Mary Louise (Mary Lou) is the president and CEO of Ingenuity International and leads the CEO and board search practice for nonprofits and Fortune 500, mid-cap, and privately owned companies. As a board and CEO advisor, she specializes in organizational governance, succession planning, and leadership issues. Mary Lou joined the executive search profession with more than two decades of experience in strategic planning and marketing. Prior to this, Mary Lou was a senior executive at Leo Burnett Worldwide, a global advertising agency and division of Publicis Groupe.

Mary Lou earned a BA from Saint Mary’s College, an MS in Journalism from Northwestern University, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. She served as the chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Capital Campaign at Saint Mary’s and received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities.

Mary Lou was elected to the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago in 2004 and is the immediate past vice chair. Her other philanthropic work includes serving as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, chair of the Chicago History Museum, and vice chair of the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic School Board. Additionally, Mary Lou serves as a member of the Eisenhower Fellowships Board of Trustees and is a director and immediate past chair of the Smart Museum of Art Board of Governors. Recently, Mary Lou was elected president of The Chicago Club.