Joseph Feldman
President & Founder
Prior Corporate Experience
VP, Worldwide Business Development, Searle Pharmaceuticals (unit of Monsanto Company) - $4 billion pharmaceutical company
Vice President, Business Development Monsanto Company Food and Nutrition Sector - $1 billion division for nutritional products, food ingredients, food biotechnology
Director, Supply Chain Operations; Deputy General Manager, Europe; Director R&D Planning and Administration, The NutraSweet Company – Sweetener company marketing NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel
Prior Venture Experience
Co-founder and Managing Director, Sandbox Industries – New business start-up company in the areas of health and wellness, consumer products, and technology, and general partner of a venture capital fund
VP, Business Development, Chromatin, Inc. – Venture-capital backed agricultural biotechnology company
VP, Corporate Development, First Genetic Trust – Venture-capital backed firm providing online genetic banking and education services to protect the privacy of individuals’ genetic information
CORPORATE BOARDS
Board of Directors member, Southern Seasonings; Creole and Cajun foods and seasonings; 2017 – present
Advisory Board member, Chicago Capital Partners; private equity and alternative investment fund;
2012 – 2019
Advisory Board member, CES Optical; optical design, wholesale, and retail business; 2003 - 2012
Board of Directors member; Morgan Street Document Systems; document management for high net worth individuals and advisors; from start-up in 2005 – 2008
Advisory Board member, XTEND, small/medium business IT services company; 2006 - 2007
NOT-FOR-PROFIT BOARDS
Board member, Chicago Lights; social services organization that provides hope and opportunity to Chicago’s children, youth, and adults who face the challenges of poverty; 2016 – present
Board member, Kennedy Forum Illinois; advocacy for mental health access and insurance parity;
2019 – present
Board member (President, 2014 – 2019), Warming House Youth Center; after-school and weekend programming supporting local 6th-12th grade youth;
2013 – present
Chairman, Village of Wilmette Youth Commission; oversaw services and programs for the youth of Wilmette, Illinois; initiated community-wide reporting on youth issues; established inter-agency collaborations with local schools; founded bicycle safety program;
2003 – 2008
EDUCATION
MBA, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
BS, Economics, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
SELECTED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
BMO Harris Bank
Jenner & Block
Chicago Bar Association
President’s Forum
University of Illinois at Chicago
DePaul University
Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd.
Levenfeld Pearlstein