Meet Our Board

Meet Our Board

Cherryl Thomas


Cherryl Thomas is the former president and CEO of Ardmore Associates, LLC, an engineering consulting firm specializing in infrastructure, transportation, and construction management. Previously, Cherryl chaired the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, an independent agency in the executive branch of the federal government. She also held executive roles with the City of Chicago and was deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley. Cherryl earned a master’s degree in physiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and holds an honorary doctor of public administration from Boston College. She is active in the community, serving on the boards of trustees for the Chicago Zoological Society, Chicago Archdiocese School Board, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Polk Brothers Foundation. Cherryl is also a member of the Chicago Network, Big Shoulders Fund, and Marquette University President’s Society.