mHUB continues to strengthen its leadership with the addition of four new board members. Their experience spans industry, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies. This post introduces each director through a brief bio and short Q&A.
John Atkinson - Managing Director, Marsh
John Atkinson is a Managing Director at Marsh, leading one of their fastest-growing businesses in the US and Canada, and serves as chairman of Marsh’s Chicago office where he helps lead civic and community engagement for the firm and supports the leadership team in growing Marsh’s business in the Midwest. John is a recognized leader in the risk and human capital space. He has spent his career building companies and teams focused on helping clients navigate complex business problems.
Mr. Atkinson is Chair of the Illinois Economic Development Corporation, appointed by Governor Pritzker in 2023, and serves on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park. He also serves as a board director at One Million Degrees, as well as Argentum, a leading national trade organization serving the senior living industry. He is a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola University Chicago and the Board of Advisors of Catholic Charities of Chicago.
Previously, John served as chairman of the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) where he led the board’s development of a new equity focused strategic plan called A Thriving Illinois for post-secondary education in Illinois. He also served as the Chair of $27 billion State University Retirement System pension fund.
Mr. Atkinson and his wife have four adult children and reside in the suburbs of Chicago.
James Coffing - Former Lead IP Counsel at Motorola Solutions
James Coffing retired in 2022 as Lead IP Counsel for Motorola Solutions, where he helped advance and protect cutting-edge software and hardware technologies through strategic IP management, technology transfer, and enterprise risk oversight.
A former electrical engineer turned patent attorney, James supported R&D, safeguarded core innovations, and led company-wide initiatives in IP licensing, trademarks, brand enforcement, and data-rights. He has a BSEE (IIT), and advanced degrees, MEM (Northwestern), and JD (Chicago-Kent).
Ellen Havdala - Managing Director, Chicago, Equity Group Investments
For more than 34 years, Ellen has worked in a variety of capacities for Sam Zell’s affiliated companies. As a Managing Director, she serves on the boards of Ardent Health, a provider of hospital and healthcare services, and CraneWorks, a dealer of new and used truck-mounted and related mobile crane equipment. Additionally, Ellen sources and evaluates new investments. Ellen helped establish the Zell Global Entrepreneurship Network (ZGEN), an organization that provides continuing education and mentorship for students and alumni of three entrepreneurship education programs sponsored by the Zell Family Foundation. As part of her involvement, she also serves on the board of the Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Ellen has served on the boards of Lanter Delivery Systems, an asset-light dedicated delivery service provider; Equity Distribution Acquisition Corp. (EDAC), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) targeting opportunities to apply technological advancement within the industrial sector; SIRVA, Inc., a provider of moving and relocation services; Rewards Network, a dining rewards company; WRS Holding Company, which specializes in environmental construction and remediation; East Mediterranean Gas Company SAE, an Egyptian natural gas transmission business; National Patent Development Corporation, a holding company focused on pharmaceutical and home improvement products; and Home Products International, a global consumer products company. She also held the roles of Executive Vice President at Equity International and Vice President of Scott Sports Group.
Previously, Ellen was a financial analyst with The First Boston Corporation in New York City. She graduated magna cum laude with a BA from Harvard College and earned her Master of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago in 2016.
Kerry Kraemer - Executive Vice President of Operations, PSP Partners
Kerry Kraemer is Executive Vice President of Operations at PSP Partners, where she oversees technology strategy, network activation, human resources, operational improvements, and cross-cutting strategic initiatives and serves on the firm’s risk committee.Previously, Kerry was Chief of Staff to PSP Partners Chairman Penny Pritzker and served as her Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery. Prior to joining PSP Partners, Kerry was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, advising public, private, and social sector clients on strategy, the future of work, and organizational health. Kerry has also held positions with the Civic Consulting Alliance, Oxford Business Group, and worked at the Truman National Security Project where she led their International Development and Sub-Saharan Africa policy portfolios.
Kerry holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University, where she was a varsity swimmer. Kerry is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, a Policy Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and Co-Founder and President of Friends of TASAAGA, a nonprofit that helps orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda build more secure and sustainable futures.
Q&A
Tell us about the areas of expertise you’ll bring to the board and mHUB community.
John: I’ll bring 40 years of experience advising companies of all sizes. As chairman of the Illinois Economic Development Corporation, I hope to impact mHUB positively as a connector of business and civic communities.
James: I have subject matter expertise in areas such as: intellectual property (patent, trademark and copyright) law, technology licensing, data rights and brand protection.
Ellen: I have worked in finance for my entire 37-year career and sit on the boards of portfolio companies helping them with strategic planning. Most importantly, I am a huge fan of mHUB and its mission
Kerry: I bring experience in strategy-to-execution and organizational operations, including firmwide planning, aligning teams on priorities, and performance measurement. My cross-sector background gives me a practical view of how high-performing organizations link vision, people, and execution.
What first brought you to mHUB? Can you describe your first introduction or impression?
John: I was first introduced to mHUB through Meredith O’Connor, who now serves as the organization’s Chair of the Board. Those who know Meredith know she can be very persuasive. Upon interacting with mHUB directly, I was very impressed with the vibe, the mission, and the results of their work.
James: I have followed mHUB's trajectory almost from the beginning, as I was intrigued by the hard-tech aspects of the business. Though an electrical engineer by degree, I have always been fascinated by engineering applications that impact the physical world.
Ellen: I was first introduced to Haven Allen by Steve Koch many years ago and was extremely impressed by him and his passion for mHUB. My employer subsequently invested in mHUB after I introduced him to Haven.
Kerry: I was first introduced to mHUB through the Pritzker Traubert Foundation and later joined them on a site visit to mHUB’s new space. I remember walking the floor and being struck by the energy of founders and engineers building physical products and troubleshooting at their desks, and an mHUB team clearly invested in helping them succeed. It felt like a place where big ideas could move from idea to prototype to company, surrounded by a real community. That combination of hustle, purpose, and Midwest pragmatism really stuck with me.
From your perspective, what's currently driving interest in hardtech and innovation?
John: I serve on the Board of Managers of the IQMP and am actively engaged with the development of the project. I see how emerging technologies like AI and quantum are reorienting around the importance of strong infrastructure and hardware to build upon.
James: I think the consuming public is coming to the realization that software and apps, while very important to a technology solution ecosystem, are not the end-all for solving everyday problems. Some of our greatest advancements can be found at the intersection of soft-tech and hard-tech.
Ellen: A global interest in entrepreneurialism versus traditional employment. Also, I believe that people are trying to test how good they are — they have confidence in their creativity and their ability to create products that will benefit society.
Kerry: I believe interest in hardtech is growing because so many of our biggest challenges are physical, not digital – for example, how we power cities, move goods, make things, and care for people. Companies and communities are realizing that software and AI alone can’t fix crumbling infrastructure, fragile supply chains, or the energy transition; those tools have to collide with the built world. At the same time, advances in AI, sensors, robotics, and materials are making solutions technically and economically possible. And there’s more public and private money flowing toward building things here at home. All of that is pulling more attention and energy toward hardtech.
What gets you excited about the future of what mHUB is doing?
John: I’m compelled by mHUB’s vision but equally with the organization’s ability to execute. The track record suggests much is possible when they set their mind to it.
James: The mHUB culture is so collaborative, open and inclusive, I think there is no limit to what can be done there with proper resource allocation.
Ellen: I can’t wait to see what the products mHUB members create to better the world around us. I am also excited to explore how mHUB’s continued evolution will benefit the City of Chicago.
Kerry: I’m most excited about the connective role mHUB plays at the intersection of startups, manufacturers, investors, and public sector leaders, and how that connectivity translates into new products, companies, and good jobs in Chicago, and eventually beyond. mHUB can help demonstrate what it looks like when hardtech innovation is directly tied to local jobs and American industrial strength.
