Samir Mayekar is the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of NanoGraf Corporation, a global manufacturer of advanced materials for the lithium-ion battery industry. A tri-sector leader, Samir has served in executive capacities in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.  He served in the U.S. government during the Obama Administration, where he worked on the White House’s national security team and on the executive staff at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Most recently, he was deputy mayor in the Lori Lightfoot administration in the city of Chicago where he focused on economic and neighborhood development.

Samir holds a BA from Northwestern University (summa cum laude) and a MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management.