Jim McDonough
Board Chair
McDonough joined The Joffrey Board of Directors in 2013. During his tenure on the Board, he served as the Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee, Compensation Committee, and Facilities Committee, ensuring The Joffrey’s continued stability and success through the COVID-19 pandemic and move to the Lyric Opera House in 2020.
McDonough previously served as Executive Director at the Alphawood Foundation Chicago from 2012 to 2021. McDonough joined Alphawood from Sun-Times Media Holdings, LLC, where he was General Counsel, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to joining Sun-Times Media, McDonough was a partner in the Chicago law firm Gardner, Carton & Douglas.
In addition to his legal and media credentials, McDonough has considerable experience in the not-for-profit world. From 2003 to 2009, he served on the National Board of Directors of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to safeguard and advance the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and those with HIV through impact litigation, education, and policy work. He is a member of the board of directors of Four Freedoms Park Conservancy in New York and the long-time Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sun-Times Charity Trust, the charitable arm of the Chicago Sun-Times. McDonough has served as a director and advisor to numerous local charities and not-for-profit organizations.