A Dream

The inspiration for the Women’s Leadership Center grew out of a lifetime of experiences for Ann McIlrath Drake. For more than 30 years, Ann was CEO of DSC Logistics, guiding DSC to become an innovative leader in the supply chain field and business partner to some of the world’s leading companies.

But it tugged at Ann that she was one of very few women in supply chain. That inspired her to found AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education) in 2013 to support women in the field and help them gain greater opportunities and recognition. AWESOME eventually became a community of approximately 1,500 women leaders.

A Vision

As Ann retired from DSC, she wanted to keep advancing women’s leadership. In 2019 she founded Lincoln Road Enterprises to invest in and support women’s contributions and influence in the areas of public/private enterprise, global supply chain, engineering and technology, infrastructure and design, and space and astrophysics.

Ann’s dream took a major step forward when a beautiful property—8.6 acres of virgin woodland on the shores of Geneva Lake that had been part of the original Yerkes Observatory campus—became available. Standing on the land, she had a moment of insight: She could build a center dedicated to women’s leadership here.

A Design

Ann hired Jeanne Gang, a MacArthur Award “Genius Grant” winner who’s world-renowned for her work in the U.S. and abroad to design the Center. Jeanne and the team at her urban design and architecture firm, Studio Gang, partnered closely with Ann for two years to envision a campus that would be uniquely dedicated to and inspiring to women.

Groundbreaking took place in March 2024. Pepper Construction oversaw the process of building the Center, while the landscape design firm OLIN conceived the Center’s gardens and grounds.

Throughout, exceptional care and attention were paid to using the latest in “green” design and sustainable construction practices to restore both the natural beauty and environmental health of the land.

Possibilities

Our dream is that women for decades to come find a place here to think, create, collaborate and dream big dreams. Most of all, we hope they fulfill Ann’s mission of advancing women’s leadership and realizing the huge potential women possess—the heart, the drive, and the intellect—to keep making the world a better place.