EXECUTIVES BREAKFAST CLUB / INDEPENDENT CLIENT → EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Leadership, up close.
Leadership, up close: a conversation shared with the whole room.
Executive Director · 2018–2020
Organizational strategy · B2B membership & sponsorship strategy · Programming · Speaker interviews · Marketing & communications · Event production
My work with the Executives Breakfast Club began as an independent client engagement in email marketing and content. The board later voted me in as Executive Director. In that role, I led the strategy, programming, and communications for a historic Chicago-area institution with a national speaker legacy. My task was to make access to exceptional leaders useful to the business community gathering around them.
A historic club. An enduring purpose.
“Ethical people make ethical leaders, and ethical leaders improve the world.”
The club’s motto
The club’s published history records more than 50,000 executives reached and 300 distinguished guests, including U.S. presidents, Fortune 500 CEOs, cabinet secretaries, authors, and cultural figures.
Its historic guests included Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Bill Clinton; Oprah Winfrey; Steve Forbes; and Zig Ziglar, alongside leaders from General Motors, Walgreens, Kraft Foods, and Ace Hardware.
The club’s Executive Council included Maureen Beal of National Van Lines, David Arch of Blistex, and Jim Skogsbergh of Advocate Health Care, alongside representatives from McDonald’s, Ace Hardware, and Barnes & Thornburg. Its wider membership included professionals from organizations such as The PrivateBank, BKD, and Chicago Sky.
Our host and moderator was Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer, a pastor and leadership author whose work as host of the television newsmagazine Life Focus earned four regional Emmy Awards.
During my tenure, events took place on McDonald’s campus in Oak Brook, Illinois. The club’s sponsor community included McDonald’s, Ace Hardware, and other organizations. I shaped the season’s direction, the guest experience, and the communications that brought members into the room.
The club’s setting on McDonald’s campus in Oak Brook, Illinois.
A stronger reason to join.
I refreshed the club’s membership benefits, with particular attention to corporate members and sponsors. Sponsors contributing more than $10,000 received rotating opportunities to join Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer onstage as co-interviewers.
More organizations joined, drawn by the opportunity to take part onstage. The revised benefits gave corporate sponsors a direct role in the leadership conversations they supported.
The decisions behind the success.
The premise was simple: leaders learn from the experiences that test other leaders. Each speaker chose ten questions from a shared leadership questionnaire, creating a conversation about judgment, courage, failure, and the personal demands of responsibility.
What was the hardest decision you ever had to make in the workplace, and what principles guided you in your decision-making?
We explored the difficult decision, the mistake that changed an approach, and the conditions that allow a team to excel. A live member Q&A extended those reflections into questions leaders were facing in their own organizations.
Getting beneath the biography.
My interviews and speaker preparation covered a broad group of CEOs, founders, and leaders across business and culture. Among them were Michael Fassnacht, then President & CEO of FCB Chicago; Lisa Wardell, then CEO of Adtalem Global Education; Andrew Limouris, Founder & CEO of Medix; and Kirk Dillard, Chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority. Each conversation explored the choices behind the career, giving members more than a biography.
One highlight was my interview with Kelly Leonard of The Second City, then Executive Director of Insights and Applied Improvisation. His stories about working with celebrated performers opened up a conversation about trust, collaboration, and helping creative talent thrive. The audience gave him a standing ovation.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are right, it matters if people trust you to make the right decision.”
Lisa Wardell · Then CEO, Adtalem Global Education
Breakfast Bite · March 11, 2020
My relationships extended across the membership, Executive Council, and sponsor community, including Maureen Beal, then CEO & Chairman of National Van Lines, and John Venhuizen, President & CEO of Ace Hardware. Ace was a major sponsor with a regular table at the events.
Set the direction. Deliver the experience.
I connected programming and event production with speaker research, interviews, and communications. I wrote the biweekly email newsletter—the club’s principal attendance driver—developed creative and social content, managed public relations, and shaped growth strategies. The role required close coordination with the Executive Council, speakers, sponsors, and members.
A leadership insight that fits into the day.
A busy leader may not have time for an article or podcast. A well-chosen thought from someone they respect can still interrupt the rush and offer a useful perspective.
I created “Breakfast Bites” for that moment: a recurring visual and editorial series featuring concise leadership insights and guest reflections. It brought the value of the club into members’ daily feeds and sustained the conversation between events.
Read my 2018 article: “Like Nothing You’ve Experienced”
View Breakfast Bite: John Venhuizen, CEO, Ace Hardware
The Executives Breakfast Club community.
THE HOST’S PERSPECTIVE
“I’ve worked with Irina for two years at the Executives Breakfast Club and never stop being amazed by her extraordinary blend of warmth, creativity, and energy.”
Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer · Host & Moderator, Executives Breakfast Club
LinkedIn recommendation · January 9, 2019
THE GUEST PERSPECTIVE
“It’s fuel for my business spirit. Every time I walk out I am happy and uplifted.”
EBC guest · “Breakfast Bites”
February 28, 2020
The club closed after COVID-19 lockdowns began in 2020. Its website is no longer active.
Leadership that carries through to delivery.
The role combined executive relationships, organizational direction, editorial judgment, and delivery. I bring that same combination to fractional CMO engagements: understanding the people involved, setting priorities, and translating decisions into work that reaches the audience.