Jennifer B. Steffus
Jennifer B. Steffus is the vice president of annual programs and events at the Children's Memorial Foundation. In addition to planning five major events throughout the year, she manages a 12-member team of event specialists who work on more than 200 events annually, including fund-raising galas and golf outings. Currently, Steffus is working on the September 10 public launch of a fund-raising campaign for the Streeterville hospital (which recently celebrated its groundbreaking).
Decor: “Event Architects. We have an amazing working relationship, and I trust them with our largest and most important events. Fergus Rooney, Emily Olson, Katie Ellis, Courtney White, David Wildman, Patrick Dejura, and Gary Cichester are some of my favorite people to work with. They are incredibly dedicated to our cause; they understand who we are as an institution; they work within our budget limitations; they’re incredibly strategic and creative; but most of all, they’re fun."Catering: "I adore Helius DeGuevara at [Food for Thought]. I work closely with him and Lauren Knuepfer. Helius knows all my special tastes and anticipates my needs [and] requests. Once we found the 'team' of folks who work well together, Helius works hard to get those same folks to work our events so we have great continuity and consistency. We all like working together, and [they] are getting to know our donors [and] staff, so it’s a great working relationship."
Decor: “Event Architects. We have an amazing working relationship, and I trust them with our largest and most important events. Fergus Rooney, Emily Olson, Katie Ellis, Courtney White, David Wildman, Patrick Dejura, and Gary Cichester are some of my favorite people to work with. They are incredibly dedicated to our cause; they understand who we are as an institution; they work within our budget limitations; they’re incredibly strategic and creative; but most of all, they’re fun."Catering: "I adore Helius DeGuevara at [Food for Thought]. I work closely with him and Lauren Knuepfer. Helius knows all my special tastes and anticipates my needs [and] requests. Once we found the 'team' of folks who work well together, Helius works hard to get those same folks to work our events so we have great continuity and consistency. We all like working together, and [they] are getting to know our donors [and] staff, so it’s a great working relationship."
"Jill Barnes from Wolfgang Puck is another favorite of mine. She does an amazing job always touching base with me to see what upcoming events they can help me with. At events, Jill is there front and center making sure our events go out flawlessly. She has a great understanding of Children’s Memorial and is incredibly dedicated to working within our budgets and bringing an amazing amount of creativity to everything they do for us."
