William L. Conaghan, vice chair and CEO of Bridgeview Bank Group, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired in May 2008.

An attorney, Conaghan is also of counsel at Vedder, Price in Chicago, where he has counseled a broad and diverse client base in the banking industry on legal and regulatory matters.  He is a frequent lecturer and speaker at banking-related seminars and a member and former chairman of the Chicago Bar Association Financial Institutions Committee.  He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Commercial Banking and Bankruptcy Section of the Illinois State Bar Association and was one of the founding members of the Joint Regulatory Committee formed to develop methods to monitor and prosecute financial institution crimes. This Committee was cited in the Board Report and served as a model for similar Committees across the nation. Conaghan has extensive experience communicating with members of the media and with representatives of banking publications.

Conaghan, a resident of Chicago’s near north side, has an extensive background in community involvement.  In addition to his service at the Lighthouse, he is a director of Catholic Charities and previously served on the boards of St. Xavier College and Catherine Cook School.

Conaghan, who succeeds Dr. Joel Kaplan as Lighthouse chairman, is a graduate of John Marshall Law School.  Prior to that, he earned a B.S. degree with honors in Finance from the University of Dayton.