Leadership Forum 2026 Event Team
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This event was made possible under collaboration with the Executive Council
Along with the hard work and thoughtful contributions made by:
Michelle Ware-Ivy
PMI Executive Council Chicagoland Chairperson | Global Collective Team Member
Michelle brings a unique perspective as Founder of the Malcom Orlando Ivy Foundation (TMOIF) and a recognized Global Business Transformation Leader in the biotech and healthcare industries. She has decades of experience translating bold organizational visions into strategic objectives and operational excellence that deliver high-impact outcomes that influence people, processes, and technologies. Michelle is the Chair of the PMI Chicagoland Executive. Academically, she holds an MA in Human Performance Improvement from Roosevelt University. Her professional credentials include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Change Management Professional (CCMP) certifications. Through her visionary leadership and unwavering advocacy, Michelle continues to make a lasting impact on healthcare, shaping a brighter future for patients worldwide.
Sunil Chainani, PMP, DASSM, PMOCP
Project Sponsor/Advisor - VP Business Outreach
Sunil brings multiple years of project, program, and portfolio management experience in small, medium and large organizations within the food, medical, consumer and engineered goods industries. Sunil’s diverse career experience includes a variety of roles, including ERP upgrades and consolidations, mergers and acquisitions, SAP enablement, plant startups and supporting transformation of PMO processes. He looks forward bringing his experiences to engage senior leaders to promote PMO and PM thought leadership via the services of Project Management Institute.
Francis Labayen, PMP
Project Advisor – Director of Business Outreach
Francis is a PMP Certified Information Technology professional with 25+ years of experience delivering and supporting mission critical Information Systems & Infrastructure. He has a strong track record for managing and delivering large and complex technology projects on time and within budget. In addition, he has a strong interest in adding value by implementing process improvement initiatives that will significantly reduce costs while increasing operational effectiveness and client satisfaction.
Aleia Simone, PMP, DASM
Executive Council Liaison – Executive Council Project Manager
Aleia is a seasoned Project and Operations Management Professional with more than ten years of experience leading cross-functional initiatives, building scalable systems, and transforming organizational goals into measurable outcomes.
Throughout her career, she has worked across industries that include technology, telecommunications, and professional services, developing a proven track record for designing governance frameworks, optimizing operations, and leading programs that strengthen efficiency.
Imelda Wu, PMP, CSM, AWS Cloud Practitioner
Project Manager
Imelda has over 15 years of experience within the healthcare insurance, startup, financial services and information technology space. The majority of the projects that she has managed and completed successfully were infrastructure projects where she served both as the project lead and engineer.
John Lopez, PMP
Speaker Selection Lead
John Lopez is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience, that specializes in crafting and executing operational strategies, optimizing processes, and building high-performing teams. John's expertise includes driving large-scale projects from strategy to execution, enabling organizational change, and leveraging technology to fuel business growth.
Kierstyn Schwartz-Watjen, PhD, PMP
Marketing/Sponsor Lead
Kierstyn has led complex biotech R&D and biomanufacturing programs by building systems, structure, and clarity around highly technical work.
Kierstyn holds a PhD in Microbiology and hands-on experience in fermentation, infectious disease, and modeling. She translates between scientists, engineers, data teams, and leadership—so portfolios move from ideas and experiments to predictable delivery.
John Handel, MBA
Logistics Lead
John is currently an Adjunct Professor at Elmhurst University teaching Project Management courses. Through his work at Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies, he was awarded a United States patent for his work associated with the International Credit Card Validation project in 1991. In 2001 John was part of a team that implemented the PMICMentoring Program. From 2002 to 2006, he also served the PMIC Mentoring Program Director.
Michael Spilg, PMP, PMI-ACP
Event Day/Website Lead
Michael is currently an R&D Project Manager at Evergen, a leading CDMO in the tissue engineering field. He prioritizes driving team achievements by resolving conflicts through root cause analysis, risk assessment, and executing project delivery within time, budget, and scope. Michael has 5+ years of experience in highly regulated industries, such as aerospace and medical devices. He has a B.S. Mechanical Engineering, PMP, PMI-ACP, Six Sigma Yellow Belt and AWS Practitioner certificates. He has traveled to 100+ countries and built his adaptability skills during four semester exchange programs.
Lavanya Deskmukh
Registration Lead
Lavanya is an experienced Software Program Manager with a proven track record of leading complex initiatives and achieving strategic goals, specializing in delivering cutting-edge technology and automation solutions across a range of industries, including technology, E-commerce, Retail and Third-party logistics.
She has a keen ability to navigate ambiguity and engage stakeholders, and specializes in transforming high-level vision into actionable strategies and successful project outcomes.
