East Village Association officers 2014-2015

East Village Association members will vote Monday, March 3 for the group's president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Additional nominations will be accepted before the vote. Meet your neighbors and take part at 7pm in the Happy Village, 1959 N. Wolcott Ave.

These people have volunteered for this year's EVA board of directors.

Neal McKnight, president – McKnight has led EVA for the past year after co-chairing its Planning, Preservation & Development committee. The longtime resident of Chicago is active in a number of civic activities, and is a founding partner of the law firm McKnight, Kitzinger, McCarty & Pravdic.

McKnight's practice focuses on insurance coverage disputes and commercial litigation. This background provides him with a unique understanding of Chicago’s diverse communities and the culture of Chicago’s legal community. The Tulane University law graduate is a member of the Illinois bar, the trial bar for United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the bar of the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dan Johnson, vice president – I've been an East Village resident for the last two years since my wife, Julia, and I bought a house on Winchester built more than a century ago. We've a 2-year-old daughter who enjoys walking around the neighborhood, playing at Commercial Park and eating lunch at the local restaurants. We're expecting another baby girl in April and look forward to strolling through East Village with another family member.

We lived in Lakeview for years and moved to East Village for a number of reasons, including the short commute to the Loop, the unique character of the architecture, the vibrancy created by the different businesses, the mature trees and the walking distance to a pizza place, gelato store, supermarket or bakery. I'm interested in preserving and enhancing the qualities of the neighborhood, both food and non-food related, that drew us here.

I'm a graduate of Amherst College and Northwestern University law school and I'm a litigation partner at a law firm. I grew up in New Jersey and have lived in Chicago for 13 years. That's long enough to learn a great deal about the city, but not long enough to develop an efficient approach to snow shoveling.

Kok Keng (KK) Goh, treasurer – I grew up in Singapore, a city-state island about 9,300 miles away on the other side of our planet. I studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, worked as a management consultant, and am currently an investor in real estate projects.

I moved to East Village just over two years ago and I’ve grown to love this neighborhood for its mix of inhabitants and blend of architecture. Serving on the EVA board has left me with a deep sense of appreciation for EVA’s role in shaping the neighborhood.

Catherine Garypie, secretary has been an East Village resident for seven years. She's been active in community policing and her local block club, volunteered at Commercial Park and Wells High School, and was appointed to Ald. Proco Joe Moreno's work group for repurposing the former 13th District police station. Garypie has been a member of EVA for several years and recently made a presentation to members about the federal environmental assessment process for the Ashland Bus Rapid Transit plan.

She was born and raised in Michigan, and attended college in New York and law school in Chicago. She's worked as an environmental attorney for more than 22 years in Chicago (1991-95, 2002-present), New York (1995-98) and Boston (1998-2002). She lives near Augusta & Wood with her jazz-guitarist husband Paul Kogut, their dog (Sparky) and two cats (Honey & Trixie). She takes fastidious notes at every opportunity.

Gladys Alcazar-Anselmo – As East Village Association president in 1997 and 1998 and board member for several years, I worked on the initial implementation of the CAPS program and spearheaded the preservation efforts that resulted in the city’s purchase of the Goldblatt’s building, now home to city offices and our local library.

I have more than 10 years' professional experience in municipal government, focusing on special projects and operations management. Currently I provide tailored management consulting services including program development and implementation, construction project management, meeting planning and documentation preparation. A graduate of DePaul University, I earned a Master of Arts in human services & counseling/ management and a Bachelor of Science in marketing.

Born and raised in the Logan Square community, I've lived in East Village for more than 20 years and know the commitment it takes for residents who want to improve their community.

Greg Nagel – I served as an EVA president for two years and vice president for the two years preceding Neal McKnight's term. I'm excited to stay involved in a more advisory capacity.

When I first joined EVA, it was an anti-development and business unfriendly organization in my estimation, where many neighbors were chased out of the group. I now feel the organization has a much healthier tone and does a good job balancing development and resident lifestyle issues. Our homes are both our nest and our nest egg, and we need to consider both. As I've learned about urban planning, my viewpoint's moved from pro-development to a more moderate position.

I work as a residential real estate agent specializing in West Town, and in June 2013 I opened my own brokerage, Ask Nagel at 1919 W. Division St. As a local independent business owner with true neighborhood expertise, I work with buyers and sellers on houses, condos, and multiunit apartment buildings in West Town. In 2013 I was featured on two episodes of HGTV’s "House Hunters." My individual sales "client results" were $16.1 million, making me a Top 1% Producer of all Chicago brokers. My immediate followup, availability and dedication make clients feel they're my most important customers.

I'm a huge proponent of West Town and East Village. This is a beautiful, affordable, green residential community just steps from downtown. I've lived in my four-flat on the 1000 block of Winchester for the last 11 years, and you'll often find me on my roof deck smoking a cigar and having a drink or three.

Meghan Quinn changes EVA roles after two years as secretary. She's is a multidisciplinary designer who has been working on The 606/Bloomingdale Trail design team and is also a West Town SSA commissioner. Prior to moving to Chicago, Meghan was an architectural designer in both Los Angeles and Austin, completing residential, commercial and landscape architecture projects. She's a LEED Accredited Professional with an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California. Meghan is also a triathlete, and is currently training for her first Half Ironman in July. She's originally from Stockton, California and lives in East Village with her husband, Wesley Burt, and their dog, Olive.

Stephen Rynkiewicz – I'm a content manager, digital strategist, web designer and editor. I’ve led projects in Chicago’s biggest media companies. New clients include Rivet News Radio, a custom news app for smartphones. I've also taught a college course and served as officer of a national professional society.

Volunteering for EVA helped me and my wife (ex-EVA president Brenda G. Russell) make friends and make a difference in our neighborhood. Since starting this website in 2007 I've played bigger roles in crafting EVA's communication strategy. Web features in the works will aid East Village's many new residents. To join in, e-mail me.

Robert Schickel   Biography not available.

Tom Tomek   I live in the East Village with my wife and children who attend LaSalle II Language Magnet School. I'm the Local School Council Vice Chair and board member, and was PTO president in 2011-12. I am very committed to our neighborhood and the local school community.

I'm a 14 year member of the CAPS program at the 12th District CPD, and served as president for the East Village Neighbors from 2009 to 2010. I've been an EVA board member, since 2010.

I grew up in Des Plaines, where I graduated from Maine Township High School. I received a BFA from Northern Illinois University and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. I've owned Tomek Design & Illustration Inc. since 1994 and also a partner at Atomek Design Ltd. since 2005. I’ve made a career in the Graphic Design and Fine Art fields.

I'm also a residential broker with the Ask Nagel Realty Team. I use my knowledge and experience of the West Town and all Chicago neighborhoods to bring clients together in these vibrant and diverse communities. Real estate has been a longtime passion of mine and I’m very excited to be working with buyers and sellers to make their deals a success.

I feel a unified effort from the neighborhood will make a positive difference in the quality of our lives. Sensitivity to intelligent development with respect to the rich architectural history of our neighborhood is priority. I am excited to be a member of the East Village Association.