubloff Residential Properties. Tom has extensive experience in advertising and public relations with two of the world’s leading agencies (Campbell Ewald and Marsteller). He also headed his own firm from 1990 to 2004. Early in his career, Tom was a reporter and feature writer for a Hearst newspaper. Tom’s volunteer work includes fund raising and promotion for a number of organizations. Tom earned a BA degree in English and journalism at Wayne State University and has a Masters Degree in English literature from the University of Michigan.

Director
Gary Sinclair (2009-2010)
I moved to Lincoln Park in 1971, when the community was still changing and developing. I attended Loyola University (BA in Political Science) and then Loyola Law School, graduating in 1977 with a J.D. Meanwhile, I worked in the futures industry on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. I first became involved in the community when I joined Lincoln Central and cooked for the annual LCA Art Fair in 1981. I became a member of LCA’s Board, serving as President on two occasions and Secretary. I remained on the Board until the late 1990’s. I was President of Lincoln Park Conservation Association in 1984, and also served on the LPCCC and the Lincoln Park Advisory Association as both a Board member and officer for eight years. I also have served on the Board of the Menomonee Club since 198 as a Board member, secretary, vice president and President.

While serving on the LCA Board, I was a member of and Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee, working on the redevelopment of the former YMCA property on Willow and Larrabee (now the City Commons townhomes), the redevelopment of the northeast corner of Larrabee and North Avenue, the redevelopment of Augustana Hospital property (now the Pointe townhomes) and many other developments.

My wife Jean and I have raised our children in Lincoln Park and have lived in the same condominium on Mohawk Street for 24 years. I currently practice law as a sole practitioner, concentrating in commodity futures.

Director
Paul Maggio
Paul Maggio grew up in Wisconsin. He has lived in various neighborhoods in Chicago (Gold Coast, Loop, and Old Town) over the past 20 years. He currently lives on the 1900 block of N. Burling, where he hopes to stay until he retires. He is married to Marisa and they have a daughter, Cecilia, who was born in 2009. Paul has worked in the Chicago financial industry for the past 24 years and is currently a futures broker at Newedge USA. He is a senior vice president, catering to institutional clients and has been with Newedge since 1991. He is a graduate of De Paul University. Paul and Marisa enjoy cooking for family and friends and traveling, but less now with a newborn. They love living in Lincoln Park, and feel Chicago is the best city in the world (although they think winter is one month too long).

Director
Brian Kasal
Brian has been a member of Lincoln Central Association for over 20 years and was on the Board in 1998 and 1999. He has been a resident of the Lincoln Park community since 1987 and has lived on the 1800 block of North Cleveland Avenue with his wife and two children since 1994. An experienced financial professional, Brian is a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley’s Chicago office. Brian and his wife have been active in the Old Town Triangle Association and the Menominee Club. He has participated in a number of Boy Scout activities over the past ten years and, since 1995, is as a Board Member of the Central Region of the Boy Scouts of America. He has also been active politically and was the 43rd GOP Committeeman in 1995 and 1996 and was on the Cook County GOP Central Committee. He holds an MBA Degree from the University of Chicago.

Director
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