Board of Directors

Rosie Drumgoole Rosie is the Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Cares and a dynamic and charismatic leader. Chicago Cares mobilizes volunteers and catalyzes change by promoting diverse civic engagement and equips civic leaders-young and old while helping local communities, nonprofits, and corporations alike meet their strategic goals and priorities. Previously, Rosie worked as a resource developer for the area agency on aging in suburban Cook County (AgeOptions). Rosie holds a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations from Northern Illinois University, and is a certified volunteer administrator. Rosie is an alumnus of the Allstate Foundation’s Executive Leadership Program’s class of 2021 and of the American Express Leadership Academy class of 2016. Rosie joined the Board of Directors in 2020 and serves on the Resource Development Committee and is Board Vice President.

Mary is a Resident Leader at the Rebecca Johnson Apartments. She volunteers her time extensively to the programming at the RJA Learning Center. Mary has also worked as a Peer Group Leader for Chicago Lights Center for Whole Health and Deborah’s Place Health Fair Days. Mary holds an AA degree from Malcolm X College. Mary joined the Deborah’s Place Board in 2021 and serves on the Governance Committee.

With more than three decades of providing advice and counsel to business, Barbara Jacobs has worked across the spectrum of communications, from advertising, marketing, and public relations to change management and organizational/HR communications. She specializes in driving internal change – and employee adoption of new behaviors. Barbara served as a Midwest practice leader for Deloitte Consulting in the areas of change management, communications, and total rewards. During her tenure, she helped Sara Lee undergo a successful healthcare transformation, worked with Applied Materials to introduce an evolved business strategy, enabled NASA to identify and recognize its brand strengths internally, acted as communications project manager for seven mergers and acquisitions, and was involved in a number of leadership transitions and benefits changes for the firm’s most valued clients. Now as founder/principal of Jacobs Plus LLC and certified as a Change Management Professional (CMP), Barbara enjoys long-term client relationships as a trusted advisor. She’s been asked to develop performance metrics for call centers, to facilitate corporate social responsibility dialogues and philosophies, and to audit employee touch points with business customers. An award-winning writer, she began her career as a trade magazine editor for the American Library Association, then freelanced for the Chicago Sun-Times and Woman’s Day Decorating Ideas, among other publications. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Philosophy, magna cum laude, from Chatham College in Pittsburgh as well as an M.S. in library science from Simmons Graduate School. She also completed work towards her M.F.A. in creative writing at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. She joined the Board of Directors at Deborah’s Place in 2025.

Amy Leibig joined Deborah’s Place Board in January 2024. Amy is a retired financial services executive with a University of Chicago MBA and a CPA certificate holder. Prior to retirement in 2021, Amy led IT and Product Development at the Options Clearing Corporation for 37 years. She is a regular DP volunteer and was a long time resident of Old Town nearby the Deborah’s Place Patty Crowley location. Amy was a Futures Industry Association Treasurer and Board Member and the Treasurer for Parkview Condominium Association.

Amy volunteers weekly at Deborah’s Place and occasionally with Humble Design. While not volunteering, Amy enjoys outdoor exercise and spending time with family and friends.

Joy P. Adams is an experienced nonprofit leader and community strategist with a strong background in operations, strategic planning, and organizational development. She most recently served as Director of Operations at Phoenix Foundation, overseeing a $4M budget across multiple housing and wellness programs, where she led finance, HR, compliance, and program design initiatives. With expertise in community engagement, organizational leadership, and business psychology, Joy has dedicated her career to strengthening mission-driven organizations and building systems that work for people.

She is also the founder of Rooted in Joy Consulting, a practice that helps organizations design people-centered strategies and sustainable structures. Passionate about innovation, collaboration, and community impact, Joy brings both lived experience and professional expertise to advancing lasting solutions for historically under-resourced communities.

Mildred Jenkins is an author and entrepreneur who is compassionate and inspired by positive change and growth in humanity, especially supporting “Housing is a Human Right”. She has a keen desire to support, assist, and to be a help to women who are homeless or have experienced homelessness, because she also has experienced homelessness and its sunken disparity of humanity.

She is an author of five books & an entrepreneur: CEO & Founder of VALORDOR company. She is excited for this winter of 2025 for her company to launch as an online retail company. Her desire is to see women who are or who had experienced homelessness to recover, be recuperated into society, and to be restored within themselves.

Anne Osuji is a committed healthcare professional who is passionate about ensuring that communities are engaged, supported, and empowered to change health behaviors. As an enthusiastic volunteer at Deborah’s Place, she works closely with the Health Services department to educate and equip the residents with knowledge about their nutrition, physical health, mental health and overall wellness. She believes community partnerships can sustainably improve health outcomes and progress towards health literacy and health equity. Anne earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science from the University of California, Irvine and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Medicine (M.D.) at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. Anne joined the Deborah’s Place Board of Directors in July 2023 and serves on the Resource Development Committee.

Lauren Wilder is a Cyber Security Professional at Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she helps organizations protect their information and navigate complex risks. Her journey with Deborah’s Place began many years ago as a hands-on volunteer, eventually serving on the Young Professionals Board. Inspired by the organization’s compassionate, resource-driven approach to supporting women experiencing homelessness, Lauren has remained a committed advocate.

She joined the Board of Directors in May 2025, bringing not only her expertise in technology and governance, but also her passion for creating meaningful ways for others to get involved. She has helped lead initiatives such as Deloitte’s Impact Day, giving colleagues the chance to connect directly with the local community and contribute in lasting, impactful ways. For Lauren, serving on the board is a way to combine her professional skills with her belief in dignity, opportunity, and hope for all women.

Nicole Yunez is a dedicated advocate for women’s empowerment and has been actively involved with Deborah’s Place since 2016. After five years of service on the Young Professionals Board, she was elected to the Board of Directors in 2025. Nicole brings over a decade of experience in global mobility and immigration, currently serving as Director of Global Mobility & Immigration at Kroll, LLC.

Her commitment to Deborah’s Place is deeply personal. In 2016, Nicole left a relationship marked by domestic violence. With the support of her family, she had a safe place to stay—but she knows not every woman does. That could have been her. Since then, she’s vowed to support Deborah’s Place and stand with women rebuilding their lives with dignity, safety, and hope.