In the News

BBB Serving Chicago and Northern Illinois: New Chairperson of the Board at 96th Annual Meeting

The Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois (BBB) held its 96th Annual Dinner event on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at the Swissotel Chicago. The event featured astronaut, author, and motivational speaker Susan Kilrain. 

Finishing a three-year term, outgoing BBB Chairman of the Board of Directors Carl Jacobson was presented with the Crystal Gavel to recognize and commemorate his service to the organization and excellence in leadership. As Chairman Emeritus, Carl will remain on the board, where he has been a dedicated member since 1996.  

 
BBB selects new Chairman of the Board 

The BBB Board of Directors voted in and named the new Chairperson, Kimberly Svoboda. Her term started immediately with the adjournment of the dinner meeting.

Steve J. Bernas, President and CEO of the BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois, says, “We are honored and excited to welcome such a dynamic leader and personality as Kim to lead as the new Chair of our board. Kim has been a tireless and valued member of our BBB, serving on our board and playing a pivotal role in creating and driving a strong vision for our growth and success through the pandemic and over the years.” 

Kim is the founder and CEO of Aspiration Catalyst, where the mission is empowering BOLD leaders to build excuse-proof and goal-crushing high-performance teams.  

Aspiration Catalyst’s innovative and engaging leadership development and high-performance team programs, workshops, and 1:1 coaching enable their clients to embrace and embody learning and achieve high growth in revenue, profitability, collaboration, and employee engagement.  

Kim spent 25 years building and leading high-performing teams, held executive leadership roles, and led new markets from conception to millions. She held responsibility for P&Ls up to $1B at fast-growth Fortune 500 technology firms, such as Adobe, CDW, Insight Enterprises, and US Cellular.   

More about BBB: 

BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois is a nonprofit organization that has served consumers and trustworthy businesses for 97 years and is a part of the IABBB. We help protect consumers from scams and provide a free database for consumers to see business ratings and reviews to find businesses they can trust. We connect customers to businesses they can trust.     

The International Association of Better Business Bureaus (IABBB) is the network hub for BBBs in the US, Canada, and Mexico.   

More about Kim:  

Kim is an in-demand speaker and was recently honored as an Emerging Top Speaker at Vistage.  Kim has been actively engaged in the Executive’s Club of Chicago for many years. She sponsors the Talent & Culture Forum, is an executive coach in the LEAD high potential leadership development program for future C-Suite leaders, and is a frequent leader speaker. Kim is an esteemed member of the Forbes Coaches Council, where she is a contributor to leadership and high-performance teams. 

Her new book, titled; The Adventure of BOLD Leadership, will be released soon. 

A percentage of Aspiration Catalyst® profits go to charities supporting the investment and growth of marginalized people worldwide, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Kiva, and others. 

Click here for the Official Press release