Chapter Leaders (2026-2027)

IABC/Chicago’s Board of Directors are professional communicators from diverse backgrounds, who are passionate about providing valuable professional development and networking opportunities for Chicagoland communicators.

Our goal is to provide growth opportunities for current and aspiring Chicago communications professionals, and to raise the profile of communications as a strategic leadership function.

We work collaboratively to deliver exceptional experiences for IABC members and volunteers, and to build relationships between IABC/Chicago and the broader professional community (including communications professionals, sponsors, and partners).

Board of Directors (*executive committee)

Committee Members

President
Allison Dietz, SCMP®
Manager, Global Enterprise Communications
McDonald’s

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President-Elect
Astrid Greve-Spencer
Strategic Communications Leader

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Past President
Arek Gazda, SCMP®

Director, Internal Communications
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Arek Gazda is a strategic communication leader with more than a decade of experience shaping how organizations communicate with purpose, clarity, and equity. He currently serves as Director of Internal Communications at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where he leads enterprise-wide efforts to inform, engage, and inspire employees in support of the Foundation’s mission to advance health equity.

Arek is passionate about using communication to build trust, drive change, and center diverse voices. He holds a Master’s in Professional Communication from DePaul University and is a certified Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP®). In addition to his role at RWJF, Arek serves as President-Elect of IABC Chicago, where he supports the professional growth of communicators across Chicagoland.

He is a systems thinker, storyteller, and champion of justice-centered communications and believes the right message, delivered with empathy and intention, can transform our culture.

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Director, Operations
Heather Natal, CMP®
Marketing Manager, Manufacturing Solutions
GoEngineer

For over 20 years, Heather has been working at international companies in Marketing and Communications. Her breadth of experience ranges from copywriting and graphic design to strategic brand management, internal communications, and digital media. In her current role, Heather specializes in strategic planning and event management. She received her B.A. in Communications from the University of Illinois at Chicago and holds the IABC’s Communication Management Professional (CMP) Certification. 

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Director, Finance
Julie Bjorkman, PhD, ABC, APR
Assistant Professor
Benedictine University

Julie Bjorkman, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Goodwin College of Business at Benedictine University where she teaches undergrad and grad courses in management and organizational change including being the resident subject-matter expert on change communications. She leads the Arthur J. Schmitt Future Leaders scholarship program at BenU – directing the leadership development of high performing undergraduate students. After three decades of leading change communications and supporting organizational transformation at some of the world’s largest Fortune 100’s she transitioned to higher ed to put her education and experience to work in new ways.

She developed IABC’s On Demand e-learning course Leading Through Change Communication and is a past president of IABC/Chicago, and served in many board roles over the years, including IABC’s International Executive Board. She is a 30-year plus member of IABC. Her PhD is in organization development (OD) from Benedictine, and she has her M.S. in OD from Case Western Reserve University, and a B.A. in English from John Carroll University in Ohio.

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Director, Professional Development & Events
Susan Holub, MPH

Susan Holub, MPH, is a strategic communications executive with 25 years of experience helping organizations navigate change, protect reputation, engage stakeholders, and translate complex issues into clear, meaningful communications.

As Vice President of Communications at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Susan leads an enterprise function spanning internal and external communications, media relations, marketing, digital strategy, and brand. She serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and has led communications through major organizational transformations, public policy challenges, crises, and national initiatives.

Her experience spans health care, professional services, and nonprofit organizations, with expertise in crisis and reputation management, change communications, stakeholder engagement, strategic marketing, and digital transformation.

Susan holds an MPH in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois Chicago and a BA in Public Relations and Spanish from Illinois State University. She also completed Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management’s Digital Marketing Strategies certificate program.

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Director, Membership & Communications
Linda Windham, MSC, SHRM-CP

Linda Windham has decades of interdisciplinary experience that bridges her background and experiences in Communication, Human Resources and Talent Management.  She has been a member of IABC since 2016, and has served previously on the Pacific Plains Regional Board.  In her current role as Director of Talent Solutions at Korn Ferry, Linda provides leadership resources for clients across many industries and business segments to drive transformation, innovation, growth and high performance.

Certified in the Hogan Personality Assessment, Linda leverages her expertise in providing interpretation and insights towards the continued advancement of leadership potential and development for executives and emerging leaders.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Master of Science degree in Communication from Northwestern University. In addition, she has a certificate in Crisis Communication from Northwestern University.

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Award-Winning Chapter

Over the years, IABC/Chicago has received recognition from IABC in exemplary leadership and chapter management by receiving Chapter Management Awards (CMAs). The CMAs are an annual awards program that recognizes the leadership, management, creativity and teamwork of IABC chapter leaders around the world. It’s an opportunity to showcase IABC chapter successes and demonstrate the value that each chapter provides locally.

We appreciate the all hard work and dedication of IABC members. Our community of communication professionals is growing and thriving because of you. We’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the leaders of the Chicago Chapter over the years that have contributed to the successful steadfast commitment to our local communication community.

Chapter Management Awards