Mary Louise (Mary Lou) is 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 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 marketing, media, and strategic planning. As a senior executive at Leo Burnett Worldwide, an advertising agency and part of Publicis Groupe, she led global business-building responsibility for Walt Disney Company, Reebok Inc., and the Proctor & Gamble Company.

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 was honored with a Professional Achievement Citation, which the University of Chicago created to recognize alumni whose vocational achievements have distinguished them in their fields and have brought credit to the university. She served as the chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Capital Campaign at Saint Mary’s College and received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities.

Mary Lou is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago 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, vice chair of the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic School Board, director of the Chicago Humanities Festival, and trustee and chairman emeritus of the Chicago Historical Society. In addition, Mary Lou is a director and chairman emeritus of the Smart Museum of Art Board of Governors, a director at The Museum of Language Arts, and trustee of Eisenhower Fellowships. Recently, Mary Lou was elected president of The Chicago Club.