About Us
ELVN’s Board of Directors are pulled from a cross-section of our community. We are residents, business owners, and employees. If you would like to be more active in community life, we encourage you to attend our meetings, and perhaps join our board!
Board member elections are held every year at our March Community meeting. Each member of the board is elected for a two-year term; the terms are staggered, so every year one-half of the posts are up for election.
2025-2026 Executive Board
Christina Pinson — President
Christina has lived in and out of the Lakeview Area for the past 13 years. Most recently as of 2022 she resides at the corner of Waveland & Wilton with her Wife Melissa and their cat Gypsy who takes advantage of all their window ledges to people watch. Christina has worked for Wintrust Mortgage for the past 8 years and as we all know Wintrust is active in many communities and Lakeview is no exception. Prior to working for Wintrust Christina was a Realtor with Dream Town Realty and sold multiple properties on the northside of Chicago for 5 years. Christina has a deep non-profit history as a volunteer and was the former President & CEO of the Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce that was at that time headquartered in Lakeview for almost 9 years. Her degree is in Non-Profit management which gives her a unique perspective on operations, community involvement and fundraising. In her spare time Christina is usually at Wrigley Field either enjoying her season tickets or working to protect one of the best places on earth. She is excited to give back to her community in any way that she can.
John McCarthy — Vice-President
John has served on the ELVN Board since 2023 and during that time has worked to promote and augment ELVN membership. John has lived in East Lakeview for 12 years, spending eight of those years on the Board of his co-op building. Since 2021 he has been the Chicago Police Department’s volunteer beat facilitator for East Lakeview’s Beat 1925, where his meetings often record the highest attendance in the District. His career has been in TV news writing and production, and documentary and corporate video production. He and his wife of 42 years have three married sons and six grandchildren.
Kit Welch — Treasurer
Kit and her wife decided to make Lakeview East their permanent home in 2012 after having lived in numerous cities. By profession, Kit is a Real Estate Broker with Baird & Warner, specializing in residential and small commercial real estate sales throughout Chicagoland, but focuses her business primarily on the North side of the City, and the Lakeview/Wrigleyville area. In 2017, Kit and her wife bought their second property within the East Lakeview boundaries, a 2-flat building on the 3700 block of North Kenmore Ave. They have opened an Airbnb in the second floor unit of their new home, and are now landlords for the condo property they used to live in at the corner of Grace and Fremont. Kit has become an active member in the Lakeview East/LGBT community, as a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and serving on the Boards of The Legacy Project and the Grace Condos Association. Kit is also an avid SCUBA diver and volunteer at The Shedd Aquarium.
Erika B. Caldwell — Treasurer
Erika is a proud East Lakeview and 44th Ward resident. Professionally, she has spent years working on Democratic political campaigns, providing organizing, fundraising, political, and management expertise to candidates running for a variety of public offices, ranging from Ward Committeeperson to the United States House of Representatives. She sits on the board of Young Chicago Lakefront and is a member of the 44th Ward Democrats, QForce, and One Northside. Erika is passionate about public service and community engagement and is eager to build deeper connections with her neighbors while continuing to foster community in East Lakeview.
2025-26 Board of Directors
Brian Murphy has lived, worked, and owned property in East Lakeview for most of his life. Upon marrying wife Jaime, they moved back into the same apartment that he grew up on Sheffield Avenue. In the following years, his 2 sons were born in the same home. He’s worked in his family’s business at Murphy’s Bleachers and also has managed Mrs. Murphy & Sons restaurant as well as worked in property management. For several years, Brian has served as the principal organizer for ELVN’s Oktoberfest. During that time, Oktoberfest raised well over $100,000 for local area charities and schools. Throughout his life, he has watched East Lakeview evolve into the thriving community that it is today. Brian looks forward to continuing to take an active role in helping this neighborhood reach its full potential.
Patrick Nagle has lived in Lakeview for the past 17 years and has worked as an attorney for 28 years. Patrick currently serves as the nation’s Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration. He has been an ELVN board member for the past twelve years as well as a member of Alderman Cappleman’s Zoning and Development Committee. His wife and he are raising two children in the neighborhood and he is invested in making this community an optimal place for people to live and work.
Maureen T. Martino is the Executive Director for the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and manages two Special Service Areas in the commercial district consisting of Central, Lakeview East and Wrigleyville. Maureen lends counsel to outlying civic, public, and non-profit organizations to foster growth and economic development. Maureen has served on Mayor Daley, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and local elected official’s Economic Development Advisory and Zoning Committees. She recently joined the Steering Committee for the States Attorney’s office. She volunteers her time at various neighborhood non-profit associations and continues to improve the quality of life and safety in Lakeview.
Kenny Allen has been living in Lakeview for four years. He loves the neighborhood because he can access everything he needs without getting into a car. Ever since he was a teen in Boston, Kenny has been interested in what makes cities click; he’s now in law school trying to figure out how to make city living realistic for every person who wants it. Before starting law school, Kenny worked at AIDS Foundation Chicago on their External Relations team. Kenny is excited to join ELVN to both learn more about and leave his stamp on his community!
Edward Gisiger has proudly called 828 West Grace Street home since 2017 with his husband. A dedicated community leader, he has served 15 years on the 828 West Grace Condo Association board. As owner of Kit Kat Club (26 years) and Lark Restaurant & Bar (10 years), Edward champions vibrant, responsible neighborhood growth.
Tobin Greenwald has been an active community member through volunteering with the Bring Chicago Home campaign, which focuses on solutions for unhoused Chicagoans, and through his involvement with Lakeview Urbanists. Professionally, he hold a master’s degree in urban planning from UIC, has experience working at the City of Chicago, and currently works in campus planning and development.
Will McIntee serves as Director of Government and Community Affairs for the Chicago Cubs, where he manages relationships with elected officials, government agencies, and community organizations. In this role, Will also leads the team’s charitable initiatives in support of the organization’s commitment to being a good neighbor in Lakeview and throughout the City of Chicago. Prior to joining the Cubs, Will was Director of Strategic Engagement in the White House Office of Public Engagement during the Biden–Harris Administration. There, he led sports engagement efforts and directed outreach on community development, rural affairs, agriculture, food, and nutrition issues. His career in public service also includes roles on the Biden for President campaign, at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Obama–Biden Administration, and in the office of Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01). He is passionate about public service and community development and hopes to bring the skills he has developed through his years in government to this role. He currently serves on the Blue Star Families Chicagoland Chapter Advisory Board supporting military families. Will and his wife Allie are also volunteers at Nourishing Hope.
Mike Raffety has lived on Halsted in Lakeview for 22 years now with Dan (his husband and partner of 28 years) and two Samoyed dogs and one cat. They enjoy traveling, technology, genealogy, friends, good food, and good drinks. He graduated with an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management with high honors, and has worked in Information Technology for Northern Trust for 18 years. Mike is a member of Toastmasters International for over 25 years, and served on the board of the organization, overseeing a $40M budget. He was appointed by the mayor to the Halsted Special Service Area (SSA) commission in 2018, overseeing a $500K budget, and has been the chair for two years now. Mike is on the Lake View Citizens Council (LVCC) board and has served as secretary for ten years. He served on the Triangle Neighbors and Heart of Lakeview boards and as secretary, which was folded into ELVN in 2025. Mike is also a neighborhood CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy) beat facilitator, a member of the 44th ward planning and zoning committee, and a member of the Center on Halsted auxiliary board.