The Chicagoland Guide

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Elan Mosbacher, the Senior Vice President of Strategy & Operations at Spothero , and a Skokie resident. Spothero is the #1 downloaded parking reservation app. They provide an easy way for consumers across North America to reserve the best parking with the best rates, before heading to their destination. They also use artificial intelligence to make t...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Aina Gutierrez, the Executive Director of Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse , an Evanston-based non-profit organization that promotes the reduction of waste in landfills through sustainable deconstruction and renovation building practices. Reclaimed building materials are sold at their warehouse at low cost to the community and the proceeds support their...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Jill Bishop. Jill is Founder & CEO of Multilingual Connections , an Evanston-based company that helps you understand, engage and grow your multilingual audience through translation, transcription and multimedia localization in over 75 languages. They are a woman owned business ( WBENC ) and a member of the Association of Language Companies , GALA and...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Linda Darragh. Linda is the The Larry Levy Executive Director and Clinical Professor Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative at Northwestern University . She is leading a program that is partnering Northwestern with the City of Evanston to help local businesses navigate the pandemic. To help Evanston's small businesses weather this current...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Lena Kim from niceLena & Friends . niceLena & Friends is a crafts shop located at 1235 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in the Main Dempster Mile . Lena makes incredibly innovative and custom crafts including prints, candles, mugs, cards and so much more. We talk about her innovative and engaging marketing efforts including the fairy door project , crafti...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Lisa Degliantoni. Lisa is the Founder and Executive Director of Evanston Made , Founder and Curator of 1100 Florence and the Host and Producer of the Lisa D Show . Evanston Made is a membership-based organization whose mission it is to promote the art community in Evanston through mentorship and connecting buyers with artists. 1100 Florence is a form...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Patrick Keenan-Devlin. Keenan-Devlin is the Executive Director and Juvenile Justice Attorney for the Moran Center for Youth Advocacy in Evanston . In this episode we talk about the work they do, restorative justice and the effects of Covid-19 on the Center and justice work in general. Founded in 1976, the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy prov...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky , U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 9th District, which include the Skev. In this episode we discuss the government’s response to Covid-19, the stimulus programs, and her work to protect nursing home employees and residents. We also discuss her story in getting into politics and her encouragement for more people to get in...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Scott Rochelle, the President and CEO of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) which is headquartered in Downtown Chicago. In his role as President and CEO, Rochelle oversees the Retired Players Association’s day-to-day operations, including securing new cutting-edge partnerships for former players to thrive and prosper. In addi...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Reavens Lee from SparkRaw Media . SparkRaw helps entrepreneurs and businesses to "videolize" the buyer's journey to close the gaps between prospects, customers, and teams without losing their authenticity. They are video experience designers. We talk about Reavens’ journey from Taiwan, her struggles with explaining the value of her work to her family...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Michelle Friedman, a Skokie resident and fierce advocate for individuals with disabilities. Michelle is a life coach, writer, and board member of Keshet and the Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA), both of whom have been featured on this show. Michelle speaks to many schools and students of her experience living with blindness. We also talk...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Nia Tavoularis. Nia the Director of Development for Connections for the Homeless . Connections is THE agency in the northern suburbs leading the effort to deliver essential services to people who are homeless and unstably housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.  ​Connections for the Homeless partners with the community to provide comprehensive, compassi...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Shana Erenberg. Shana is the co-founder and Executive Director of Libenu . Libenu’s mission is to provide residential, vocational, and respite opportunities for people with disabilities to live with dignity and respect, as fully included members of the community. Libenu is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization comprised of parents and professionals...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Shalom Klein. Shalom Klein is a master networker and connector and a true champion of Skokie. When he’s not meeting people for coffee (or now Zoom meetings), Shalom is accomplishing more in a day than most do in a year. Here’s a list of some of the things Shalom does: -Director of External Affairs for Keshet -Military Police Officer in the United Sta...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Harry Gottlieb. For the last 25 years Harry has focused on making learning and decision-making delightful and creating unique games that bring people together. In this episode we discuss Harry’s latest initiative which is Unify America , which  is working to help us see that we are far more unified than we believe, and that there is a way to address...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Tenzin Jamyang from the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago which is located in Evanston. Tenzin was born and raised in Dharamsala, India. He came to the United States after winning the lottery for an immigration visa under the Tibetan Resettlement Project. Tibetan Alliance of Chicago (“TAC”) is a registered 501 3(c) not-for-profit organization seeking to pr...

Stacey Masliansky-Brainlinks Academics, Inc This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Stacey Masliansky, the President of Brainlinks Academics, Inc , and wife of Aaron Masliansky. Stacey is a licensed Reading Specialist with SLANT System Certification (Structured Language Training). She provides tutoring services to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Brainlinks Academics, Inc. focu...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down Marnie Dawson from Dawson Relocation Services. In this episode we talk about the services Dawson Relocation offers, the challenges of moving and the solutions they provide. We point out that move management is above and beyond what a moving and storage company provides, and how Marnie works hand in hand with the clients, the movers and the property manage...

Recorded before a live audience, listen to this interview with TM Garret , co-hosted with the Simon Wiesenthal Center. TM Garret, is a German-American author, producer, filmmaker, marketing expert, radio personality, former white supremacist leader turned human rights activist and founder of C.H.A.N.G.E, a Memphis-based non-profit organization which engages in community outreach programs, food dri...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Ilene Uhlmann who is the Director of Arts and Ideas Programming for JCC Chicago . Ilene is in charge of running the JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival . Come see me moderate two discussions with the filmmakers during the festival; the first being, Shepherd, the Story of a Jewish Dog on March 8th , and the second being, Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutat...

This week, the 50th episode on Inside the Skev, I flip the table on myself, and take up an offer from former guest Victoria Reeves to interview me, Aaron Masliansky! In this episode, you will learn what inspired me to start Inside the Skev , my life, passions and profession.  I live with my family in Skevanston, which is an area of Skokie that has an Evanston mailing address and school districts....

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Dr. Eric Witherspoon, the Superintendent of Evanston Township High School District 202 (ETHS). We talk about his background, what ETHS offers and the exciting new partnership with Oakton Community College.  Evanston Township High School (ETHS) District 202 is a four-year comprehensive high school occupying a 65-acre campus in Evanston, Illinois, a su...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Paul Hletko, the Founder and Master Distiller at FEW Spirits in Evanston. In this episode we talk about why Paul decided to open up FEW Spirits in 2011 after a career in the law and music industry and used his creativity to make award winning craft whiskey and gin that is now sold in 4 continents.  FEW Spirits is located at 918 Chicago Avenue, Evanst...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Dr. Jenny Thompson. Dr. Thompson is the Director of Education at the Evanston History Center. She recently wrote, “ The Takeover 1968 ,” which provides an in-depth look at what started on May 3, 1968, when a group of Black students at Northwestern University made headlines when they occupied the university’s main financial building and announced that...

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Victoria Reeves. Victoria is a true renaissance woman; from her one-woman show Brassy + Intrepid about her life, her monthly spoken word/sound experience Soul Stories Live at the Firehouse Grill in Evanston; teaching at Y.O.U ; and her consulting work as a creativity/career coach . We explore all of these facets of her life in this fascinating conver...