Marian Honel-Wilson, President
Marian has been helping to coordinate CDG’s Annual Race Unity Rally for over 30 years. Marian’s career was in service to anti-discrimination investigation and enforcement at the Illinois Department of Human Rights. Marian is a certified trainer through the National Coalition Building Institute, and is also Board Secretary at the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale.

Cathy Pierson Lenke, Vice President
Cathy is a founding member of CDG and for 40 years worked at The LeaderShop overseeing programs for children and youth. Cathy is currently Program Manager at Lyons Township Mental Health Commission.

Rebecca (Becky) Lorentzen, Treasurer
Becky had a 40 year career at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, culminating in her role of Senior Systems Analyst. She has Master’s degrees in Information Systems (DePaul) and Clinical Psychology (Adler University) and promotes the unity of humanity as an active member of the Baha’i Faith.

Elizabeth Wallace, Secretary
Beth is an attorney and represented the People of the State of Illinois for over 30 years at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office enforcing environmental protection laws.

Linda Eastman
Is a founding member of CDG and co-chairs the annual Race Unity Rally. Linda’s career was in sales at Inland Steel and after retiring, she worked as a travel agent and served on the Community Memorial Hospital and Foundation Boards, and on the board of Progressives Harambe.

Ken Eastman
Is one of the founding members of CDG. His professional career includes working in engineering at Skidmore, Owens and Merrill, and later working in IT at Argo Community High School as the Director of Technology. He served as a La Grange Village Trustee for 12 years and currently serves on CDG’s strategic planning committee.

Gioia Giannotti
Is a strategic, equity-driven leader with 20+ years of experience across community health, culturally-responsive design, corporate marketing, and nonprofit advocacy who has advanced equity and impact by leading multimillion-dollar initiatives at Fortune 500 companies such as Allstate Insurance Co. and Sears, Roebuck and Co., co-founding (r)evolution architecture, and serving on numerous nonprofit and community boards. She currently serves as Secretary of District 204’s Board of Education, is a founding Board member of OptWell, and supports the CommUNITY Diversity Group’s marketing, scholarship, and strategic planning efforts.

Harold Gibson
Hails from Medford, MA and was raised in a mostly African-American neighborhood where families cared about each other. He learned electronics at an early age while building a ham radio in his bedroom at age 8 with a mentor, then went on to work in electronics in the Air Force and other venues before becoming a Scientific Associate at Los Alamos and Argonne National Laboratories. As a member of the Baha’i Faith, he continues to build community by bringing together people of all backgrounds in the human family. He is currently on the planning committee for the Spiritual Unity of the Tribes gatherings which are bringing together Indigenous people from many backgrounds.

Kathleen Valenta
Is a retired District 102 educator. She co-chaired Renew D102, and serves on D102’s CEMA Committee. She is also active in the La Grange Rotary and the Ministerium. At Emmanuel Episcopal, she is Vestry Clerk and leads Children’s Church. As a new CDG board member, she helps guide scholarships and events.

Vanessa Deaton
Is a new CDG Board member (as of September 2025) and a proud member of CDG’s Scholarship Committee. As the Family and Community Engagement Coordinator for District 102, she is dedicated to supporting families and ensuring that every student has access to meaningful opportunities, thrives academically, and feels cared for by their school and the broader community.