« 6. David Axelrod8. Penny Pritzker » AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: Point guard, Chicago Bulls First comes the physical power: the raw strength that fires somewhere deep inside and explodes in a backboard-rattling thunderslam. Next comes the ability to wow: the gaping jaws at the United Center, the disbelieving eyes riveted to TV screens across the … Read more
« 70. James Reynolds Jr.72. Deborah Rutter » AGE: 35 OCCUPATION: Founder, Interfaith Youth Core Since 2002, this Muslim-Indian Chicagoan has shown through op-eds, a book, and a training institute that the way to bridge faiths is to acknowledge differences and get together anyway. Last March, the White House partnered with Patel to show 500 … Read more
« 71. Eboo Patel73. Desirée Rogers » AGE: 55 OCCUPATION: President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra The CSO chief reeled in two very big fish—Riccardo Muti and Yo-Yo Ma, who signed on in 2009 as a creative consultant for new programming—and the audiences followed. So did the money: In January, the CSO announced a record year in … Read more
« 72. Deborah Rutter74. Dick Duchossois » AGE: 52 OCCUPATION: CEO, Johnson Publishing Company The ex-wife of John Rogers (No. 35) has rehabbed her image from chastened White House social secretary to can-do executive. As the publisher of Ebony and Jet, Rogers raised much-needed cash by unloading Johnson’s South Michigan Avenue building. But her real … Read more
« 73. Desirée Rogers75. Brendan Sodikoff » AGE: 90 OCCUPATION: Chairman, Duchossois Group The Duchossois name may be synonymous with Arlington Park and Churchill Downs (and trying times for horseracing), but the group represents a diverse portfolio of companies that have given bundles to Illinois pols over the decades. RELATED: Most Powerful Ex-Chicagoans | Power … Read more
« 74. Dick Duchossois76. Barbara Gaines » AGE: 33 OCCUPATION: Chef and entrepreneur The master of cross-pollinating hipster dining with nightlife, Sodikoff is suddenly Chicago’s reigning trendsetter. Riding the success of Gilt Bar, the Doughnut Vault, and Maude’s Liquor Bar, he’s launching a diner (Au Cheval), followed by a steak house (Bavette’s) and a pizza … Read more
« 75. Brendan Sodikoff77. Danny Sólis » AGE: 65 OCCUPATION: Artistic director, Chicago Shakespeare Theater Gaines’s drive and networking skills have made the theatre she founded in 1986 a hub for cutting-edge international acts and a home for the city’s best drama veterans. She directs Ian McDiarmid, who played the Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine, … Read more
« 77. Danny Sólis79. Linda Johnson Rice » AGE: 66 OCCUPATION: President, Art Institute of Chicago No one batted an eye when Druick ascended to the Art Institute’s top job last August. The 27-year veteran has the curatorial chops and the confidence to steer one of Chicago’s vaunted cultural treasures out of the economy’s downturn. … Read more
« 76. Barbara Gaines78. Douglas Druick » AGE: 62 OCCUPATION: Alderman, 25th Ward President pro tempore of the City Council and chairman of its powerful zoning committee, Sólis survived a tough runoff election last year. A stalwart Daley supporter, he has saddled up with the new mayor, and insiders say he is now Emanuel’s sounding … Read more
« 78. Douglas Druick80. Dan McCaffery » AGE: 53 OCCUPATION: Chairman, Johnson Publishing Company Rice, the scion of the Johnson Publishing empire, hired Desirée Rogers (No. 73). Smart move. The company Rice’s parents founded is reviving its relevance to African Americans nationwide. MORE ON JOHNSON RICE: The Sisterhood | Linda Johnson Rice Sells on the … Read more
