Linda Zager is the Executive Director at The Back Office Cooperative (BOC), and a Principal Consultant at Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA). Linda has 40 years of corporate and small business experience.

Over the span Linda’s career, responsibilities included Finance, Sales, Business Management, Expense Management Consulting and Executive Leadership. She joined ERA in 2008 and through a partnership agreement became the Executive Director at BOC in 2014. Linda is passionate about the non-profit community and quickly became an instrumental leader in how to best assist organizations to better manage administrative expenses and drive more money to the missions.

Linda works with executives and stakeholders in the non-profit sector, to understand their strategies, challenges, priorities, and determine how BOC and ERA can reduce administrative costs and improve cash flow, without giving up what is needed to achieve the mission of the organization.

Linda has a B.S. in Business Administration from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. and an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J.

Em Hall joined the BOC team in early 2017 as the Director of Marketing and Communications. In her 15 years of professional experience, Em has worked in the nonprofit, government, and education sectors.  Some highlights from her career include launching an award-winning fashion blog at Goodwill of Greater Washington, collaborating with The Colbert Report at the USO, and spearheading re-branding and new website initiatives at multiple nonprofits in DC and Chicago.

She holds a BA with Honors in Political Science from the University of Chicago; MA’s in Philanthropic Studies and US History from Indiana University; a Certificate in Integrated Marketing from UChicago’s Graham School; and a Public Transit Planning & Management Certificate from UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA).

Her love of public transportation led Em to pursue a PhD in Urban Planning at UIC CUPPA, where she studies the role of nonprofits in public-private partnerships.  Catch her watching Law & Order or teaching her old cats new tricks.

Tweed Thornton joined BOC as Director of Strategic Partnerships in 2019 and has been working with nonprofit and membership based organizations for almost 20 years. Between 2009 and 2017, Tweed served as Executive Director for the City Club of Chicago. During his time with the City Club, membership and events tripled and the Club took on several initiatives including livestreaming every event and implementing a new website and CRM system that dramatically improved the member experience.

Tweed has been working with several nonprofit organizations since 2017 including the Health Care Council of Chicago, Collaboraction Theatre Company, the Publicity Club of Chicago, and WTTW. Work with membership based groups has included Health News Illinois and The Daily Line.

Tweed graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a degree in Theatre Management and is a member of DePaul University’s Alumni Board. He also produces podcasts and live events. You can listen to the latest episode of The Broad Cast by visiting iTunes.