Wendi Taylor Nations

Wendi Taylor Nations is the Chief Marketing Officer at The Conference Board. Before joining, she served as EVP and Partner at Hawthorne Strategy Group (HSG), one of the Midwest’s leading marketing and communications firms, heading new business development and marketing and communications strategy for clients in health care, economic development, public affairs, and not-for-profit sectors.

Wendi distinguished herself as an innovator and transformational leader at the global public relations firms Hill & Knowlton (H&K) and Porter Novelli. At H&K, Wendi helped develop the hospitals and health services practice focused on helping hospitals educate their communities about access to care and health care financing. At Porter Novelli, Wendi led the team that transformed Porter Novelli Midwest from a struggling outpost to an agency leader representing major brands including McDonald’s and Proctor & Gamble.

After leaving Porter Novelli, Wendi served as Chief Marketing Officer for the global executive search firm, Heidrick & Struggles. She developed the firm’s first global marketing plan to support its business model transformation and brand repositioning, from executive search to Leadership Advisory, by creating relationships with top-tier business media including Bloomberg, CNN, Financial Times, Reuters, 60 Minutes, CNBC, and USA Today, among others; and the firm’s first media relations effort in partnership with the World Economic Forum.

Wendi went on to join Fleishman & Hilliard, where she led the team that won the $37 million Affordable Care Act “Get Covered Illinois” business. Wendi then served as World Business Chicago’s (WBC) first Chief Marketing Officer, the organization charged with leading economic development for the City of Chicago. While at WBC from 2013 to 2017, Wendi and her team helped bring over 50,000 new jobs to Chicago through campaigns to companies planning corporate moves including ConAgra, McDonald’s, Kraft/Heinz, GE Healthcare, and others.

Wendi’s most recent professional adventure was to run for office in the 2023 municipal election for Chicago’s 43rd Ward Alderman. Wendi raised $120,000 in private donations, built a campaign team of over 60 paid staff and volunteers, collected over 1,000 signatures, knocked on over 15,000 doors, walked hundreds of miles, spoke at countless public meetings, and earned a priceless education in Chicago politics and the pursuit of public service.

Wendi has received numerous honors for her leadership and professional experience including two Emmys (Get Covered Illinois/Outstanding Achievement in Public Affairs), “Best Integrated Advertising Campaign” (Get Covered Illinois/Modern Healthcare and Ad Age), Chicago “#1 for Corporate Investment” four years in a row (WBC/Site Selection magazine), and Chicago “#1 in foreign direct investment” four years in a row (WBC/IBM Global Location Trends).

Wendi is a Trustee of the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, the DePauw University Board of Visitors, and a member of Kellogg’s Pete Henderson Society. She is a former board member of the Kellogg Alumni Council and Tree House Humane Society. She is an active and involved volunteer in various community groups, animal rescue, and food insecurity organizations including Lasagna Love. She is the co-founder of the Maud Avenue Group, an organization dedicated to providing meals, transportation to doctors, vital household goods, and social interactions during the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wendi earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University and her Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.