Andrew Sassower, President, is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. At Payton, Andrew serves as co-chair of the Economics and Investment Team where he has been a part of national qualifying and finalist teams in various economics and finance competitions. Additionally, he leads the PACE student investment committee which responsible for investing $50,000 of the Payton endowment, and plays Varsity soccer. Outside of Payton, Andrew is the director of Fundraising with the Re-Write It Project, an organization that strives to reduce educational inequities in Chicago. Andrew has been a board member of JEC since 2021-22, serving as both Chicago Chief Technology Officer and National Director of Technology this past year. In his free time Andrew enjoys riding his bike and spending time with friends and family.
Carlos Murillo, Vice President, is a senior at Whitney Young High School. He is particularly passionate about finance, economics, and music. At his school, Carlos runs the investment team, which placed top 10 in the Investing Challenge USA competition. Additionally, as Co-president of his school's Business Professionals of America chapter, Carlos has qualified for the National Leadership Conference twice and helped others achieve the same. Additionally, Carlos created Whitney Young FBLA, which swept the State competition in its first year competing. Outside of business and economics, Carlos is an avid musician. He is a member of the Ravinia Jazz Scholars, a prestigious program that incorporates the best young jazz musicians in Illinois. Additionally, Carlos produces and releases House music. In his free time, Carlos enjoys watching Formula 1, exploring Chicago, and playing/producing music with others.
Andres De Marco, Chief Financial Officer, is a junior at the Latin School of Chicago, where he serves as a board member on the Latin Student Investment Fund, co-leads his school's Model UN team, the Latin American Student Organization, Business Club, the Worldly Roman, and is a member of the Golf team. Andres' primary interests are politics, economics, and finance. He loves keeping up to date on the latest political and economic news around the world, and he volunteers and interns at political and governmental offices that he is passionate about. Outside of school, he tutors younger elementary school students, and he enjoys learning languages. He is currently learning Italian and German. In his free time, he loves to cook, travel, and spend time with friends.
Robert Kirkwood, Chief Technology Officer, is a junior at Lycée Français de Chicago. He is especially interested in the relation between finance, economics and technology. Outside of JEC, Robert is involved in software engineering and app development. He is currently creating an app to access and analyze financial-markets data using machine learning. He follows the markets and enjoys investing. Additionally, Robert is fluent in French and he is learning German and Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and chess, biking, and umpiring for a local youth baseball league.
Phoebe Koehler, Chief Marketing Officer, is a senior at the Latin School of Chicago. She has four primary interests: business, volunteer work, sports, and the arts. Phoebe is interested in finance and psychology relating to finance. Although her career goals are still developing, she knows she wants to help people make better financial decisions in the future. Phoebe is an active member of her school community; she is a school ambassador, mentor, and tour guide. At Latin, she is an active member of Green Group, Women in STEM club, and 59 West — an a cappella group. She is also on the girls’ varsity basketball and JV field hockey teams, and is a co-captain of the ultimate frisbee club. In her free time, she loves hanging out with friends, listening to music, and oil painting.
Bella Brown, Director of Communications, is a junior at Walter Payton College Prep. Outside of JEC, Bella serves as the Vice President of her school's Business Outlook Team as well as being involved in her school’s Economics & Investment Team. In addition, Bella loves tutoring elementary students in math and furthering her own knowledge through personal finance courses. While she is generally interested in the world of business, she is especially drawn to behavioral economics. Finally, Bella is a competitive dancer, and in her free time, she loves binging a good TV show and spending time with her friends and family.
Reese Ruffalo, Director of Community Initiatives, is a junior at Benet Academy. In her free time, Reese participates on her school’s tennis team, a club tennis team, and concert chorale, most recently performing a show on Broadway in Chicago. She is also involved in her school's chapter of National Honors Society and a program called Benet Scholars. In the future, she hopes to pursue business and finance, more specifically either accounting or investment banking. Reese is passionate about building an understanding of financial literacy for middle schoolers and high schoolers and hopes to spread her passion throughout the Chicago area.
Jimmy Johnston, Director of Strategic Initiatives, is a Senior at Maine South High School where he serves as Class President and the President of Social Science Honor Society, is a player on the Varsity Golf team, a student ambassador, and co-hosts Hawk Talk, a community outreach podcast for student’s parents to learn more about Maine South. Within business, he is interested in business ethics, marketing techniques and their patterns, and macroeconomics. In his free time, he loves to golf, hang out with friends, or just grab some food.
Kavin Ramasamy, Assistant Operations Officer, is a sophomore at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. He is interested in Business and Entrepreneurship, specifically behavior economics, business analytics, financial literacy, idea generation, market analysis, pitching, and public speaking. Kavin is a member of Business Professionals of America and Future Business Leaders of America where he has been a finalist at the State and National level. Kavin is the President and Founder of the High School Internships Club, where he liaises between businesses/organizations and high school students for internship opportunities. Kavin is a member of Chicago Teen Mentors where he tutors sixth graders in math. Kavin spends his free time playing chess, running, enjoying time with family and friends, and traveling.
Lindsey Prochot, Assistant Financial Officer, is a rising junior at Walter Payton. She is interested in exploring business and finance, with hopes to one day become an entrepreneur. She is co-chair of Payton's Economics and Investment Team, and the Director of Resource Management for the Re-Write It Project, a non-profit with a mission to improve access to school supplies across Chicagoland. At Payton, she is also the leader of Operation Gratitude, a club dedicated to writing letters to soldiers, and a member of the National Honor Society. She loves to exercise in her free time, as a dedicated volleyball player, badminton player, and cultural performer, both in and outside school.
Leah Wu, Assistant Marketing Officer, is a sophomore at Walter Payton College Prep. Her primary interests include economics and finance, engineering, science, and writing. She was also the captain of Payton’s freshman volleyball team and is a member of their sailing team. In school, she is a senior editor for the Chicago Youth Science Journal, and a member of Science Olympiad, the Economics and Investment Team, and the Slam Poetry Team. Outside of school, she is involved with the Young Investors Society, winning 3rd place in their 2023 Global Stock Pitch Competition. She is also an avid writer, winning a National Silver Medal in the 2022-23 Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition. In her free time, Leah enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and exploring the city. She is very excited to contribute to the positive impact JEC has on Chicago and beyond.