About Samir Mayekar

Samir is an accomplished leader with a track record of driving innovation and impact across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Most recently, he was deputy mayor for the city of Chicago, where he focused on economic and neighborhood development. He was a driving force behind initiatives such as INVEST South/West, the city’s signature community development initiative that marshaled resources from across city departments, community organizations, and corporate and philanthropic partners to support commercial corridors across several South and West Side neighborhoods. Before that, he served in the U.S. government during the Obama Administration, where he was part of the White House’s national security team and on the executive staff at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. Samir also co-founded and served as CEO of NanoGraf Corporation, a global manufacturer of advanced materials for the lithium-ion battery industry that has raised over $200 million in funding and was spun out of Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University. He holds a B.A. and M.B.A. from Northwestern, where he served as a trustee, and he is active in the Chicago civic community, serving on the boards of Millennium Bank, Lyric Opera, Ravinia Festival, Civic Federation, and other organizations. He is also a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and is an alumnus of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Samir is fluent in Spanish and married to Dr. Emily Mayekar, an orthopedic surgeon working at Illinois' largest trauma center serving Chicago's South Side. Samir is the proud son of immigrants from India.

Education

  • BA in Political Science, Northwestern University
  • MBA in Business, Northwestern University

Professional Fields

Work History

  • Managing Director, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, University of Chicago
  • Visiting Scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
  • Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood and Economic Development, City of Chicago
  • Cofounder & CEO, NanoGraf Corporation

Samir's Links

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