Learn more about our honorees below!

Luminary Award:
Laura Ricketts
Executive Chairperson, Chicago Stars
Board Member, Chicago Cubs
Board Chair, Cubs Charities

Laura Ricketts is the Executive Chairperson and controlling owner of the Chicago Stars FC National Women’s Soccer League franchise. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball Club and as Chair of the Board of Chicago Cubs Charities, where she leads the organization’s philanthropy, sports-based youth development and academic programming. She is the first openly LGBTQ woman to co-own an MLB franchise. She is also an investor in the Chicago Sky Women’s National Basketball Association franchise.

Outside of professional sports, Ms. Ricketts is Co-Founder of Beyond Barriers, an innovative professional development platform that helps people-powered businesses develop highly engaged, future-ready talent. She co-founded Ecotravel LLC, a digital ecotourism hub dedicated to educating travelers and promoting global ecotourism. She also practiced corporate and securities law at Schiff Hardin LLP (now ArentFox Schiff).

Ms. Ricketts has been actively engaged with several nonprofit organizations in the Chicago community and beyond. President Barack Obama appointed Ms. Ricketts to the Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has served on the Obama Foundation Inclusion Council, the Board of Advisers for Opportunity Education, Lambda Legal’s Board of Directors and National Leadership Council, Housing Opportunities for Women’s Board and Leadership Council, and was appointed by President Biden to serve on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.

Recognized for her leadership and advocacy work on behalf of the LGBTQ and women’s communities, Ms. Ricketts was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2013. She has received the Center on Halsted Human First Award, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago Vanguard Award, the Equality Illinois Freedom Award, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Leadership Award, the Leadership Champion Award from Girls in the Game, the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago Outstanding Leader Award in Business, the Gamechanger Award by the YMCA of Metro Chicago, and the World Business Chicago Innovation Award for Women’s Sports on behalf of the Chicago Stars FC.

Ms. Ricketts earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She lives in the Chicago area with her wife and three children.

Corporate Award:
BMO

BMO Gives. Good grows here.

Helping communities thrive by supporting the organizations that sustain them and encouraging employee giving and volunteerism is at the heart of BMO's Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life.

In 2024, we directed more than $108 million to drive progress for communities, which included $101 million in philanthropic contributions to hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations across North America.

Our colleagues spent over 54,000 hours volunteering in the community and contributed more than $39 million of donations through employee-driven giving in our annual campaigns.

Girl Scout’s Own Award:
Sue Major
CEO, Major Executive Search

Sue Major is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts and represents the second of three generations in her family to share this legacy. Her mother, a lifelong Girl Scout, served as Sue’s troop leader, and Sue continued the tradition by actively supporting her daughter Barbara as a troop cookie Mom and during her journey to earning the Silver Award. Since 2017, Sue has been a member of the National Board, where she currently co-chairs the Philanthropy Committee, which had a record-breaking year in 2024. Her prior Board service on the San Diego Girl Scout Council and their Board Development Committee spanned 12 years.  Her dedication to the San Diego Girl Scouts has been recognized with the Courage, Confidence, and Character Award for achievement and the Promise Circle Award for her charitable giving. Additionally, she is a member of the Juliette Gordon Low Society, honoring significant contributors to the organization.

Professionally, Sue is the CEO and founder of Major Executive Search, a global retained search firm established in 2005 which places executives and board of directors in technology companies. Her career in the global technology industry spans several decades and includes leadership roles in high-growth companies. As an executive at Motorola, she introduced groundbreaking technology products, including the first cellular handsets and smartphones. At Ameritech, she spearheaded marketing initiatives that expanded their paging and wireless data services. Her contributions to innovation have been recognized with two U.S. patents.

Sue is deeply engaged in both professional and community activities. She serves as a board member for the Global Telecom Women’s Network and the La Jolla Music Society and actively participates in organizations such as the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy. Her personal passion for preservation led her to renovate the award-winning Frank Lloyd Wright estate, Penwern, located in Delavan, Wisconsin.

A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, Sue holds both BA and MBA degrees. She resides in Rancho Santa Fe, California, with her husband, John, a technology entrepreneur and investor. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Sue’s life reflects a remarkable blend of professional achievement, community service, and personal dedication, making her a true inspiration to all who know her.