ABOUT US
Helping children and families in need since 1887.
Glenwood Academy is a nonprofit residential school for children facing some of life’s toughest challenges.
Many of our students arrive having experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences - including poverty, violence, neglect, trauma, or home instability.
At Glenwood, these children receive a safe place to live, a quality education, professional counseling, nutritious meals, and life-skills training.
By serving the whole child and involving the entire family, we provide the wrap-around support necessary to break cycles and build a brighter future.
From Uncertainty to Destiny: Finding the Place They Belong
When Felicia first brought her daughters to Glenwood Academy, she was searching for a lifeline. After experiencing significant family transitions, her daughters needed a place where they could feel safe, seen, and supported. The transformation wasn't gradual—it was immediate. For the first time, they were in an environment that didn't just manage them, but truly celebrated their unique spirits.
Today, Malasia and Tiana are thriving. By providing a structured, loving, and academically rigorous environment, Glenwood helped turn a period of uncertainty into a foundation for lifelong success. "It wasn't just a change of scenery," Felicia shares. "It was a change of destiny."
Our Mission
To be a disruptive force in the cycles of poverty, injustice, and inequity in the students, families, and communities we serve.
Our Vision
We strive to eradicate poverty, injustice and inequity.
Our History
Oscar L. Dudley and Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, with the mission to provide dependent children in Illinois with a training school and protective shelter, founded Glenwood Academy in 1887.
In 1890, Milton George donated his 300-acre farm in Glenwood, Illinois, where the campus still thrives today.
Since its founding, Glenwood Academy has evolved to become an educational placement option that pays homage to the structure it was founded upon.
For over 130 years, Glenwood Academy has served more than tens of thousands of deserving students and their families.
Leadership
Colleen Conlan-Carter, Ed.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer
Tony Talarico
Vice President of Facilities
Abigail Cano
Vice President of Finance & Food Services
Chuck Kudia
Chief Financial Officer
Candace Ott
Vice President of Administrative Affairs
Nora Sheahan
Chief Development Officer
Brian Harvey, M.Ed.
Vice President of Residential Services
Anne Budicin
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Admissions
Nanette Wieck
Vice President of Clinical Services
Board of Trustees
Officers
Pamela D. Lawlor
Chairwoman of the Student & Staff Services Committee
Community Representative
Kurt A. Gabouer
Treasurer, Chairman of the Audit & Finance Committees
Retired Partner
KPMG
Patrick Flinn
Chairman of the Development & Public Affairs Committee
Retired President
Flinn Scientific
S. Biff Bowman*
Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee
Retired Executive Vice President & CFO, Northern Trust Corporation
Matthew S. Darnall*
Chairman of the Investment Committe
Managing Director
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Norman Wesley
Retired Chairman & CEO
Fortune Brands
Colleen Conlan-Carter, M.Ed.
President & CEO
Glenwood Academy
Boris Elisman
Vice Chairman of Finance & Audit Committee
Retired President & CEO
ACCO Brands
Mark T. Wight*
Chairman & CEO
Wight & Company
Members
Julie Badel
Retired
Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C.
Stephanie J. Hickman
President
Trice Construction Company
Neal E. Kitchell
Retired Senior Vice President
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Michelle M. Sargent
Managing Director
The Sargent Consulting Group, LLC
Anthony DiTommaso
Managing Partner
Ecvall, LLC
Harry Hostetler
Chairman of the Building & Ground Committee
Retired CEO
Whiteley Bearing
Jan Mazza
Property Manager
Thrall Enterprises
Louis J. Weber III
Capital Partner
Winston & Strawn, LLP
Arthur J. Fogel
Executive Vice President
Northern Trust
Yevgeniy Kalinin
Manager Director
Forvis Mazars, LLP
Arthur Pero
Owner
Pero Hess LLC
Honorary Life Trustees
Robert J. Darnall*
James F. Doyle*
Timothy J. Gardner
Blanch Hill
John E. Jones
Joe A. Masterson*
Helmet Mlaker
Frank J. Morgan
Perry R. Pero
Donna Van Eekeren
David J. Vitale*
Craig Stern*
Charles S. Walls
Charles E. Waterman
Alan D. Duff
*Past Chairman