Director of Public Affairs
Brian J. Berg has more than three decades of experience in media relations, marketing and communications specializing in community and economic development. He has developed and implemented campaigns that have produced hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, created thousands of jobs and units of affordable housing, and strengthened hundreds of growing small businesses in under-resourced and disinvested neighborhoods in Chicago and across the country.
Most recently, Brian helped nonprofit developers transform Chicago’s Woodlawn and Pullman neighborhoods into models of community renewal and helped a leading Community Development Financial Institution create and implement a new brand identity. In addition, he created the financial services industry’s first “Rescue Loan” program, helping hundreds of homeowners avoid foreclosure. He also spearheaded a multidisciplinary effort to preserve the historic Chautauqua Amphitheater; achieved the $100 million environmental cleanup of Barrie Park, the largest remediation settlement of a former utility site in IL; helped Pullman win designation as a National Historical Park; and worked to settle the Chicago Symphony Orchestra strike and Daniel Prude’s family lawsuit. Brian’s acquired national media coverage for the country’s first-ever “Grand-Families” House in Boston established the nation’s second and third supportive housing complexes in Cleveland and Chicago.
A graduate of Kenyon College and co-captain of the baseball team, Brian earned his Master of Science degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University. He lives on the Near North Side with his wife, Alicia, and yellow lab, Boudreau.
Assistant City Treasurer | Director, Human Resources
Amanda Brown has held the position of Director of Human Resources at the City Treasurer’s Office since October 2022. With over 8 years of experience in the field of Human Resources, Amanda has a degree in journalism with a specialization in Integrated Marketing Communication and a minor in Psychology and Black American Studies. Her career in HR was inspired by her desire to support and assist employees both within and outside the workplace.
In her previous role in the private educational sector, Amanda served as a Human Resources Business Partner, overseeing a diverse workforce of over 800 employees, including students, seasonal workers, and union and non-union employees. She is a strong advocate for fostering a 'Quality Employee Experience' within the workplace, emphasizing the importance of building trust, relationships, and addressing gaps within the organization. Amanda excels in coaching employees and is recognized for her ability to foresee weaknesses and opportunities within an organization, which she considers her superpower in the HR profession.
During her tenure at the City Treasurer’s Office, Amanda has been instrumental in implementing policies, procedures, and an equitable hiring process. She has also been an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), demonstrating her commitment to staying current with industry trends and best practices in Human Resources.
Director of Community Engagement
Monique J Cook-Bey works to financially educated and empower the city of Chicago with the goal in mind to see how lives can be improved through economic development. These initiatives and resources are provided for the well-being and quality of life for the city of Chicago’s local communities. Through these collaborations with community stakeholders, her work includes financial literacy programs, initiatives, and resources that will financially improve the well-being and quality of life for the city of Chicago’s local community through economic empowerment. These programs implement financial literacy, wealth building, credit repair, homeownership and other opportunities for City, neighborhoods, and Individuals who want to be financially educated and empowered. Prior to her role in the City Treasures office she spent 14 years in Higher Education and the Nonprofit sector. Community engagement is her passion and what she loves to do.
Director of Education
Dayna Eubanks is now the Director of Education at the Office of the Chicago City Treasurer. In her role as Director, Eubanks supports the expanded mission of Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. While the Treasurer and Chicago Treasurer’s Office, (CTO,) serve as the banker for Chicago, managing $11B in city assets, the Treasurer also has a personal mission to financially educate and empower the residents of Chicago. That mission has led the CTO to provide free programs, tools, and resources to help Chicagoans build and sustain generational wealth. The Treasurer and CTO aspire to help Chicagoans in all 77 communities increase their financial intelligence and strengthen their financial health.
As Director of Education, Eubanks plays a crucial role in overseeing and implementing educational policies, programs, and initiatives aimed at increasing the financial intelligence of Chicago residents, students, and small business owners. The goal is pivotal in empowering individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed financial decisions, manage their finances effectively, and contribute to the economic well-being of Chicago as a whole.
The Director of Education is tasked with designing and managing a range of educational programs that cater to different demographics within Chicago. This includes programs for students in public schools, adult learners, and small business owners. These programs encompass workshops, seminars, online courses, and community outreach efforts. The CTO educational curriculum addresses a series of topics, including budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, financial planning, and entrepreneurship.
This initiative also includes work to engage with local communities, non-profit organizations, schools, and businesses to promote financial education initiatives. This involves partnerships, awareness campaigns, and collaboration to expand the reach and impact of financial education programs.
Before joining the Chicago Treasurer’s Office, Eubanks has had an exciting and versatile career first, as an Emmy-award-winning broadcast journalist, in television news and programming. After decades on the air with ABC and CBS in cities including Cincinnati, Phoenix, and Detroit, Eubanks founded a boutique production company that helped small businesses promote their products and services. That included an online series for the Better Business Bureau that helped small business owners and C-Levels demonstrate their expertise and services through providing consumer advisories. Eubanks has also served as a Global Account Executive with the Executives’ Club of Chicago, the premier, private organization of Chairpersons, Presidents, CEOs and their teams, of global companies with presence in Chicago. Eubanks also has a passion for education and has served as an interim educator in the Chicago Public Schools, and in developing regional leadership conferences for teens. Eubanks is a graduate of the University of Kansas. She has served on a series of not-for-profit boards, and currently serves as Vice Chair of a Community Association on Chicago’s Near West Side. Eubanks organizes community events as she has for years, including raising funds largely to support children and the environment.
Asst City Treasurer| Director of Financial Empowerment
Dr. McDowell, is a community psychologist, author, professor and non-profit owner, who hails from the South side of Chicago. For over ten years she has served in the educational space as a professor of psychology for National-Louis University, Roosevelt University and DePaul University. Her career began as an elementary school educator and later a director of community partnerships for Metropolitan Family Services and Northeastern Illinois University’s non-profit partner, Gear Up. During that time she became a researcher specializing in the communication of Black women and their identity surrounding sexuality and health, which leveraged her as a author of her critically acclaimed book, Black Women, Sex and the Lies our Mothers told us, among Amazons Top 21 Books for Black Women. Her efforts in conducting this groundbreaking research allowed her to serve research teams at Standford surrounding Black women and Breast Cancer, become and advisory board member serving under Congresswoman Robin Kelly, executive leadership with Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc. and being awarded 2018 Most distinguished leadership award by the Orrington Institution. Her creative methods of gathering community focused data that leads to creative and impactful methods of providing information and resources to under-represented and under-researched communities, are assets that assist in her leading the financial education and empowerment team at the City Treasurer’s office. With over five hundred community events and workshops under her belt, she has single-handedly offered Chicago communities, events, activities and impactful digital and educational programs that speak to the souls of all seventy-seven neighborhoods.
Asst City Treasurer | General Counsel
Joseph Ponsetto has an extensive career in law and public service. From 1982 to 1985, he served as a Cook County Assistant States Attorney, working in both the Appellate Division and Criminal Trials Division. He was also the Supervisor of the Election Fraud Unit during this time. From 1985 to 2008, he worked as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General in the Criminal Trials Division, holding various titles such as Director of Enforcement and Chief of Special Prosecutions. In the 1990s, he served as a Hearing Officer for Illinois Mandatory Arbitration. From 2009 to 2012, he worked for the village of Maywood, Illinois, serving as the Assistant Village Manager and Village Prosecutor. He even temporarily served as the Interim Village Manager in 2011. From 2012 to 2020, he worked in private practice and also served as a Hearing Officer for the Cook County Clerk and Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Managing Deputy City Treasurer
Serves as the Deputy Chief-of-Staff for the Office of the City Treasurer. He oversees and leads various teams of executives, directors, and managers.
With over 20 years of experience in government, James has created and led initiatives that have transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the city of Chicago.
Prior to becoming the Managing Deputy City Treasurer, James served as the Chief-of-Staff for the 21st Ward where he led a team of staffers that developed community and business initiatives that improved the quality of life of hundreds of residents and businesses in the ward.
Throughout James’ career in government, he served as the Associate Director of Community and Government Relations for City Colleges of Chicago, and as the Deputy Director of Communications – spokesperson for Cook County. James also served as a Training Officer for the Chicago Police Department where he helped develop and direct nationally recognized crime reduction interactive training programs that focused on diversity and community policing.
James has a Master of Science in Communications from Northwestern University, an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Chicago State University,
James is a native of Chicago and resides in the community of Humboldt Park.
Director of Accounting
Wanda Rivera is the Director of Accounting for the City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. She manages the accounting section of this office that monitors all the transactions that flow through the Treasurer’s Office daily. This group also works with various sections of the City Treasurers office including other external departments within the City of Chicago that submit requests for assistance in connection with transactions that affect any of the bank accounts currently managed by the Treasurer’s Office.
Wanda has been working for the City of Chicago for 7 years and has more than 30 years of experience working in the private sector. She is a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting professional that has worked in Banking, HealthCare, and Utility sectors in various accounting roles.
Wanda has a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Deputy City Treasurer | Chief Investment Officer
Craig A. Slack is the Chief Investment Officer for the Office of the Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. In this role, Craig oversees a team of professionals who manage and monitor the city's investment activity, develop short and long-term investment policies, and maintain investor relations.
Craig has more than 30 years of experience in the investment industry, primarily serving institutional clients in a fixed-income sales capacity. Prior to his role in the Chicago City Treasurer's Office, Craig was with RBC Capital Markets, a leading provider of financial services, where he formed their Institutional Middle Market Division.
Before working at RBC Capital Markets, Craig served as the Managing Director, Principal with Bear Stearns & Co for 20 years where his duties included senior institutional fixed income sales in addition to a role in sales management.
Craig holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Iowa and has Series 7 and Series 63 securities licenses.
Director of Public Affairs
Brian J. Berg has more than three decades of experience in media relations, marketing and communications specializing in community and economic development. He has developed and implemented campaigns that have produced hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, created thousands of jobs and units of affordable housing, and strengthened hundreds of growing small businesses in under-resourced and disinvested neighborhoods in Chicago and across the country.
Most recently, Brian helped nonprofit developers transform Chicago’s Woodlawn and Pullman neighborhoods into models of community renewal and helped a leading Community Development Financial Institution create and implement a new brand identity. In addition, he created the financial services industry’s first “Rescue Loan” program, helping hundreds of homeowners avoid foreclosure. He also spearheaded a multidisciplinary effort to preserve the historic Chautauqua Amphitheater; achieved the $100 million environmental cleanup of Barrie Park, the largest remediation settlement of a former utility site in IL; helped Pullman win designation as a National Historical Park; and worked to settle the Chicago Symphony Orchestra strike and Daniel Prude’s family lawsuit. Brian’s acquired national media coverage for the country’s first-ever “Grand-Families” House in Boston established the nation’s second and third supportive housing complexes in Cleveland and Chicago.
A graduate of Kenyon College and co-captain of the baseball team, Brian earned his Master of Science degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University. He lives on the Near North Side with his wife, Alicia, and yellow lab, Boudreau.
Assistant City Treasurer | Director, Human Resources
Amanda Brown has held the position of Director of Human Resources at the City Treasurer’s Office since October 2022. With over 8 years of experience in the field of Human Resources, Amanda has a degree in journalism with a specialization in Integrated Marketing Communication and a minor in Psychology and Black American Studies. Her career in HR was inspired by her desire to support and assist employees both within and outside the workplace.
In her previous role in the private educational sector, Amanda served as a Human Resources Business Partner, overseeing a diverse workforce of over 800 employees, including students, seasonal workers, and union and non-union employees. She is a strong advocate for fostering a 'Quality Employee Experience' within the workplace, emphasizing the importance of building trust, relationships, and addressing gaps within the organization. Amanda excels in coaching employees and is recognized for her ability to foresee weaknesses and opportunities within an organization, which she considers her superpower in the HR profession.
During her tenure at the City Treasurer’s Office, Amanda has been instrumental in implementing policies, procedures, and an equitable hiring process. She has also been an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), demonstrating her commitment to staying current with industry trends and best practices in Human Resources.
Director of Community Engagement
Monique J Cook-Bey works to financially educated and empower the city of Chicago with the goal in mind to see how lives can be improved through economic development. These initiatives and resources are provided for the well-being and quality of life for the city of Chicago’s local communities. Through these collaborations with community stakeholders, her work includes financial literacy programs, initiatives, and resources that will financially improve the well-being and quality of life for the city of Chicago’s local community through economic empowerment. These programs implement financial literacy, wealth building, credit repair, homeownership and other opportunities for City, neighborhoods, and Individuals who want to be financially educated and empowered. Prior to her role in the City Treasures office she spent 14 years in Higher Education and the Nonprofit sector. Community engagement is her passion and what she loves to do.
Asst City Treasurer| Director of Financial Empowerment
Dr. McDowell, is a community psychologist, author, professor and non-profit owner, who hails from the South side of Chicago. For over ten years she has served in the educational space as a professor of psychology for National-Louis University, Roosevelt University and DePaul University. Her career began as an elementary school educator and later a director of community partnerships for Metropolitan Family Services and Northeastern Illinois University’s non-profit partner, Gear Up. During that time she became a researcher specializing in the communication of Black women and their identity surrounding sexuality and health, which leveraged her as a author of her critically acclaimed book, Black Women, Sex and the Lies our Mothers told us, among Amazons Top 21 Books for Black Women. Her efforts in conducting this groundbreaking research allowed her to serve research teams at Standford surrounding Black women and Breast Cancer, become and advisory board member serving under Congresswoman Robin Kelly, executive leadership with Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc. and being awarded 2018 Most distinguished leadership award by the Orrington Institution. Her creative methods of gathering community focused data that leads to creative and impactful methods of providing information and resources to under-represented and under-researched communities, are assets that assist in her leading the financial education and empowerment team at the City Treasurer’s office. With over five hundred community events and workshops under her belt, she has single-handedly offered Chicago communities, events, activities and impactful digital and educational programs that speak to the souls of all seventy-seven neighborhoods.
Asst City Treasurer | General Counsel
Joseph Ponsetto has an extensive career in law and public service. From 1982 to 1985, he served as a Cook County Assistant States Attorney, working in both the Appellate Division and Criminal Trials Division. He was also the Supervisor of the Election Fraud Unit during this time. From 1985 to 2008, he worked as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General in the Criminal Trials Division, holding various titles such as Director of Enforcement and Chief of Special Prosecutions. In the 1990s, he served as a Hearing Officer for Illinois Mandatory Arbitration. From 2009 to 2012, he worked for the village of Maywood, Illinois, serving as the Assistant Village Manager and Village Prosecutor. He even temporarily served as the Interim Village Manager in 2011. From 2012 to 2020, he worked in private practice and also served as a Hearing Officer for the Cook County Clerk and Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Managing Deputy City Treasurer
Serves as the Deputy Chief-of-Staff for the Office of the City Treasurer. He oversees and leads various teams of executives, directors, and managers.
With over 20 years of experience in government, James has created and led initiatives that have transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the city of Chicago.
Prior to becoming the Managing Deputy City Treasurer, James served as the Chief-of-Staff for the 21st Ward where he led a team of staffers that developed community and business initiatives that improved the quality of life of hundreds of residents and businesses in the ward.
Throughout James’ career in government, he served as the Associate Director of Community and Government Relations for City Colleges of Chicago, and as the Deputy Director of Communications – spokesperson for Cook County. James also served as a Training Officer for the Chicago Police Department where he helped develop and direct nationally recognized crime reduction interactive training programs that focused on diversity and community policing.
James has a Master of Science in Communications from Northwestern University, an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Chicago State University,
James is a native of Chicago and resides in the community of Humboldt Park.
Director of Accounting
Wanda Rivera is the Director of Accounting for the City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. She manages the accounting section of this office that monitors all the transactions that flow through the Treasurer’s Office daily. This group also works with various sections of the City Treasurers office including other external departments within the City of Chicago that submit requests for assistance in connection with transactions that affect any of the bank accounts currently managed by the Treasurer’s Office.
Wanda has been working for the City of Chicago for 7 years and has more than 30 years of experience working in the private sector. She is a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting professional that has worked in Banking, HealthCare, and Utility sectors in various accounting roles.
Wanda has a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Deputy City Treasurer | Chief Investment Officer
Craig A. Slack is the Chief Investment Officer for the Office of the Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. In this role, Craig oversees a team of professionals who manage and monitor the city's investment activity, develop short and long-term investment policies, and maintain investor relations.
Craig has more than 30 years of experience in the investment industry, primarily serving institutional clients in a fixed-income sales capacity. Prior to his role in the Chicago City Treasurer's Office, Craig was with RBC Capital Markets, a leading provider of financial services, where he formed their Institutional Middle Market Division.
Before working at RBC Capital Markets, Craig served as the Managing Director, Principal with Bear Stearns & Co for 20 years where his duties included senior institutional fixed income sales in addition to a role in sales management.
Craig holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Iowa and has Series 7 and Series 63 securities licenses.
Asst City Treasurer | Director of Governmental Affairs
April S. Williams-Luster has dedicated her professional journey to the field of public service, amassing a wealth of experience across various tiers of government, spanning from local to federal levels. At present, she holds the esteemed position of Director of Government Affairs at the City of Chicago Treasurer’s Office. In this pivotal role, she adeptly manages a multifaceted portfolio of relationships, encompassing local, state, and federal spheres, all strategically orchestrated to advance the programs and policies championed by the Chicago Treasurer’s Office.
April's commitment to public service was previously demonstrated as Deputy Chief Engagement Officer at the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement. Here, she honed her expertise in building and leveraging strategic alliances with community leaders, organizations, nonprofit entities, philanthropic institutions, as well as economic development and business stakeholders. Her objective was to furnish these stakeholders with vital information and resources, thereby fostering collaboration and progress.
Before her tenure at the Mayor's Office, April served as the Director of Outreach for United States Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly, representing Illinois' 2nd Congressional District. In this capacity, she took the lead in nurturing and fostering relationships with elected officials, business luminaries, and community leaders, fostering an environment of collaboration and engagement.
Prior to her congressional role, April distinguished herself as the Chief Ethics Investigator and Community Relations Coordinator for the Cook County Department of Human Rights, Ethics, and Women’s Issues. Here, she played a pivotal role as the primary advisor to Cook County officials and vendors, offering guidance on matters related to ethics, pay equity, and workplace violence policies. Notably, April developed comprehensive training programs on ethics, sexual harassment, and workplace violence, conducting over 1,000 seminars, which collectively educated more than 15,000 Cook County employees. She also took the lead in investigating over 150 alleged violations of the Cook County ethics ordinance, authored more than 150 ethics advisory opinions, and meticulously audited over 1,000 campaign contributions and expenditure reports of Cook County officials and candidates seeking elected positions.
April's earlier career involved serving as a legislative aide to notable figures in Chicago's political landscape, including Alderman Howard B. Brookins of the 21st Ward, Cook County Commissioner Robert B. Steele in the 2nd District, and State Representative Marlow H. Colvin, representing the 33rd Rep. District.
In terms of her academic achievements, April possesses a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Political Science, earned at the University of Miami.
Chicago City Hall
121 N LaSalle St, Room 106, Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312 -744 -3356
Email: city.treasurer@cityofchicago.org
