PROFILE
Navy Pier’s caretaker
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ALUMNI
He also is grand knight of the Knights of Columbus council on Capitol Hill, captain of the Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Assembly and president of the Marquette Club of Washington, D.C. Rebeca Lopez, Arts ’04, Law ’12, is an associate in the labor, employment and immigration practice group at the Milwaukee office of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. Previously, she was a caseworker, regional coordinator and office manager for U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.
2005 Phil de la Vega, Comm ’05, graduated with a master of arts degree in new media studies from DePaul University.
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Marilynn Kelly Gardner, Jour ’88, is convinced she has the best job in Chicago.
Lindsey R. King, Law ’05, was named a leading lawyer in the labor and employment law field by M Magazine. She practices at Petrie & Stocking, S.C.
As president and chief executive officer of Navy Pier Inc., she stands at the helm of the No. 1 tourist attraction in the Midwest. Gardner’s role is part
2006
operations director, part landlord, part community partner and part tourism
Emili Ballweg, Eng ’06; Brian Miller, Bus Ad ’06; and Megan Trickey, Eng ’05; completed the Minnesota MS150 Bike Ride. The three rode 150 miles and raised more than $3,500 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
promoter, all to ensure the 9 million people who visit Navy Pier annually walk away satisfied.
“What I find most rewarding is knowing that people choose to spend their
limited leisure time with us,” she says.
Gardner’s 18-year love affair with Navy Pier began in 1994 when she was
hired as a public relations director. Approved by Chicago’s mayor and the governor of Illinois as general manager in 2006, the mother of three says balance is the key to managing her hectic schedule — a skill she learned as an undergraduate in Marquette’s Freshman Frontier Program.
“Marquette taught me to apply myself to all I do but to create balance in
doing so,” she says. “We worked hard, relaxed well, practiced our faith and never let the little things get in the way of doing great work.”
Gardner’s current priority is managing the redevelopment of Navy Pier.
She facilitated a worldwide search for an architectural firm with a design concept that will create the “pier of the future” in time for the venue’s 100th birthday in 2016.
“Our challenge,” she says, “is to create a pier that’s even more loved than
the current pier.” — Lynn C. Sheka
Brandon Zingsheim, Eng ’06, founded MissionTree, a Catholic nonprofit website where missionaries can request funding for projects.
2007 John Willkom, Bus Ad ’07, was promoted to region manager for Kellogg’s Midwest zone and relocated from Manhattan Beach, Calif., to Chicago. He and fiancée Kristan Heintz, Comm ’08, are getting married in May 2013.
Marquette Magazine
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