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Terry Howerton Co-Founder & ChairmanTerry Howerton is an entrepreneur who started his first business in high school and has spent a career starting and leading ventures, mentoring other entrepreneurs and building organizations.
Howerton was cofounder and founding chairman of Chicago Tech Academy.
Read MoreHe is the CEO of TechNexus, a venture development firm with a unique, collaborative model for leading corporations to engage with the global entrepreneurial ecosystem, and one of the most active early-stage investors in the country. Howerton also founded ITA, the Chicago tech industry association that serves thousands or growth stage technology companies, more than 100 of which were instrumental in the creation of Chicago Tech Academy.
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Todd Babbitz Board Member -
Colleen D. Egan Board MemberColleen D. Egan started her career in nursing, but her deep thirst for knowledge into the wonders of technology, led her to pursue that passion. She was a founder and COO of the award winning digital media company, 212 Degrees, and continued her career in executive leadership roles with diverse companies such as ZULA, the first 3D-CGI STEM children’s education television show, and Akoo International, the largest digital out-of-home network in the country.
Read MoreAs the founder and CEO of Tiger Puppet Studios, she consulted with technology start-ups in various stages of growth and most recently she was a Director at technology consulting leader, Clarity Partners. Colleen is a founding member of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute at DePaul University and was the 2018 Illinois Technology Association’s Prominent Woman in Tech. She has also been awarded “Woman of M2M/IoT” by Connected World and has been recognized as a Crain’s Chicago Business Notable LGBTQ executive in 2018 and 2019. Colleen is a mentor with several organizations and speaks regularly on topics including, women in tech, diversity, equity, and inclusion and LGBTQ issues.
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Tim Handorf Board MemberTim Handorf is a co-founder and President at G2.com. Tim has spent over 20 years developing and delivering software in a variety of roles including professional services and product management.
Read MorePrior to G2, Tim was responsible for Product Management at BigMachines and led efforts to deliver the top-rated quoting tool on Salesforce.com’s AppExchange for three years in a row. Tim loves making life better by solving problems using software technology. Tim is passionate about working in an entrepreneurial environment, where he can help build the next generation of entrepreneurs. Tim, his wife Danae and three children, ages 11, 14, 17, live in Wilmot WI.
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Gautam Kumar Board MemberGautam brings a career in building growth-stage technology companies. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Rocketmiles (now part of Booking Holdings Group) and previously was the SVP of Strategy and Business Development at OptionsHouse (now part of E*Trade Corporation). He has a background in management consulting and an education in computer science.
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Brenda Darden Wilkerson Board MemberBrenda Darden Wilkerson is an advocate for access, opportunity, and social justice for underrepresented communities in technology. She currently serves as
the President and CEO of AnitaB.org, an organization working to shape public opinion about issues of critical importance to women technologists in academia, industry, and government.Read MoreShe founded the original Computer Science for All program, building computer science classes into the curriculum for every student in the Chicago Public Schools, and serving as the inspiration for the Obama administration’s national CS4All initiatives.
Chicago Tech Academy Board of Directors’ 2025-26 Meeting Schedule
September 18, 2025
November 20, 2025
Please contact FOIA Officer Alan Kelly with any questions.