UPTOWN CHICAGO COMMISSION

Board of Directors

Cindi Anderson

An 11-year Uptown resident, Cindi is a certified public accountant and treasurer of the UCC. Former President and Chair of UCC's Zoning and TIF Committee, she is also an active member of the Lake Side Area Neighbors' Association and the Uptown Historical Society and enjoys volunteering at animal shelters.

Keitha Benkowski

Keitha has been a member of the UCC Board for over 30 years, and currently serves on its Fundraising and Events Committees. She has been an active member of the Girl Scouts of America for the past 35 years, Stewart School's Local School Council, and the Facility Health Board/Uptown Neighborhood Health Center. Keitha is a member of Buena Park Neighbors block club.

Joseph J. Cain, Jr.

A member of UCC's Events Committee, Joe has been active with UCC since the mid 1980s. He is involved in numerous neighborhood groups, including Buena Park Neighbors, the East Graceland Organization and the Challenger Park Development and Advisory Committee. Joe has served as a docent and tour director with the Chicago Architecture Foundation since 1981.

Dan Caliendo

A board member for over 30 years, Dan Co-Chairs the Fundraising Committee. He has been involved in the Winona-Foster-Carmen-Winnemac Block Club and volunteers his time with the Uptown Theatre and Center for Arts and the Chicago International Film Festival.

James Cappleman

James joined UCC soon after his move to Uptown in 1999. He's completing his second term as board president and introduced the Good Neighbor Award. He is also active with Belmont Harbor Neighbors, East Lake View Neighbors, Lake View Citizens Council, Buena Park Neighbors, Truman Square Neighbors, and CAPS. James has worked with local state officials to reduce public drinking, aggressive panhandling, gangs, and prostitution. James is a licensed clinical social worker and author of the book, Asking the Right Questions to Get the Health Care You Need.

Catherine Denny

Vice-president, co-chair of the of the Fundraising Committee and a member of UCC’s Public Safety Committee, Catherine is a former event planner and works with her husband, Matthew, at Uptown Recording Studio, an endeavor they created in 2000. An 13-year resident of Uptown, she has worked extensively to address public safety concerns in the community.

William Hersh

A board member since 1980, Bill has served as UCC president, vice-president, and treasurer. He is active in several Uptown organizations, including the Margate Park Advisory Council (treasurer), Scrap Mettle Soul, and 5000 Marine Dr. Corporation (treasurer). He also volunteers for the Center for Economic Progress, preparing state and federal income taxes for low-income and senior citizens of Uptown. Bill is a member of UCC's Zoning and Land Use Committee.

Ed Kuske

Ed has been a resident of uptown since 1990. He is the president of the Castlewood Terrace Association and a member of 48 the Ward zoning/planning committee. He volunteers in the 20th Police District as the beat 2024 facilitator, chairperson of the Court Advocacy subcommittee and member of the Domestic Violence subcommittee.

Tonia Lorenz

Tonia has lived in Uptown since 1988, and is the fourth generation of her family to do so. She has been a member of the UCC Board since 2009 and is currently secretary. She is a member of the board of Truman Square Neighbors block club, and was instrumental in creation of the Winthrop Avenue Family Historical Garden, which turned a long-abandoned lot into a community garden / living history of the 4600 block of Winthrop.

Martin Tangora

A professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Marty is involved in numerous landmark preservation and neighborhood organizations. He has been a UCC board member for the past ten years and was the founding vice-president of the Uptown Historical Society.

Richard Thale

Richard has been an Uptown resident since 1999 and joined UCC soon after his move into the neighborhood. He is a past vice-president and has headed up UCC's Public Safety Committee for several years. In 2005, he became the CAPS beat facilitator for Beat 2312 and soon afterwards heads up Court Advocacy for the 23rd Police District. As an avid gardener, he has garden plots at the Sunnyside Mall, the Uptown Fire Station, the Winthrop Avenue Family Historical Garden, and the SE corner of Lawrence & Kenmore.

Patrick Waters

A clinical pharmacist with a particular interest in the treatment of HIV infections, Patrick is UCC's Immediate Past-President and current Zoning Chair. He has lived in Uptown for the past 13 years, and has been active in the Lake Side Area Neighbors' Association and the Zoning and Land Use Committee of the 48th Ward.