For over a decade, MK Pritzker served as a leader of the Pritzker Family Foundation, with a mission of fostering solutions in the areas of early childhood development and women’s health. Under MK’s leadership, the Foundation supported leading organizations in these fields like the Pritzker Consortium on Early Childhood Development, the First Five Years Fund, the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Erie Family Health, and Lawndale Christian Health. Through the Foundation, MK was also involved in shaping the strategic plan for Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, with a focus on scholarships and grants, social justice, entrepreneurship, and civil and human rights initiatives.

MK founded the nonprofit Evergreen Invitational, a sanctioned equestrian show jumping competition that raised over $6 million for the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, focusing exclusively on funding women’s healthcare initiatives. She has also contributed her time to a number of critical organizations, serving on the board or in leadership roles of organizations dedicated to healthcare, the arts, and fostering thriving communities.

Additionally, MK has taken on issues surrounding justice-involved women. Through her work at the Foundation, MK has supported organizations such as the Women’s Justice Institute and remains dedicated to improving the lives of women and children affected by the justice system in her role as First Lady of the State of Illinois.

MK previously worked in Washington D.C. on the staffs of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey. She graduated with a B.A. from University of Nebraska at Lincoln and attended graduate school at the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been married to JB for 25 years and lives in Chicago with their two children.