Board of Directors
Josh Yellin, Co-Founder, Chairman of Board
Josh’s connection to Urban Rivers runs deep--Josh guided canoe trips in Alaska, managed the canoe program at Friends of the Chicago River for two years, was an Educator at Shedd Aquarium for three years, and conducted his M.S. research studying artificial floating islands in the Chicago River. More recently, Josh cofounded Google’s startup accelerator program: Launchpad Accelerator (g.co/launchpadaccelerator). After four years scaling that program globally, Josh has taken on a new role as Chief of Staff & Operations Lead for TensorFlow (tensorflow.org), which is Google’s open source machine learning platform. Josh is also finishing his Executive MBA at The Wharton School.
Dr. Philip Willink, Academic Research & Consultant, Former Senior Research Biologist (Shedd Aquarium)
Philip Willink joined Shedd in 2012 as senior research biologist for the aquarium’s Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, leading Shedd’s efforts to develop a comprehensive evaluation of the state’s list of threatened and endangered species through on-the-ground population assessments. Dr. Willink has more than 20 years of experience in research, teaching and global expeditions studying fish biodiversity as well as endangered and invasive species. His work includes studies on the Great Lakes, examining the genetics of invasive species and the impact of development and invasive species on native fish populations, as well as a project to publish a field guide of Chicago lakefront fishes. Dr. Willink holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Michigan.
Beau D’Arcy, CEO & Founder, BreakWater & Effortless Efficiency
Working to deliver a unique entertainment concept that will change the social scene in Chicago forever. Breakwater Chicago’s mission is to create an entertainment venue utterly unique to Chicago: a national and international attraction bringing visitors to experience a world-class city in an unprecedented way, by enjoying an extraordinary location that is both luxurious and truly at harmony with its environment. www.BreakwaterChicago.com
Dave Olson, CEO and Founder, Kayak Chicago
After several years of teaching classes and guiding tours, Dave began purchasing and renting kayaks on the Chicago River. He operated three Chicago locations, providing guided tours, lessons and rentals for kayaks and stand up paddleboards. We host several river and beach cleanups throughout the summer and organize a standup paddleboard race, which benefits Young Adult Cancer Survivors. We employ over 40 staff, have over 400 kayaks and paddleboards and introduce over 20,000 people to paddling each year
Reverend Randall Blakey, Executive Pastor, LaSalle Street Church & Executive Director, Near North Unity Program
At LaSalle Street Church, Randall serves as Chief of Staff and shares the Pastoral responsibilities of the Ministry Team. He also leads the Near North Unity Program, started to promote and strengthen community cohesion in the Near North Neighborhood, and is President of the Near North Ministry Alliance. He is a professional television director of photography, who is passionate about social justice, community development, and advocating for the last, the least and the lost amongst society’s social margins.
Nick Wesley, Executive Director, Co-Founder, Urban Rivers
Graduated with a BBA in Entrepreneurship from Wilkes University and worked on aeroponic systems and spearheaded mushroom plant research at 'The Plant' by building a commercial pasteurizing system for producing mushrooms. Nick has also spearheaded the design and construction of the Wild Mile as well as worked with various agencies to push forward the vision of a wildlife first floating eco park. Nick’s an avid tinkerer and always building something new. He recently spearheaded a successful Kickstarter under Urban Rivers, the Trash Bot project.
Zachary Damato, COO & Co-Founder, Niwa, Co-Founder, Urban Rivers
Zachary Damato has spent his career working/consulting on environmental issues ranging from food waste to food start-ups to river conservation. He founded and co-owned a specialty and organic food distribution company (www.normandistribution) and was an associated mentor for Techstars (www.techstars.com) New York City. He is now COO & co-founder of Niwa (www.getniwa.com), a company that designs smart hydroponic systems that are software enabled. Additionally, he is a co-founder of Urban Rivers (www.urbanriv.org) that focuses on turning urban riverways into wildlife sanctuaries and his team is now spearheading a mile-long park, known as the Wild Mile, in the Chicago River. Zachary loves to experiment in the kitchen, play basketball and explore new cultures. He holds a B.S. in Organizational Management and a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from Purdue University and Tsinghua University.