For 30 years, it has been my privilege to serve as the Founder and Executive Director for this non-partisan, educational organization. It is an honor to support the hard-working members of the U.S. state senates. In a time of increasing divisiveness in public debate, the Forum has been able to transcend politics and to model the benefits of collaborative approaches to problem-solving. The Forum’s goal is to enable lawmakers to learn from the successes and challenges facing fellow state leaders in a friendly, informal environment. My greatest satisfaction comes from seeing how lessons learned at the Forum inform effective legislation for the benefit of all citizens.

Emily is the manager at the Senate Presidents’ Forum, where she supports the Forum’s mission of fostering bipartisan dialogue and leadership development among state senate leaders. With three years of experience at the National Conference of State Legislatures and a strong background in development and strategic partnerships, Emily brings expertise in fundraising, nonprofit engagement, and program execution to her role. Passionate about strengthening public policy through collaborative leadership, Emily is committed to advancing impactful conversations at the state level. Based in Salt Lake City,  Emily enjoys taking advantage of Utah’s outdoors through skiing and hiking. 

Rich joined the Forum in 2016 and formerly held the title of Director of Programming. He is experienced in content development and has led projects in various media covering healthcare, tech, regulation, legal marketing, and music education. Rich has been published extensively as a writer, with several works distributed internationally, and performs regularly as a musician in and around New York City.

Corina developed expertise on state legislatures during her tenure at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), where she planned trainings for legislative leaders, was director of State Services, and led the Fiscal Affairs Program. Corina has written extensively on state budget issues and been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and other prestigious publications. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado and a B.A. from CU-Boulder.

Christine has served as SPF's editor since 1996. She holds degrees from Cornell University and Harvard University. For the past 15 years, Christine has developed medical education materials for healthcare professionals. She is the co-author of the book Successful Cardiac Rehabilitation and has been published in The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor, as well as serving as a contributor to articles for numerous medical journals.

John Cullerton’s storied career in public office spans more than four decades. He served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1979 to 2020, representing the 6th District first as a member of the House from 1979 to 1991 and then the Senate from 1991 to 2020, where he was elected by his peers to preside as president for 11 years until retiring from the legislature.

     Over the course of his tenure in office, John passed notable pieces of legislation including the seat-belt law, Smoke-Free Illinois Act and the Child Passenger Protection Act. Known for his calm leadership and pragmatic consensus building, his bipartisan approach paved the way for significant accomplishments in the Senate around economic recovery, resolution of budget stalemates, marriage equality, public education funding and investment in state infrastructure.

     Today, John is a partner with law firm Thompson Coburn, drawing on his vast insight into how government functions as he advocates for an array of clients. In recent years, he has also provided lobbying services for clients before governmental bodies in both Illinois and Washington, D.C.  

     A native of Chicagoland, John earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Loyola University in Chicago, as well as a J.D. from its School of Law. He began his legal career working in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender.

     John and his wife, Pam, have been married for 46 years. They have five children and reside on the north side of Chicago.

Marcy brings extensive logistical expertise and travel experience to our programs. She began her career on the hotel side as a manager in Catering & Conference Services, and went on to Meeting Planning for numerous Fortune 500 companies before becoming a travel director focused on pharmaceutical clientele, as well as working on-site at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. She recently spent nine years consulting on an annual investor conference for a Washington, D.C.-based association in the oil & gas industry. At SPF, Marcy is responsible for destination research for future meetings, advance site visits, negotiation of on-site contracts, pre-planning and on-site management, and post-meeting reviews.