What we support

Mike and his wife Becky have been Bucktown residents since moving into the neighborhood in 2010.  Mike became President of this organization in January 2022.  Now raising a family of three active children, Mike and his family are frequently at the neighborhood parks and can often be seen (and heard) strolling around the neighborhood. Mike and Becky started the June Wacky Wednesday series and have been responsible for several other events including the Valentine's Day Candy Bingo and Cardboard Regatta and Pool Float Race.  Their children are heavily involved in Holstein Park programs having participated in day camp, yoga, dodgeball, basketball, and art classes.   Professionally, Mike has been practicing as a trial attorney at Pretzel & Stouffer for 15 years defending physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals.  Mike's interest in FOHP was spurred on by his desire to help create and organize events to bring this wonderful community together as well as a big push from his wife Becky.  Mike's always open to a conversation, so please reach out to him.  

 Maureen’s work in Chicago for the last fifteen years has included roles in both non-profit and public sector.  Prior to Chicago, she was in Tijuana, Mexico and Cochabamba, Bolivia.  Born in the Philippines, Maureen moved to the United States with her family as a child and grew up mostly in Rhode Island.  She has a Bachelor of Arts from Notre Dame and Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.  She has lived in Bucktown since 2010.  Swimming at the Holstein pool with her husband, Patrick, and their 4-year old twin daughters is a favorite activity.  Maureen is grateful to have the neighborhood park for building and sustaining community.     

Sara is an excited new member of the Bucktown community.  Originally from New York, Sara moved to Chicago in 2018 with her husband Mike to find the right spot to raise their children.  Bucktown was the place! Since moving to the neighborhood, Sara has helped to start a parent/caregiver meetup group and worked with community members to host an annual Halloween Parade.  Sara looks forward to getting to know everyone in the community, organizing family events, and finding ways to come together to support each other.  Before moving to Chicago, Sara was a partner at a commercial litigation firm in New York.  These days, Sara can usually be found at Holstein Park or Senior Citizens Memorial Park with her husband and two children, Max and Cora. 

 Chelsea has lived in various neighborhoods throughout Chicago since 2009, but in 2021, Chelsea and her husband, Ted, decided Bucktown was where they wanted to plant roots and raise their two children.  

From park picnics and playground playdates to spending hot summer days at the pool - Holstein and Senior Citizens Park soon became a staple for their family. Chelsea was introduced to Friends of Holstein Park at a Wacky Wednesday event in June and felt this organization was a great way to give back to the neighborhood and bring the community together in various, meaningful ways.

Professionally, Chelsea is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Registered Investment Advisor, co-owner and managing partner of MPM Wealth Advisors. So, when Chelsea learned Friends of Holstein Park was looking for a Treasurer, she jumped on the opportunity.

She’s excited to explore ways to bring neighbors and local businesses together to celebrate our wonderful park and community.  

  Meet Dan – the laid-back maestro of making things happen. Dan lives in Bucktown with his Wife, two kids and their dog. For the past three years, you could find him in the heart of Ehrler Park, orchestrating a fundraising symphony and giving the park a complete makeover. Yep, he's the one who made that old place shine like new again!

When he's not busy turning parks into wonders, Dan's all about partnerships, alliances, and the fine art of SaaS product wizardry. He's got this super cool focus on channels, technical stuff, business growth, and strategy. But here's the secret sauce: he's all about putting customers and users in the spotlight. If there's one thing he believes in, it's making sure they're always front and center.

Dan's like a zen master of Agile methodology – it's all about keeping things aligned and transparent, no big fuss. He's been known to sprinkle a bit of that Agile magic all over the place at work and in his life.

So there you have it – the tale of Dan, the park-transforming, partnership-weaving, SaaS-slinging rockstar. He's the real deal, and he's all about making things happen in the most chilled-out, amazing way possible.