CO-FOUNDER, Executive Director & Educator

CO-FOUNDER, Director of Outreach and Educational Partnerships

Artist Educator

Resident Artist

Founding Prinicpal, Eckenhoff and Saudners

Walt co-founded Eckenhoff Saunders in 1983 and has overseen the planning and design of over $2 billion in new healthcare facilities in the past four decades. These include four major hospital campuses for Endeavor Health—Evanston, Highland Park, Glenbrook, and Skokie—as well as three outpatient family care campuses for Ingalls Health System and two research facilities in the Evanston/Northwestern University Research Park.

Walt’s planning and design experience includes banking, education, hospitality, and industrial projects. His diverse portfolio includes two Unicom Thermal Technologies cooling plants (both of which won design awards from AIA Chicago), the Northern Trust Company Canal Center (900,000 sf of banking back-office space), the Southgate Market Retail Center, and the 26-story Eurostars Magnificent Mile (Former Dana Hotel). Walt has been chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Architecture Foundation and served as a Board Member for 15 years. He has chaired the Design Review Commission and the Sustainable Working Group for the Village of Glencoe, Illinois, and served on its Plan Commission.

He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and was awarded Distinguished Alumni status in 2009.

Chief Operating Officer of Covenant House

Shivonnia “Shay” Dickson is a mission-driven nonprofit leader with extensive experience in youth development, operations management, workforce development, and organizational leadership. As the Chief Operating Officer of Covenant House Illinois, Shay oversees critical operational functions that support young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability, while helping to create safe, supportive, and growth-focused environments for youth and staff alike.

Throughout her career, Shay has remained deeply committed to empowering young people through education, mentorship, workforce readiness, and social-emotional support. Her professional experience includes developing community partnerships, supporting youth-centered programming, and helping connect individuals and families to resources that promote long-term stability and self-sufficiency.

Shay brings a strategic yet compassionate leadership style, with a strong focus on equity, collaboration, innovation, and creating opportunities for underserved communities. Her experience working across nonprofit operations, training initiatives, and youth-serving programs provides a unique perspective that supports both organizational growth and meaningful youth engagement.

Shay is passionate about helping K–12 students access enriching educational experiences, develop critical life skills, and build confidence in their future potential. She is dedicated to supporting initiatives that foster creativity, leadership, academic growth, and community connection for all youth.

Head of Impact Measurement & Management (IMM) at Builders Vision

Joanna Cohen is the Head of Impact Measurement & Management (IMM) at Builders Vision. In this role, she leads IMM efforts across market-rate and catalytic capital portfolios to drive positive impact for people and the planet.

Previously, Joanna served as a Senior Evaluation Officer at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she managed evaluation and learning activities for programs focused on impact investing, transparency and accountability in Nigeria, independent media and journalism in the US, and technology in the public interest. She also worked with Heartland Alliance International (HAI) to develop and implement their first organization-wide system for designing, measuring, and learning from the impact of HAI’s global, human rights-based programming.

Joanna earned a master’s degree in social work with a focus on international development & research from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. Joanna is a board member of Impact Frontiers, a founding member of the coordinating group for Climate SMILE, and on the executive committee of Mission Investors Exchange's IMM working group.

When not working, Joanna enjoys long bike trips, spending time beachside with a good book, and cooking for her family and friends.